Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1915-01-18

New York Consulting Engineer
Frank Rooster, for The Father
land, the German Correspondent
starts today to publish in serials.
The arcicle should be read by
everybody, Millions of people in
the United States have only a
vague idea of what Germany and
the German government is; this
article will enlighten them.
Mr.. Rooster writes:
The tremendous progress which
Germany has made within little more
than a generation has been the
marvel of the world, and not only
the marvel but for some parts Of
the world, a mortal terror.
Germany's growth, her precision,
her efficiency, her unified action have
made her competitors stand aghast.
Nothing seems to be able to stop
her. Everything that Germany does
is done with the minimum of effort
and the maximum of result.
/ In Germany it works. Whatever
it is, it works, and it works with ir-
resistible power
In other countries it does not
work Or If it works, it works bad
ly.
And when we come upon the real
secret Of what it is that works and
how it works, the fundamental secret
OF Germany's progress Will be re-
vealed, the fountain head will have
been reached.
The thing that happens is that in
Germany. largely by the accident Of
Z political considerations, a form OF
government has been evolved
which, in the midst of the relics of
! by-gone forms Of government, is
able to accomplish its purposes, the
purposes of all governments, that Of
carrying out the will of the people,
in q more effective manner than that
of any other existing form Of gov
ernment.
Tho Greatest Democracy in the
World.
Imagine the power of the govern
ment of the United States, for exam
pie, or of any government, If the
! ly ascertained and instantly put in
/ to effect by a single, responsive and
responsible instrument It would be
irresistible. 1t would be the ideal
of government, the apotheosis Of
democracy.
The government Of Germany
comes nearer that ideal than does
tho government Of any other coun-
try, and to the enormous effective
ness OF its form Of government is
! duo in an overwhelming measure,
its success
Unless other countries put into
practice the principles which are so
effective in Germany, there is no
question but that within few gen
erations Germany must outstrip all
the other countries Of the world
combined.
America, however, is already ex-
perimenting with the same govern
mental principle. locally applied and
without realizing that it is the same
principle that has made Germany
what 1t is today. The principle has
as yet no name but it will undoubted-
ly IN time acquire q name. For the
present purposes it may be termed @
| polycracy. To understand its mean
ing, it will be necessary to describe
the salient features of the very COM
plex governmental system of Ger
many, which is but imperfectly
understood even by many Germans,
but which contains, due, as stated,
to the accidents OF political eXigen-
cies, the working apparatus which
produces the wonderful results and
which works in spite of the com
plexity rather than because Of it.
In order not to be deflected by
non-essentianls, it will be necessary
to lay aside for the moment, criti-
oisms Of the German government sys-
tenn due to what wo term gerry
Wandering, which is not a vital
principle but rather a disease. To
understand the tree OF government
we must imagine it stripped Of tho
disease or fungus of the gerry
manders, for that has nothing to do
with its life and proper growth. Ger
rymandering is no worse in Germany
than in the United States, for here
Rhode Island has as many votes in
our Senate as has New York, whilo
100000 farmers in New York
State oVerrule 5,5O0,000 citizens OF
New York City through so laying
out tho boundaries of the States
election districts as to vitiate tho
suffrage of the city dwellers.
Germany Not Monarchy.
To begin with, the German Empire
is not a monarchy These misnom-
ers prove a powerful source Of error
to Americans in dealing with Ger
man institutions and government.
The German Empire is con-
federation of what were once king
doms, duchies, states, and free ci-
ties. All these sovereign members.
upon entering into the confederation,
surrendered their sovereignty to the
I "emDiro" as regards foreign rela-
tions and such functions as coinage,
tariffs, and certain others best adj
ministered by q central government,
but retained their individual powers
to g much greater extent than did
the States of the American union
when it was formed
The kingdoms which compose the
German Empire still have their
kings. their courts, their houses Of
lords and commons, their local gov
ernments, and practically all tho
procedure and powers over their
own affairs which they formerly
Qyardfqod