The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-12-03
KAISER HAS FIRM
GRIP ON POWER
SOCIALISTIC DEMAND FOR
CHANGE IN CONSTITUTION WILL
BE FRUITLESS.

BERLIN, November 22.-The debate
in the Reichstag on the motions in
/ troduced by the Socialists and Radi-
calls, demanding changes in the Con-
! stitution with the object of making
| the Chancellor and Ministers respon-
sible to Parliament and giving the
sole power to the Reichstag to declare
war, will probably begin on December
I'd. The debate is expected to last one
day, or two days at the most
The advanced Liberals, whose aim
is to convert the German political sys-
tenn into a government responsible to
Parliament, do not. anticipate much
from the present Reichstag, because
in the days when feeling ran the high
est the party leaders would not agree
to urge the simplest resolution of CEN
sure or inquiry.
The Radicals and Socialists count
upon making their first great cam
paign in the elections of 1912 unless
the House is dissolved sooner. The
power of the associated monarchies
forming the German Empire is in
trenched in two principal ways-in the
Bundesrath, which has equal legisla-
tive powers with the Reichstag, and
in the Conservative and Clerical par
ties, which have, under the ancient
system of the Reichstag electoral dis
tricts, the means for holding the ma
jority in that body by about one-third
the votes cast. The Bundesrath, which
consists of fifty-eight members APP
pointed by the sovereigns of the State
of Germany, except one each from
Hamburg. Bremen and Lubbock, stands
directly across the path of a govern
ment responsible to the elected repre-
sentatives of the people.
The Kings, Grand Dukes, Dukes and
Princes who rule the federated states,
also through Ministers responsible to
them alone, while willing to unite in
! limiting the freedom of initiative and
speech on the part of the King of
Prussia as Emperor, are one with him
in their determination to resist repre-
sentative government. Fourteen votes
in the Bundesrath against any amend
ment to the constitution will suffice
for it's rejection The Emperor as
King of Prussia, dominates seventeen
of the members and as a consequence
there is no possible chance for the
adoption of an amendment without his
consent.
The Radicals and Socialists do not
doubt that by cutting off the money
appropriations they could in the end
compel the monarch to grant a full
representative government, but they
must first command a majority in the
Reichstag, and that seemingly is only
possible through prolonged and over
whelming agitation for a rearrange-
ment of electoral districts so that the
artisan classes in the industrial cen
tiers shall have equal ballot rights with
the protected food-grOwing interests
which are opposed to a change.
There has been no change in the
boundaries of the Reichstag constitu-
encies since the empire was formed
During the interval of thirty-seven
years the populations have increased
from 41,00O,OOO to 63,000,000. The
weight of the population has shifted
from the country to the town districts;
hence it is possible for "a per cent OF
the population to choose Sc per cent OF
the Parliament. The Conservatives
elect a member with an average OF
1922 votes and the Socialists with
an average of 1871 votes, so that the
political freethinker, living in the
trading and manufacturing centers
has a ballot coefficient one-fourth that
of the loyal peasant monarchist.
The Socialists in 1907 polled $685.
029 votes and have forty-three mem
bers in the Reichstag. The Conserva'
tive parties, with 1,549,741 votes. have
eighty-fve members and the Clerical
center with 2,145,O9S ballots, have 104
members.