The sun., 1883-12-23

1t required nearly two and half centuries
for the Electors pf the Hohenzolern family to
suppress parliamentary institutions In Bran
denburg. For time indeed their rule seemed
favorable to tho establishment OF the right OF
the Estates TO share the law-making power
The golden age OF tho Diets was the sixteenth
century. and the power Of those assemblies was
| not vigorously shaken until tho Ausscltss. or
| committee. began to supersede the bandtag
and gradually led to the formation OF provin-
cal and county legislatures. The Brandon-
| burg Diet OF tho sixteenth century is compared
| by Prof. Tuttle to the Scottish Parliament. for
the Estates formed q single not dual assem-
bly,. and tho Presidency was intrusted. not to
an elective Chairman. but to some Minister or
official like the Scotch Chancellor. AS regards
tho functions OF the Diet. 1t would be inexact
to say that they were confined to the
negative power OF refusing taxes. This was
only one OF many attributes which enjoyed In
| principle tho same constitutional sanctions.
1t is nevertheless true that. even at the most
fourishlng epoch OF the Brandenburg Parlia.
| ment ascai affairs formed most frequently. as
they did in the England OF Tudor times. the
excuse for convoking the Estates. and. to
| largo extent enRrossed their deliberations.
On the whole. Prof. Tutte Is convinced that
the Diets OF tho Mark were quito as firm In
the maintenance OF their privileges as were the
English Parliaments In the reign OF Elizabeth:
| that down To an epoch moro recent than is
commonly supposed" that is to say. the flrst
| half Of the seventeenth century. the Estates
OF Brandenburg guarded jealously the rights
OF applying and Of making laws and thus kept
| the development Of Saxon poity on the Elbe
| and tho Oder abreast OF that on the Thames"
1t was during the very period which In Eng
| land witnessed the successful struggle OF the
Parliaments against the Stuart Kings that
| corresponding contest took place In Branden-
| burg. ending unhappiy In the actual though
not avowed suppression OF parliamentary In
stitutions. Tho details OF tho long conflict are
recounted In Prof Tuttle's book. but only tho
| result can be mentioned here. namely that the
Diet Of 1852 SO was the last general parliament
held In the Mark. The Diet indeed. was ad-
| journed with vague promise that 1t should
soon bo reconvened: but an attempt OF the
Estates. a few days later. to meet without a
summons called forth vehement rebuke from
the Elector. and was not repeated. The his
torlcal assembly. which for centuries had legis-
lated like a free parliament. now shrivelled
into petty Board. or Commission. for revising
the lists Of the assessors and auditing tho ac-
counts OF tho exciseman. Frederick William
was alone In the Governmont"
Thus far we have spoken only OF the political
history OF the Mark Of Brandenburg. but this.
although the central and most important was
| only one Of the three main sections into which.
In the seventeenth century. the possessions Of
the Electors were divided. They had claim by
inheritance to the rich and populous territories
Of Cleve and Juch In the Rhine valley and in
1914 their right had been recognized by treaty
to a portion OF those domains. During the
Thirty Years War the Estates Of Cleve enjoyed
even greater freedom Of action than had ever
been possessed by the Diets the Mark. Not
| only thay far rnmOyad in n nj innl
sense. from the retributory arm Of the
Elector. but the fortunes Of the war and
the patronage OF the Netherlands enabled
| them to assert an exceptional degree
Of political independence" The Cleve Parlia-
ment seems early to have become suspicious
OF Its new lord and up to the peace OF West
phalia and even for some five years.afterward.
it continued to vindicate the ancient rights
and privileges Of the duchy in spite OF the
edicts OF dissolution that were Illuminated
against It," But after 1858. when parliament
tary government had been practically extin-
guished In Brandenburg. the Elector proceeded
to deal rudely with the Estates Of Cleve. ex-
| torted q repeal Of charters that had recently
been granted. and compelled the Legislature
to acIuiesce in the substitution OF virtually
| absoutist regime for the traditional system Of
local autonomy.
1t Is we'll known that the province OF Prussia
had been conquered ir ON the Slavs and colonized
by the Teutonic Knights. that the order was
secuarized in 1925. and that Albert OF Hohenzo!-
| lern. who was then Grand Marshal. proclaimed
himself Duke OF Prussia. which. however. he
agreed to hold as a flef Of Poland. 1t was not
until the extinction OF Albert's line in 1918.
that the duchy passed to his distant kinsman.
the Elector OF Brandenburg. Tho inheritance
was trammeed not only with awkward feudal
obligations to Poland. but by local institutions
more favorable to independence than those OF
tho Mark. 1t will. OF course. be understood
that the Diet OF Prussia long remained an or
ganization quite distinct from the Diet OF tho
electorate. Up to 1867. when Prussia's inde-
pendence OF Poland was acknowledged. the
authority of the Electors in the duchy was
mere shadow. For practical purposes the
provincoswas a republic and governed itself.
The Chancellor could refuse to afflx the seal to
the DEGREES OF the Duke. local officials con-
trolled the privy purse and the Crown domains,
tho Diet decided in all important matters.
and the suzerainty OF Poland was rather q
guarantee OF the rights OF tho Estates than a
support to the nominal ruler. The mobiles had
not learned servllity during century Of vir.
tual self-government. and the municipal spirit
in K0nigsberg and other large towns was well
developed, resolute. and even aggressive. u
Even after the so-called Great Elector Fred
erick William) had crushed the liberties OF
Brandenburg and Clsve he found himself
obliged TO deal far more literally with Prussia.
In the charter. for example. OF 1868 no cove.
nantcd that n Diet should be summoned in the
Duchy evcry six years for legislation and that
In the intervals a standing board OF thirteen
members should be clothed with authority tc
pronounce upon any grievances that should
, fail to receive redress. These concessions were
liberal compared with those granted to Other
subjects OF tho Elector and although they were
! often evaded or violated in practice the tradl.
7 tion OF parliamentary government long sur.
! yiycd in Prussia proper.
Tho results OF tho centralizing work per.
formed by the immediate predecessors OF Fred
erick the Great are summed UP by the author Of
this volume In tho remark that modern Prussia
isa German State which has been Latinzed
and In which the principle Of local self govern.
ment was rooted up by the same hand tina,
struck down the Legislative and administrative
+. rights OF the estates. 1t is nevertheless true
| n q we hn thakt tha