The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-07

Catholic hierarchy. n bill was passed by the
| Rechstng AMI the Bundesrath and signed
! by Kaiser WILLIAM, comforting equivalent
| mowers upon the Federal executive in Asacc.
Lorraine. Il was of this auxiliary measure,
narrowly crrunscribcd IN application. TINT
DR.. WISDTHoEsr on "Wednesday persuaded
/ the German House Of Commons TO express n
decided disnpproval.
But for al! this vote II ccnsurn the Fca.
crnl law. 50 bitterly offensive to the Cath.
oirs nf Alsacc-L Lorraine, will stand I'M
repealed until tho wishes of the Rricls-
ting are agreed to by tho Bundcsrnth
ana tho Emperor, events of which
nj present there Is not the faint.
est likelihood. And oven In the remote
contingency Of thc statute bearing on tho
Federal district being rcsciudcd 10y the con-
s"nt III tho three powers which iuti,t concur
to ef"r, legislation for the empire it Is by no
means certain that The repeal Of the Prussan
FALK laws would follow. For Prince Bis
MAncH. when apparently disposed Ia COM
promise, experienced great 1t. ill,ulty in ol.
tanning the anQ;icscrncc Of the Pru.sian
Chamber of Deputies and House of Peers In
his nropo-al-thl%tl.c execution OF the harsh
the royal Government.
From legal and practical pnin; ot view.
th"n. III" acton Of th" "ch,tHg In dCnpuuc-
ing the principle If tlIa ti-rnthulir logisln.
tion is entirely nhnr'ivc. BlsMAucK retains
all tn" weapons which the Cuil,ukrg,pt ho-
slowed on him. and he can only ir deprived
81 them by the dsapprOval Of tn. Emperor
or by his own free will. l. is not prac'icab
for the R"ichstag to enforce compliance with
It's wishes by pressure corresponding To that
which in Il lili" case would iinluast iunablv hn
"X"rtedbyan Eng li,h llou-eOr Commons The
current misconceptions Of German politics
spring in large part from the propcls ty to
draw erroneous annlogi"s between the two
assemblies. Neither in law nor in fact has
the R"lchstaS more than n spectral rcscrn-
blanc" to the popular and omnipotcnt branch
of the British Parliament. 70 it the impc-
rial Minister'S are in no wise accountable
and, as BISMARCK tauntinglv points ont,
the Bundcsrath. or Federal Council
unlike the British House of Peers. has "A
Even the power over the purse and Incl
dcntally over the sword. which is numiually
shared by the lower Chamber has in prac-
NlC' bt'H SuIIfni'l'u, Slllcc lnc anpfObrlh-
lions for tho army have been voted for a
long term in advance, and the ordinary
budget itself for the coming year was irrnvo-
cably fixed by the last Rcch-tag. IT, there
fore, BISMARCK, III Il tit of pquc. should dis
solve the German Parliament Tomorrow, he
would not be in the least troubled about ways
and means.
As n moral demonstration, the support Of
DIR. WINDTHoRSr's motion by the Roichstas
will undoubtedly have much weight, and il
the Chancellor declines to heed (which
will almost certainly be the casc-he may bc
a good deal worried and incenscd by the
Chambers resistance to his minor lcrsla-
tive projects, and especially by its refusal
to renew the laws against the Socialists
But what have the German friends of free
institutions to hope for from course which
can only result in bringing all legislation To
n deadlock? Their formidable adversary has
Il way Of cutting knots that bother him, and,
once convinced that government under pres
ent conditions is impossible. he may not only
summarly dissolve the Rrichstag. but cx.
ccu.e his oit-rcpeatcd threat of radically
the political structure of the empire