Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08

4th instant, was supposed, according to
previous dispatches, to be
Trouble overfull of fulminative mat
ter, which was to be hurled
Apee'eo' at Chancellor Won Buelow.
whose resignation had been refused by
the emperor. The reason of the chancel-
lor's resignation is contained in the now
| famous statement by the kaiser in the
London Daily Telegraph of October ..
The kaiser had an apparently innocent
talk with an English gentleman of pri-
vate rank in which the kaiser disclaimed
being a troublemaker. but on the contrary
affirmed. with too much emphasis, it ap-
pears. that he was peacemaker.
The kaiser had been invited. during the
Boer war. by France and Russia. to join
| them in calling upon England to end the
war to humiliate England. The kaiser re-
fused. Now, while this declaration might
Russia, there did not appear to be any
dynamite in 1t. But there was dynamite
| in it. all the same. wrapped in matter
which escaped the eye of the transmitter.
The kaiser not only refused to humiliate
England. but he actually communicated
a plan in a friendly and conciliatory spirit
whereby the Boer war might be ended.
This military plan was drawn up by the
German emperor himself, who sent 1t to
Queen Victoria. This was dynamite. The
declaration, indeed. has lighted fires and
awakened hostilities in France, Russia.
England, Germany and even in far-off
Japan.
| In England national pride was touched,
military pride offended. Mr.. William
Redmond has ''heckled' the secretary Of
war. Mr.. Haldane. in the house of COM
mons on the subject. What" said Mr..
Redmond, THE kaiser would rob Lord
Roberts Of his glory.' The secretary re-
piled that the archives of the war de-
whereupon Mr.. Redmond concluded his
speech by suggesting that Mr.. Haldane
propose to Mr. Asquith the propriety OF
Offering the kaiser a seat in the British
cabinet, in order to make the situation
entirely regular.
In Germany the utterances of the kaiser
to the "Englishman of private rank have
| created a storm of popu-
Germans lar indignation. which de-
| cided Prince Won Buelow
to tender his resignation
to the emperor. The storm which is await
ed In the reichstag may have other re-
suits than the fall of minister and may
lead to the question of whether the hour
| to be accountable to the reichstag, which,
1t will be borne in mind, is elected by the
people.
Bismarck persistently denied to the
reichstag the exercise of the right of in
| terpellation, and defiantly declared when
| ever the principle was invoked that 1t
could not exist under the reign of the
house of Hohenzollern. But there is some
| thing changed. even in Germany. At this
moment, according to the dispatches from
Berlin of the 1st instant, there are grave
disorders in the streets. Sunday the po-
lice interfered to quell disorder among
10000 socialists who had assembled to
protest against the treatment to which
the socialist minority had been subjected
in the Prussian diet. The manifestation
was all the more serious that it was only
prevented from marching against the i'm
perial palace by blockading the streets
| and bridges leading thereto.
| The parliamentary system as practiced
| by other governments less autOcratic than
Germany does not exist. The chancellor
is not obliged to resign when a govern
ment measure is defeated in the reich
stag. On the contrary when the chancel-
| lor is held In check by the reichstag he
may dissolve that body and order new
elections.
| 1t will prove instructive in view Of the
the constitution Of the
German empire bears the date of
April Is. 1871. By its
onAon' terms all the states of
Germany form an eternal union for the
protection of the realm and the care
Of the welfare of the German people. The
supreme direction Of the military and
political affairs of the empire Is vested
| in the King Of Prussia, who in this ca
pacity bears the title of Deutscher Kaiser
According to article II of the constitution,
THE emperor represents the empire inter-
nationally and can declare war If defen-
sive and make peace as well as enter into
| treaties with other nations and appoint
| and receive ambassadors.
But when treaties relate to matters
regulated by imperial legislation and
when war is not merely defensive the
| kaiser must have the consent of the
| burdesrath or federal council. in which
body. together with the reichstag or diet
of the real. are vested the legislative
functions Of the empire. The emperor
cannot vote on laws passed by these
bodies. The bundesrath represents the
| individual states Of Germany and the
reichstag the German nation.
Recurring to the present crisis, which
as calculated indiscretion." the Nord-
deutsche AlIgemeine Zeitung, which is q
recognized official organ and represents
the kaiser's side Of the question, says in
substances:
His majesty received from this Eng
lishman of private rank a request to pub
lish manuscript pur-
Authorized porting to contain the
substance Of a number
nf
kaiser had at various times with different
English personages. The object was to
strengthen German and English relations
The kaiser sent the article in question to
the chancellor to be forwarded to the
German foreign Office. The chancellor
| read 1t hastily, or did not read it at all,
and gave 1T into the hands of his subor-
dinate. The chancellor did not hesitate
but promptly assumed all the responsible
ity and resigned.
Should the chancellor not withstand the
storm that threatens him in the reich
stag he may be succeeded by Count Won
Wedel. the governor of Alsace-L Lorraine
who Is said to be a superior statesman
and great favOrite with the kaiser
There are several others whose names are
mentioned, and among these Baron Mar
shall Won Bieberstein, who won distinction
at The Hague and at Constantinople.
The only journals in Germany which
treat the situation dispassionateIy are the
Berlin Lokal Anzeiger and the Koelniche
Zeitung. Outside of these the entire Ger
man press criticises sharply the official
statement, and the Germania and Frank
furter boldly and bluntly states that the
article never was submitted to the chan
cellOr at all, but was sent over his head