The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-25
Bismarck on German Federalism.

Bismarck on German Federalism.
The view Of the German federal system
advocated by Prince BISMARCK at Kissingen
on Sunday can hardly fail to exasperate his
Prussian fellow countrymen. On the other
hand. it will scarcely gain for him much
sympathy from the non-Prussian subjects
OF the empire, because it Is contradicted by
the whole trend Of his official life. and
will. therefore. be attributed to resentment
rather than conviction.
For forty-ave years. or ever since the
revolution of 1s4s. BIsMARCK's primary aim
has been the aggrandizement OF Prussia.
the furtherance Of German security and
unity being only secondary one. He was
a sturdy Particularist as long as Prussia
seemed likely to profit by isolation. and
he became zenlous advocate OF consolida-
ton only when 1t was plain that to central
ize meant to Prussianize the new German
empire. He was violently opposed to the
Prussian sovereign's acceptance Of the i'm
perial crown offered by the revolutionists
Of '4s assembled in the Frankfort Parlia-
ment; for two reasons. first, because. in
the system then contemplated. Prus-
sia would have possessed much less as
cendancy than she has In the present Con-
federation; and secondly. because he dis
approved OF q government by Ministers
accountable to a popular assembly. The
North German Confederation which he es-
tablished in 1866. and which formed the
basis OF the present system. suited him
much better. because In it Prussia would
have a great preponderance. and because
ba off ha cih
to the sovereign alone. It Is true that In
the process Of expanding the North German
Confederation into the existing empire
Prussian preponderance was In some de-
gree impaired. because the South Ger
man countries would never have entered
the confederacy had its constitution
permitted Prussia to outvote all her
companion States In the Bundesrath or
Federal Council. But, while Prussia was to
have only seventeen out OF tfty-eight votes
in the Council. she could command In the
Reichstag. where members were appor-
toned according to population. two hundred
and thirty-six votes out Of q total Of three
hundred and ninety-seven. She started,
therefore. with an absolute command Of the
popular branch Of the imperial legislature
and with the executive power inseparably
attached to the Prussian Crown.
BISMARCK. however. was not satisfied
with the measure Of predominance assured
to his native country. or rather to the SOW
ereign thereof. He strove necessarily dur
Ing the long period of his Chancellorship to
render the i'm perial Government financially
independent OF the so-called matricular con-
tributions from the constituent States. by
obtaining for 1t the control Of all German
railways and monopoly Of the manufac-
ture Of alcoholic beverages and OF tobacco
Those who thwarted these plans Of his were
denounced by him as Particularists, as men
who desired to weaken the federal tie. and
to keep alive the traditional and fatal d.
visions Of the fatherland. He even insisted
upon investing the sovereign with more ir-
power In his capacity as Ger
man Emperor than he possessed as King Of
Prussia. for the Ministers Of the Prussian
King are accountable to the majority of the
but BISMARCK would never con-
sent to making the Chancellor or Prime
Minister OF the German Emperor account
able to the Relchstag The result was a
grotesque anomaly. In his hereditary
States. which the head of the house of
professed to rule by divine
right. he could not keep his Prime Minister
an hour against the will of the popular
branch OF the legislature. In the German
empire. on the other hand. where he was
only primus inter pares. and ruled only by
the free consent OF his fellow princes. he
could retain his Chancellor in Office against |
the vehement protests Of both Houses of |
the federal parliament.
Such were the aims and such the results |
actually achieved by BISMARCK. 30 long as |
his energies were concentrated ON the con- |
soldation OF Germany under a Prussan |
sovereign as nearly autocratic as possible. |
II. during his long tenure OF office. he had |
any claim to call himself q Federalist, it |
was only in the sense In which the term |
was used in American politics ninety-fve |
years ago. when it was practically |
with Nationalist Now when
BISMARCK has cause to complain of |
The sovereign for whose authority
and dignity he has done 30 much. when
no allows himself to feel jealousy and envy
Of his successor in the post of Chancellor,
no repudiates the principles which gov
erned his conduct when in power, In his
speech at Kissingen he protested to feel
regret at seeing efforts made To further the
OF the impHial power, as II
he himself had not been the most insati-
able of Centralists. He criticised the sep
aration OF the POST OF Imperial Chancellor