Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-23
Appoints Seventeen Members-Four-
teen Votes Defeats Amendment.
SMALLER MoNARcHs WITH HIN
Kings and Princes in Smaller States
Control Their Cabinets,
DEBATE WILL BEGIN DECEMBER Q
Socialists and Radicals Sec that only
Hope In Success IL 60 Refuse
TO Vote Money 20 Run
the GoVcrnmcht.

BERLIN, Nov 22.-The debate in the
Relchstag on the motions introduced by
the socialists and radicals demanding
changes in the constitution, with the objee'
Of making the chancellor and ministers re-
sponslble to Parliament, and giving the sole
power to the Rechstag to declare war; Will
probably begin on December 2. The de-
bate is expected to last one day, or two
days at the most.
The advanced liberals. whose aim is to
convert the German political system Into
a government responsible TO Parliament, do
not anticipate much from the present
Reichstsg because in the days when feel
ing ran the highest the party leaders
would not agree to urge even the simplest
resolution of censure or inquiry. The rad
icals and socialists count upon making
their first great campaign in the elections
of 1912 unless the house is dissolved sooner.
The power OF the associated monarchies
forming the German empire is entrenched in
two principal ways-ln the Bundesrath,
which has equal legislative powers With
the Relchstag, and in the conservative and
| clerical parties, which have. under the an
cient system OF the Relchstag electoral dis
trcts the means for holding the majority
in that body by about one-third the votes
cast
The Bundesrath which consists OF fifty
| eight members appointed by the sovereigns
! OF the states of Germany, except one each
| from Hamburg. Bremen and Lubbock stands
| directly across the path Of a government
responsible to the elected representatives
of the people The kings. grand dukes and
princes who rule the federated states, also
through ministers responsible to them alone
while willing to unite In limiting the free
dom OF initiative and speech on the part
of the king of Prussia as emperor, are one
| with him in their determinat ton 10 resist
representative government. Fourteen votes
In the Bundesrath against any amendment
TO the constitution will suffice for it's re-
lection. The emperor az king OF Pr,Bsia,
nominates seventeen of the members and.
as a consequence. there is no possible
chance for the adoption of an amendment
without his consent. The radical and So
cialists do not doubt that by cutting off
the money appropriation they could In the
end compel monarchs to grant a full rem
resentative government. but they must first
command a majority in the Reichstag, and
that seemingly is only possible through a
prolonged and overwhelming agitation for
a rearrangement OF electoral districts an
that the artisan classes i'm the industrial
centers shall have equal ballot rights with
the protected food growing interests. which
: are opposed to a change
There has been no change I'm the bound
aries Of the Reichstag constituencies sine,
| the empire was formed. During the inter
val Of thirty-seven years the populatEon,
{ have Increased from 100000 TO So 900. .OO
e The weight Of the population has shifte,
from the country to the town districts
. hence, it is possible for "a per cent OF TN
3 population to choose So per cent OF tn
> Parliament.
{ The conservatives elect a member witt
y an average of 49, $50 votes and the socialist
r with an average OF 1871 votes, so that tn
IA political free thinker, living In the tradn
:. and manufacturing centers, has a ballo
e co-effecient to one-fourth that of the Iowa
peasant monarchst.
The socialists In 1907 polled 3z69.O29 vote
and have forty-three members in the Relcbs
tag. The conservative parties with 1549 :,
e votes have elghty-five members and m
:, clerical center with 2l45.O9s ballots he
Al lO4 members. Berlin. with a populatio
n emitting 1t TO thirteen seats, IL pernItte
70 to elect only six members, while some {
, the other large cities are represented in
similar ratio.