The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-10

on another occasion. and that IL my law Bui
II may not be 20 generally realized that the
notorious desire 10 now fully accomplished. The
Kaiser Is fully as absolute as the Emperor Of
Russin-less 80 In theory, more in practice. The
only sovereign who can compete with him In
fulncss and responsibility of authority lie his
friend the Sultan; and, curlously, both have
gained their position In the same way.
Germany has q constitution; Germany has a
Parliament; Germany has almost universal
suffrage. Germany. furthermore, Is discon-
tented from Metz to Memel, from the Alps to
the Belt. Yet against the will of the Kaiser
Germany is quite impotent. Why 7 Because Ger
many Is hopelessly disunited. Tho Raiser's sys-
tenn is simple enough. and II is as old as tyranny
itself. He found the Reichstag divided into at
least six groups; tho corollary was simple
enough. Keep it divided. Divide 1t more. A
crumb for this fraction to-day. a crumb for that
to-morrow-but no steady countenancef for any.
So that to-day there are eight main groups,
without counting subdivisions and independ.
ents; after next years election there will proba-
bly, be moro still. The strongest party-the
Catholic Centre-commands only Just over q
quarter Of the Reichstag. To-day the majority
is made up Of this combination. tomorrow Of
that. To-day this fraction is voting with the
Government, tomorrow against It.
when Parliament Is thus weak the Ministry
cannot possibly be strong. Between the ex.
tremes OF Agrarian Conservatives, who want
the State to fix and maintain o high price for
wheat, and Social Democrats, who would like
the State to TX and maintain q low one. the Min.
istor finds no party. no fraction which he can
call his own. He may have belonged to a party
before he took office, but he cannot command its
votes afterward. and must pick up his majority
by ~cajolery and little concessions, or by threats,
yph ave tA raZ a-I ~ L. IL
sition is hardly the man to keep his end up
against his sovereign, even were he q strong
man at one with his colleagues. But the Kaiser
makes 1t his business to pick for Ministers weak
men, and to see that they do not agree among
themselves. Can you recall off-hand the lame
OF a single one Of the kaiser's Ministers Except
Prince Hohenlohe. probably not one. A few of
them came into momentary European repute
through the squalid Won Tausch case, but they
have since lapsed into obscurity again. Many
of them are worthy men. but in the qualities re-
quired for governing So oO.O 900 people they are
conspicuously lacking. They say in Berlin-and
they ought to k~now-that one Minister or an
other is always setting Won Tausches at his COL
leagues to backbite and ensnare and vility them.
OF course, as there is no party Government in
the Ministers do not go in and out in
n body. Each owes his place to the Kaiser's
choice. When the Kaiser has done with him he
goes on sick leave for a while-and then goes
Each naturally tries to keen the
favor. and with it his place. as long as
possible. Each works for his own hand, not for
the Ministry; there is no Ministry, only Minis
ters. And not for the country.
Even Prince Hohenlohe, the Chancellor, 10
better known for his high station than for any
high qualities. But even Prince Hohenlohe lie
too much Of an Independent statesman for the
and his retirement cannot be long de-
layed. Like his predecessor. Count Caprivi. he
will probably be glad to lay down an office whose
dignity is doubtful. whose troubles are unnum-
bered. His successor will probably be Won
Bnlow. late Ambassador in Rome. Won Bnlow
Ia said to have many hne qualities. But no is
young and comparatively mex
perienced; he belongs to q good bot uninfuen-
tial family; he is not rich; he commands no
public support Of any kind whatever. He must
depend for his career on the Kaiser's grace
alone; he will be more unquestioningly the
man than any OF his predecessors.
"A divided. impotent Parliament, a divided,
impotent Ministry-but that is not all. There
has grown up an extra-constitutional. but very
second Ministry. consisting of the
private Cabinet and his private friends.
When he asks advice from anybody he asks it
from them. The chief Of the private Cabinet is
. Y. lLuhdnuos hAH WHO'LL nODOQy appears 10
love but everybody to fear. When the Kaiser
has anything to communicate to the Reichstag
he communicates it through a Baron Won
SUNNI. q rich, but not popular. employer Of
forbids his workpeople to marry with
out his leave. to drink in beerhouses of which he
1oes not approve. and he is popularity called
King Stumm' who holds no official position
The members OF this camarilla, who
nave no responsibility to anybody in the world
but their master. are the most powerful men in
Yet one moro cleavage in the empire the
Kaiser sedulously widens-the gulf between
civil and military. In a country like ours.
soldering is a profession like the Church
Or tailoring. you could understand the alI-im.
distinction; in a country like Germany, |
all men must take their turn at soldier.
the army ought to be tho people. The
takes care that it is not. He loses no
chance Of impressing on the soldiers that they |
are his men in some underlined special sense In |
which other citizens are not. AS for the OFF, |
GERS, he Is the main bulwark of the belief that |
The officer is a man OF other and finer stuff
than the civilian; that the officer is to be up |
held and encouraged is a luxurious sense of
honor denied to his fellow men. 1t would be |
to try to belittle the German officer either
AZ a soldier or as n man; personally he is, as a rule,
Of the very best element oil the country; naturally |
also, for his lie the best career. But when it |
comes to shielding an officer who has stabbed a |
civilian from the ordinary pro- |
cedure Of the law courts. then divine right is |
perhaps. too far. Reforms were prom
by Prince Hohenlohe that should go some
way to equalize soldier and civilian before tho
law. But Prince Hohenlohe is going. and. ac-
cording to all indications, the Kaiser is resolute !
10 refuse reform.
mo united Ministry. no united Parliament.
no united people; the Kaiser stands unmatched
and alone. He is probably afraid of nothing in
The world, but in any case there is nothing In
to be afraid OF. He may boast, but
mis- boasts are no way empty ones. As near as
any man can be absolute, he is absolute lord
over 10000 900 souls"
TIT reputation of the London detective police
stands lower to-day than it has at any time since
he Ripper murders, and there Is more rea-
son for the present public impotence at the in.
of Scotland Yard than there was in |
he a 40 80 aha --A Fn-I-