Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-22
The German Adj
vance--POlitical
Agitation.

carrying forward his duties unless he has
majority willing to pass his budget and
to vote him supplies. True. Bismarck ruled
Prussia for four years without a budget
but both Bismarck and the days of the
conflict time" are dead. Thus II is mecca
sary for the chancellor to court a majority
when he can, and to defy Il when he must.
The general elections OF 1907 resulted In
heavy majority against the policies Of
the government Although the election
had been ordered by the emperor for the
express purpose of obtaining the popular
sense there was no disposition 10 submit
to the electoral veto. Chancellor Won
Buelow, by a series of dexterous compro-
niAses and generous promises, built up for
himself a majority composed OF an lncon.
sruous coalition OF the conservatives, the
national liberals and the radicals This
threw into opposition the socialists. the
oentrists, or Roman Catholic clericals; the
Poles and other minor political divisions,
The parties comprising the bloc had q
clear majority of the seats in the Reich
stag, although they polled in the aggre-
gate more than 100000 fewer votes than
the combined parties in opposition.
The alliance of the conservatives and the
radicals in support of the government was
as ludicrous as was the union of the
clerical center and the socialists In opposi-
ton. This artificial and incongruous coali-
ton was maintained, however, with con-
siderable success. until late in 1908, when
the government submitted to the Reichstag
bill providing for an increase in taxation
estimated to yield an additional annual
revenue OF SIPS OOo, COO When the essential
subject Of taxation came up for considera-
ton II was impossible to hold together the
diverse interests of the bloc. The new
taxes as proposed fell heavily on the land
lords, and the Prusslan agrarlans, forming
the tory core of the conservative party. de-
serted the government After several
months spent In wrangling. the national
liberals, the radicals and the socialists
withdrew from the committee, the chairman
resigning, and all refusing to take any
further part IN the proceedings.
Tbs threw together the conservatives and
the clertcals. who proceeded to form a
budget on entirely new lines. Needless to
say the landlords had their way and step
by step the government yielded before the
majority and the new
budget was passed. During the pendancy
Of the debates Chancellor Won Buelow Of
fered his resignation to the emperor, but II
was refused. The emperor was determined
not to give his assent to any proceeding
Reichstag to control the personnel of the
imperial ministry.
Immediately after the finance bill was
passed the Reichstag session was closed
and DR.. Won Bethmann- HoIlweg was APP
pointed imperial chancellor to succeed Won
Buelow. The Reichstag met again last
November and was organized by the con-
servatives and clericals, the national lib
erals and radicals declining to vote In the
organization Not daring to repeat the ex-
pertinent of the bloc, and not possessing
an actual majority IN cordial sympathy
with the government, the new chancellor
decided upon program which at once
absolutely denied the principle of minis
terial responsibility, and refused to recog-
nize' political parties as factors In govern
ment
He said that the government would stand
aloof from parties and groups OF parties;
that the government of Germany was not
government by party; that governmental
measures would be submitted to the Reich
stag, but that he was not disposed to define
the constellation Of parties which would
support those measures. He said that the
political crisis over the taxation bill had
made no change in German institutions
He declared that radicalism strove to divide
Germany into two political camps but the
existence of such a dualism was only a
fiction devised for political party purposes
The attitude of the Reichstag toward
the government was manifested a few
months later when a resolution was adopted
asserting the principles OF ministerial re-
sponslbilty, and making the chancellor
responsible for all OF his official acts, and
also for all the acts and documents made
by the Emperor. At the same time the
popular agitation over the Prussian suf-
frage legislation was so great as to over
shadow the ministerial issue. It is not be-
leved that the present chancellor has either
the ability or the courage necessary to
make a success of his radical experiment
in governing the empire without regard
to the will or the action OF its legislative
department. 1t is certain. however, that
he has succeeded in preclpitating the poll
teal agitation OF the ministerial question.
and that that agitation will continue un-
til the problem is solved
By FREDERIC J. EAsKIN.
TOmOrrOw-ThS German Advance. XIX
The Prussian Suffrage Problem.