The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-10-22
The Oussian Elections.

first reports, according to which the CONSOLE
dated Liberals had gained decisive victory.
1t appears that neither Of the three principal
parties will have majority Of the assembly,
and as cooperation on the part Of any two Of
them Is also out OF the question, legislation
will be as difficult in the new Landtag as 1t
is in the present Reichstag. The worst effect
OF such inconclusive elections Is that they
encourage tho friends Of absolutism to raise
the question whether parliamentary institu-
lions can be made to work In country where
neither the Government nor the opposition
can command q coherent and efficient ma
jority OF the Legislature.
1t Is we'll known that members Of the
Prussian Landtag are elected by aprocess
analogous to that by which the President
and Vice-President Of the United States are
chosen. The voters In a given constituency
choose certain number Of electors, who In
turn meet and name the representatives Of
the district In the Legislature. Originally 1t
was intended In Prussia, as In the United
States, that the electors should really possess
right of choice, but the tendency Of the sys-
tenn is to extinguish independence Of action
on the part Of the delegates, and the interme-
date electors In Prussia now usually confine
themselves to registering the wishes OF the
voters. 1t Is always possible, therefore, to
foretell with accuracy from the preliminary
elections the composition OF the Landtag.
though we cannot always foresoe which men,
Der of dominant party will be chosen by the
electors to represent his district. The out
come OF the recent contest will be that while
the Progressists and Secessionists have gain
ed about thirty seats, yet they, together with
the National Liberals, will fall short of a pre-
ponderance. Most OF the Liberal gains seem
to have been made at the expense OF the
Conservatives whereas the Ultramontanes
have held their own.
1t would plainly be impracticable in the
new Landtag to carry through repeal OF
the FALK laws, even if BISMARCK were likely
to propose such measure in view OF the in
tractable attitude OF the German prelates.
Yet without union OF the Clericals and Con-
servatives the Prussian Ministry will be UNI
able to obtain any legislation which Is OPP
posed by the Liberal party. On the other
hand, the Consolidated Liberals can do
nothing without alliances and 1t Is hard to
see what possible compromise they could
make either with the Conservatives, with
whose political principles they are diametri
cally at variance, or with the Ultramontanes,
whose view Of the relations Of Church and
State they have violently repudiated. AS
regards tariff legislation. indeed. the Liberals
are not united among themselves, the Pro-
grcssists being free traders, while most OF
the National Liberals are protectionists. In
short, the more closely the parliamentary
situation in Prussia is scrutinized, the more
incapable appears the Landtag OF discharg-
IT, I.,A.x o.. a
the function Of legislation.
1t is common to hear German Liberals con-
graduate themselves upon the deadlock
which they have brought about in the pres
ent Reichstag, and Of which q counterpart
will be exhibited in the new Landtag. 1t is
true that BISMARCK, who for some years
contrived to pass almost any law he pleased,
is now powerless to carry the most trifiing
measure against the will Of his old enemies.
But majority which exists only for the
purpose Of obstruction, and which collapses
the moment when anything like substantive
legislation is attempted-because its Liberal
and Clerical components are at bottom ire
concilable-supplies the Chancellor with On
argument for discrediting parliamentary
institutions altogether. Legislatures that
cannot legislate may be plausibly described
as useless appendages Of the body polite,
and IL successive elections for the Landtag
shall demonstrate that no party and no pro-
gramme can acquire even a temporary as
cendancy in the Prussian lower House, Bis
MARCK will probably insist that the present
Prussian Constitution requires amend
ment, and that II working ma
jority can only be secured by restricting
the suffrage, the necessity OF taking that re-
dictionary step must be looked in the face. 1t
will be remembered that not long ago the
sovereign, in his double capacity of German
Emperor and King Of Prussia, publicly as
sumed complete responsibility for all Of Bis
MARcK's declarations and designs, and
avowcd the most extravasant absolutist
principles. Conspicuous among those prin-
ciples is tho axiom that what king has
given he may, in the exercise of his discretion,
take away. 1t Is, of course, unlikely that the
German Emperor would ever attempt by a
coup detat to circumscribe the powers or
alter the method of election OF the Relchstag;
but 1t is probable that tho King Of Prussia
believes himself entitled to modify, or even
to suppress, the present Prussian Constitu-
ton by his personal fiat and the danger Is
that the incompetence OF the Landtag for leg
islativc work may be made the pretext for
serious notifications OF tho organic law. 1t
is said that BISMARCK has for some time
made no secret Of his opinion that paria-
mentary government in Prussia was intro
duced as an experiment, and has proved
failure. 1t may be, therefore, that he looks
with cynical complacency on the prospect
that the legislative deadlock witnessed in
the last session OF the Reichstag will be re-
pcatcd in the Landtag. He knows that of all
solutions of political as well as mathematical
prob Ems the most effective is reductio ad
abs a dun.
What Shall He Do About the Ten