, 1880-07-14
PRINCE BISMARCK AND HIS PAR
LIAMENTS.
lFrOM tAe Npeetat0r.l

In the Cologne Gazette Of June 9th is
contained an interesting account of Prince
Bismark's views of his relation to the
PrusSian Diet, and also to the German
Parliament. CT course, these interyleWerS,
German or English, must also be taken
with q certain reserve. But nothing can
be more in keeping with Prince BlsmarckS
public speeches, and with all That we know
of his recent attitude towards both these
assemblies, than the mode III which he
seems to have spoken of them to the writer
in the Cologne Gazette. That attitude IS
very simple. He evidently thinks that
representative Assemblies are summoned
to strengthen the hands of the Minister i'll
passing those measures which the Minister
deems titteSt for the country, AMI that
they become purely miSchievOuS so soon
as they place hindrances in the way OF
the Administration. "Our Parliamentary
lile,' the Prince is reported to have said,
'lacks leadership or rather, its leadership
is in the hands of the masses, instead of
being directed by a general staff of intelll-
gence at the head Of each political fraction.
With respect to no proposed measure, do
our legislators ask themselves what is
really Opportune or useful 10 the country
or its future, but only what may perhaps
bc IOIuldl Will lHb AiIJOlAN1 vi thO NAN~
tors. Possibly much that is erroneous
plays a part in these appralsementS OF
pOpularity,-the next elections will demon
strate how much, But at present, it is
my impression that in many quarters i'll
which conclusions should be arrived
at by independent Judgment, the situa-
ton is governed by a Byzantine servility
towards the rightly or wrongly estimated
and assumed will of the mass of electors.
l should struggle in vain against timldlty
and faction, even were | to set myself such
an undertaking. Any younger and more
vigorous Minister, whatever his other
qualifications may be. will be filter than
myself to accept the dictation of the mass
es without consideration for political per-
spicacity." And Prince Bismarck seems
to have illustrated these remarks by unres-
trained invective against the Parliament
for having checked his plans for the extern
sion of German authority over the Samoan
Islands, and in relation to the aggression
which he had proposed on the rights of
Hamburg as a free city and port. Even
these acts Of insubordination, however, do
not irritate him SO much as the prospect
that the PruSsian diet may refuse to en-
trust him with the discretionary power for
which he asks in the application of the Falk
laws to the Roman Catholic priesthood.
The possibility that such a power should
be refused to him drives him altogether
out of his selfpossession. He raves against
that Parliamentary intrigue the object of
which is to persuade people that he does
not mind what becomes Of this Bill. 1t
was impossible, he says, for him to support
it personally, because it would have de-
manded too much time and strength, and
would have been inconsistent with his
profession that he must now restrict him.
self chiefly to his duties as Chancellor of
the Empire, and that this is a question for
Prussia only, and not for the German EN-.
pire- He could not afford, besides, "to