New-York tribune., 1901-04-21
PART II.
TWELVE PAGES.
RESPONSIBLE MINISTER'S
SOME CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS
PLACED UPON THE ACTIONS OF
OLD WORLD RULERS.

u is mistake TO ascribe Emperor Williams
..roarkabIe complaint about the decline Of the
Ia time reverence for the sacred character of
,be authority of the crown" to the criti-
,,su with which. despite press laws and
.1ese majesty penalties, he is being scored
tv the German newspapers. The complaint
rbich has excited widespread attention was
made TO the president of the Reichstag and
+o q delegation of the members of that
body on the occasion of their being received in
official audience to present him with an address
of congratulation his recovery from the
wound received at Bremen. and on his escape
from more serious injury the hands of his
crazy assailant. 1t was manifestation of i'm
reriai displeasure. not to say irritation caused
by the manner in which the Kaiser's action in
conferring the order of the Black Eagle upon
the English commanders n-chief, Lord Roberts
and In committing the sentence OF fifteen years
penal servitude passed upon Prince Prosper
Arenberg for murder to mere detention in
fortress. had been criticised in the Parliament
OF the German Empire. Not merely NJ Richter
but likewise a number of other representatives
Of the people, had demanded to know which of
the Cabinet ministers had countersigned the
documents comforting the decoration upon the
English field marshal and committing the pun
ishment of the homicide prince. On being in
Imperial Chancellor, that William II had in each
instance exercised what he was pleased to re-
gard as his prerogative. TO which ministerial
Endorsement was necessary, they declined to
cepr this view. and insisted that, a constitu-
tional monarch the Kaiser could perform no
official or imperial act whatsoever without the
cooperation and Endorsement OF a Cabinet min
ister who could be held accountable to Parlia-
rent for the sovereign's actions.
BISMARCK'S VIEWS
And there is no doubt that Herr Richter and
his fellow deputies right in their conten-
ton, and that Count Buow wrong in
denying it. The late Prince Bismarck. when
Chancellor of the German Empire declined TO
admit the right of either the grandfather the
father of William II 10 confer orders and dec
oratons for the grant of which he as Prime
Minister of Prussia and Chancellor of the
German Empire, was not prepared to become
ministerially accountable. He compelled both
these sovereigns to yield to him in the matter,
and when on one memorable occasion the old
Emperor conferred an order the grant Of which
had been opposed by Bismarck, the latter took
the extreme step of preventing the concession
being officially gazetted. In another instance,
when the late Emperor Frederick wished TO
fer a decoration upon the Mayor of Berlin, Herr
Won Forckenbeck. who was political opponent
Of the Chancellor, the latter only consented to
indorse the grant the condition that it should
be explicitly stated in The Imperial Gazette
that it had been given by the Emperor in recog-
milton OF Herr Won Forokenbeck's services in
connection with The raising of fund for the
relief of the sufferers from the inundations IN
East Prussia, and not for his administrative ser
vices as burgomaster of Berlin.
Incidentally, it may be stated here that the
reason the late Queen Of England founded the
Victorian Order n few years before her death
was because she wished to have some sort of
distinction which she could give away as a token
of her personal regard. independently Of the
ministers Of the Crown. For the British sover
eign cannot confer any grade Of the Order OF
the Bath without the ministerial sanction of the
Secretary of State for War, no matter whether
.t is granted for civil naval military services.
In the same way the Endorsement Of the Secre-
iary Of State for the Colonies is required in all
cases where the monarch wishes to confer the