New-York tribune., 1907-12-06
FROM BISN4RCK TO BUELOW'

That Germany has effected by apparently
unanimous consent peaceful and constltu-
tionaI revolution is the purport of the highly IN
tercstinc news from Berlin which we print this
morning. For the first time III the history oi
the empire the Imperial Chancellor mas sought
the support Of ma jority of the helchstaS dS
> condition necessary to his continuance IN Of
fic, Epocb-making Us the occurrence is, it
comes not altogether unexpectedly Nearly
three weeks ago. speaking of the results OF ule
noisome NIoltkc-Harden trial. we suggested that
the most important Of them might be the lid
petns given TO the movement for the abolition
of Absoutism and the placing of the imperial
government upon a basis of responsibility 10 the
elected representatives of the people. tulhl-
ment of that forecast has come, only rather
more promptly than we vertured to hope. There
can be little doubt that Prince Bulows action
was taken with the sanction, If not indeed at
the direction of the Emperor, who-as his COM
mandS in other phases of the Round Iabie
scandal Drove-is righteously indignant at the
tricks which have been played behind his man
tie and the advantage which has been taken or
the non-resn~ -sible ministerial system. Hence
forth unless the painest indications are mis-
leading. the German Chancellor and his col
leagues will occupy q constitutional status re-
sembling that of the British Prime Minister ana
his Cabinet.
Thus is the cycle completed from the earlier
Bismarck to the later Bulow. 1t is now more
than forty-fVe years since otto Won Bismarck,
Minister of William | of Prussia, dcted a hos
file ma iCrity in the Pr,iSsian Parliament and
passionately declared TO it and TO the world that
il was not by speeches and resolutions or ma
iurites that the mighty problems OF the age
were to be solved. but by blood and iron Three
times thereafter in quick succession those fac
ti.y 10 QUAY N
Hall Of Mirrors at Versailles, the supreme prob
lem was solved. But thereafter the veteran
statesman maintained and left unimpaired to
his successors the same autocracy which aS
s,vaggrriuc Junkcr he had faunted in the fac"
of the Prussian Diet The ChancelorShip re-
mained independent of the Re!chstag. The
people might rs they would and elect
such deputies aS they would. but the imperial
ministers would remain in office ut the VIII OF
the Emperor and n his will alone.
rh, change has now come From Wiiliam.l
and bismarck in September. 1867. To William II
and RuIow in December. 1907. is long span
Of wears. measured by the standard Of human
lives Measured by the standard Of conStitu-
tionaism the distance is great Nor can we
doubt that the effect of this revolution will he
comparablc in bencfcence with the lofty
achievements of Bismarck. Moltkc and Room
and their adjuiants in all those years since
Prussia aspired 10 German hegemony. The En-
peror has declared peace and again peace, to
he the German policy. The time of blood and
iron has passed. The time has come when
the resolutions of maiorties are TO prevail We
have spoken of the great desirability that there
should be formed in the Rechstag stable gov
c1nmentaI majority, either III a single homo
geneous party rs in England. or in composite
but coherent bt0c, rs in France Nothing we
should say. could more strongly conduce To the
attainment of that end than precisely the action
which Prince Biilow has now taken. So long
as the Chancellor was not responsible to the
Reichstag the Rechstag careless whether
ii supported him or not. With the Chancellor
responsible 10 it and dependent upon its sup
port for his tenure of office. the inspiration of
patriotism will rally those who are now mere
dictionaries to sink minor differences in a
common and loyal support of the imperial gov
prumput