Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-05

BY WILLIAM
| Written for The Star and
Few people ever so to Bremen except to
take a steamer for the United States
or some other part of the
Roth Nau world, and then they sell
| dom stay more than the
dnu Ulo. night at one of the many
| hotels. and depart in the morning on
| special train for. Bremerhaven, which Is
forty-six miles down at the mouth OF the
Weser river. Nevertheless there is very
much of interest in the old city. and sew
eral novelties may be found there, some OF
them very old, and some of them very
new. The latest Improvement Is a track
less trolley. The cars run along the
streets by electric power furnished
through overhead wires. The oldest thing
In town is municipal ratskeller under
the city hall, where the good burghers
gather every evening to discuss business.
politics and social affairs. for those staid
old Germans love TO gossip as much as
their wives. This ratskeller dates back to
1905. when the rathaus was built. The
latter is an imposing Gothic structure with
renaissance facade, and a portico rest
ing ON twelve Doric columns The win
dOWS are wonderful, and between them on
soldiers. saints, philosophers, crusaders,
electors, emperors, statesmen and scien-
tfic men.
With the building, reached by a queer
old circular staircase, is the great hall.
as it is called, where the legislature of
Bremen meets regularly every week and
has met for six hundred years. The hall
is 40 feet long, IS feet wide and % feet
high. The walls and ceilings are decorat-
ell with historical paintings that contain
figures nf the Par1v pmnerCrS from Char
lemagne. who founded Bremen in 49,,
and other great men who have had to do
with its history.
= x
At the farther end of the hall, behind
a beautifully carved bar. are the seats
Of the mighty. and any
Hol1 of person having either a
complaint or a sugges-
complaints. ton affecting the vel
| fare Of any citizen or the community at
| large may appear and be heard. Al
though Bremen prides itself upon its
aristocracy and its exclusive privileges, it
| Is one Of the most democratic of COM
| munities, and the humblest sailor is pro-
tected and encouraged Impartially with
the merchant prince.
Bremen, you know, is one Of the free
Cities or republics in Germany. The
others are Lubbock and Hamburg. They
are part Of the German empire, but
arc quite as Independent, SO far as home
| rule is concerned, as SaAony or Bavaria.
This independence is an inheritance from
the Hanseatc League. an association OF
merchants In Europe for mutual protec-
ton and cooperation, and the first CON-
mercial organization in the world 1t
began way back in the mist Of the ages,
when the people OF different nations began
| to trade with each other and found it
necessary to unite for defense against
the pirates on the sea and the bandits
on. the land. Bremen. Hamburg and
|. Lubbock are the last Of the Hanseatic
League. and they have managed to re-
| tain their independence. They are three
little republics Of the most arstocratic
pretensions, but the most democratic
practices.
The administration of Bremen, like the
other two cities, is unique. The constitu-
ton places absolute au-
| Municina1 thority in a senate of
sixteen members chosen
government. for life, and the burgh-
erschaft, or convent of burghese- of $50
| members elected for six years; and one
| sixth part of them are elected every year
The franchise Is exercised by all citizens
| OF adult age. who arc divided into classes
! the university men are authorized to elect
| fourteen members, the merchants forty
members, the manufacturers twenty mem
| bers. the mechanics twenty members and
| the remaining ffty-six are elected by the
| rest of the people.
The members of the senate are elected
by the convent Of burgheses: ten of them
| must be lawyers, three must be mer-
| chants and three must represent other
interests. The senate elects two burgo-
masters for four wears each, the elections
| occurring every two years, so that the
| terms overlap These two presidents @,
the little republic act in consultation in
| all matters that are usually under the
jurisdiction OF the mayor of an American
| city, and they are assisted by q cabine,
composed of the. entire senate, each OF
their colleagues having jurisdiction owe,
| Il separate department--Such as finance
justice, education, police, commerce and
shipping, railways. hospitals and asylums
industrial affairs and labor. medical and
| sanitary regulations, etc, etc. Thus ever,
| one OF the sixteen senator's is expected
| to devote his entire life without compen.
| satlon to the management of the affairs
| of the public, and IL his service is moi
satisfactory there is no way to get rio
| Of him.
| All the senators are men Of distinction
and wealth. They are the most promi
nent and influential bust
Rremen'S ness men of the commu
| nifty and possess the con
ocudtolS. fldence Of their reighbors
AS the population of the little republic il
only o77, 600. about that of Kansas City @,
| Indianapolis, these sixteen executive
have comparatively little to do, and, a.
each has the benefit of long experience il
the burgerschaft before he is elected I,
the senate. he knows his business thor
oughly and can direct the activities of hi
assistants without sacrificing great dea
of his time or doing great deal OF labor
OF course, the subordinateS do the work
| but the senators arc responsible. The,
are more like board of directors of :
corporation than the executives of Il re
public. They take turns i'm serving a
| burgomasters and sometimes are re-elect
cd, If they are popular and are wiiilns
to serve, but the duties of the burgomas
ters require a great deal more attentio,
than those of the other fourteen senators
One of them Is on duty practically all tn
time. That is the reason why there ar
two. 1t would be asking a little NOR
than any citizen ought to give IL he wer
required to perform all the duties of ;
hurgomaster without compensation Their
have been times when the team did no
pull together tremendously, but in tn
case of any dispute 1t is only necessar,
to lay the question before the full senat
and it will be settled promptly
Bremen is = very rich city. Most of tn,
public revenues come from an income tax
which is paid cheerfully by everybod,
500 year. The total revenues arr
| annuaIIy ahout $40 OO0 (ftl-R1 nor oon,