The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-06

lenburg has gone too far for that Meek
ienburg's plight is known all over the sm-
pire. and the left reichstag parties have
repeatedly begged the imperial govern
ment TO Intervene. and force the powers
that be in Mocklenburg to grant constitu-
tionalism. The reichstag conservative and
center always oppose such proposals. and
the bundesrat rejects them on the ground
that the empire cannot NEEDLE with the
internal affairs of federated states.
Since 1907 Mecklenburg's grand dukcs
have been steadily yowng that they would
grant constitution. They have had four
tries. and each time have been beaten by
the opposition from the estates. The
lsndtag. which is not a parliament. but
is college of representatives of ritter
schaft and lerdscaft. simply throws out
the bills. The 1905 constitutional bill pro-
vided for regular diet with control over
finance, and the right of accepting or re-
jecting any law. IT further provided for
separation of the grand dukes private
property from the state property At
present the two are one. This constitution
was conservative enough: it was based on
the Prussian three-class election system.
Nevertheless. though the landschafs ac-
cepted 1t the other estate, the ritter
schaft, threw it out. That was after q.
two years feud. The most the ritter
schaft would consent TO was "a further
development of the state organization on
the basis of the estate" In other word },
the ritterschaft, rs the chief of the two
Mos IN m, n d,,,4fr, 10 h.,
ducties.
The quarrel at present is being aggra-
waited by problems Of finance. The consti-
tuition. it is admitted, cannot work unless
the confused financial relations between
the domains and the rest of the country
are cleared up. The Strelitz finances are
the present trouble. The former grand
duke-autocrat of Neustreitz, in the course
of his reign. appropriated s25,0o,c00 of the
peoples money and sent It for Investment
abroad. For country with 10000 popula-
ton this was not had: it was in fact $3.50
a head that is as much as If Kaiser Will
helm appropriated Sl6,c09 0o9.0c0 of money
belonging to the whole empire. This plum
der was made possible by the wholesale
neglect of roads. schools and general gov
ernment Meclslenburg-St was
sucked dry. The question has come up
hon iidSh tii'- 81 anu uuhc SllOulu restore
of these i'll gotten gains. Five hundred
thousand dollars said the generous
grand duke. The estates laughed. Next
the grand duke offered to pay s30oo, 600.
The estates again laughed, and appointed
commission to inquire into the matter
In this position the bill has been nut ,n
till the end of July. and public opinion
predicts that for n fourth time the corsti-
tuition is doomed
That is, constitution is doomed which
depends on the consent of the eesatcs
But the leet parties demand that the
dukes shall take matters in their own
hands and prcmuisate a constitution over
the heads Of the opdurate estates. Whetli-
er the dukes have this right is not vary
clear. as they are only autocrats in. half
their territories. But it is certain that II
they take the plunge on one win resist
However, the two autocrats are not
united concerning the necessity of a
plunge. and they have vacillated In the
past. Formerly Schwerin's grand duke
was keen on constitution and Strelitz's
grand duke feld him bach Now Schwer-
ms grand duke is cool and inclined 10
wait and his cousin of Strelitz declares
that he will push through the constitution
at all costs. The result is that the two
infermarried states do not agree, ami
Strelitz is even thinking of giving notice
TO Schwerin to terminate the union
Either both states will get constitution
or they will Fart. ard go their own ways.
That is the present position. which now
looks on the eve OF solution.