New-York tribune., 1884-03-03

REPRESENTATIVES, unon the massage of the Lasker
resolution. The minute expressing It's 'hiihS
for the tribute of respect paid 10 one VI i's
leaders and its best wishes for the prosperity VI
the United States has been already diScusseu III
Congress-. Similar expressions OF appreciation
and gratitude may be expected from the
Fatherlond. accompanied by displays of partl-
san spirit. The House has unwittingy involved
itself in an episode of foreign politics.
H. is important on this account to ascertain
what were Herr Laskers relations to the I'M
perial Government. He has been described as
leader of the Opposition. This is not strictly
accurate, since in the Reichstag there is neither
a Government nor an Opposition party. in the
sense in which such bodies are organized III the
British Commons, or in other national legisla-
lures. The Ministry is not dependent upon
Parliamentary support and the Chancellor can
snap his fingers in the faces of the Deputies
even when all political factions combine against
him. The Government ma ajOrities are obtained
by political combinations, now of Liberals and
Conservatives, and again of Conservatives and
Catholics. If the majority cannot be secured,
it is not matter of serious import The Chan
celor loses his temper and makes some cynical
debating clubs. The defeated measure is in
troduced at the next session, and new political
combination is formed. The factions nOminally
opposed to the Chancellor vote against the Gov
ernmcnt one day and support it the day after
and the factions nominally in alliance with him
exercise the same privilege.
Herr Laskers political career virtually
opened in 1866 when he aided Herr Won Ben
nigsen in founding the national Liberal party.
This was the organization which gave un-
swervng support to Bismarck during the
Austrian and French campaigns, sanctioned the
fundamental laws of the Empire, and enabled
him to make war upon the Vatican in the kul-
turkampf This was the party which for twelve
wears possessed nominal majority in Parlia-
ment. and on behalf of the middle classes of the
Fatherland cordially approved of the Chancel-
lo,'s policy. As the leader of that party Herr
Lasker was during that period political ally
of the Government, and the forces opposed to
Bismarcfs measures were ordinarily directed
by Herr Windthorst. The first rupture oc-
Cured in 1873, when the national Liberals re-
icctcd the first anti-SOcialist bill; but they
subsequently voted for the measure in modl-
fled form. During the last five years they have
been opposed to Bismarck's economic policy ana
to biennial budgets, and have been disposed to
deprecate the repeal of the May laws, but on
other questions they have frequently voted
with the Government Herr LaSkcr was con-
stitutional lawyer, and took little interest in
financial questions He was also n sincere
believer in the Hebrew faith, and was indlticr-
cnt TO the struggle between Professionalism and
Catholicism in Germany. His interest had been
lukcwarm in recent questions OF the day on
which his party as faction in opposition voted
against the Chancellor.
This retrospect reveals the curious fact that
during lour-6fths of his political career Herr
Laskcr headed the majority which supported
Bismarck's chief measures, and that he took n
subordinate part in the debates which have re-
Gently occurred. If he incurred the enmity Of
the Chancellor, it was not during the period
when he could in any sense be said to have been
leader of the Opposition, but during the
twelve years when he was voting with the Gov
ernment This is the fact. He rendered him
self obnoxious to the Court and to Bismarck by
exposing the Northern Railway scandal, by
attacking tho Ministry of Commerce, by incnl-
pating one of the ChanccllOrs political favor
ties, and by driving negligent and corrupt Off
cials out of Office. His bOdness and eloquence
in demanding Investigations Of public scandals
while his party was in alliance with the Chan
ccllor, explain the enmity which has followed him
beyond the grave and converted a well-meant
if ill-advscd and unnecessary compliment from
a foreign legislature into an international
epis ode.