TaÌˆgliche Omaha tribuÌˆne. [volume] (Omaha, Nebr.) 1912-1926, 1915-02-05

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American system, which can only re-
fleet the will Of the people at inter.
walls oil two years and then all issues
must be Jumped in the platforms OF
the two great parties SO that on any
but the most important issues, the
will OF the people is never expressed.
What We Can Learn from the Ger
man Method
The American form OF government,
although based on the most altruistie
Of principles, is an extremely defec-
tive form in execution, and one
through which the will OF the people
can be expressed only after much de-
lay and never with the proper pre-
cision and effect.
The cabinet system OF England IS
much better, for the King is only a
hgure-head, a royal rubber stamp,
and the cabinet must represent more
aeutely the will Of the people since
il is subject to dissolution at n time
that an issue OF sufficient importance
warrants the action. In France res
ignations Of the cabinet are frequent
and the will of the people is much
more rapidly and effectively expressed
by this means than it is by the in
flexible American system.
In Germany, the Imperial Chancel-
Tor must always, in his policies, rep
resent the will Of the Bundesrat and
the Reichstag, II at any time he loses
their confidence, the Kaiser must
either find a new chancellor or dis
solve the legislature and seek in a
new election the will Of the people.
The great prestige Of the Kingdom
OF Prussia upon the German Empire,
however, must be taken into consid-
Grafton. The Kingdom Of Prussia
has a Landtag, composed Of an upper
and a lower house. The upper house
lHerrenhaus) is composed of 327
members, princes, lords, burgomas-
tiers, and various high dignitaries who
hold office for life. The lower house
OF deputies (Abgeordnetehaus) num-
bers 443 members, is selected by pop
ular votes and compares to the Eng
lish parliament; Prussia having prac-
tically the population of Great Brit
ain. There is also a Prussian cab
met appointed by the King OF Prus-
STA who, as noted, is by virtue OF his
position as King of Prussia, the Ger
man Emperor.
Here, however, William has great
powers, since his cabinet is not re-
sponsible to either branch OF the
Landtag, but to him alone, so there is
no popular expression of the will of
the people which can affect his poll
cies directly. His indirect check is
the lower house of deputies which
must concord with the upper house
in measures. 1t must always be re-
membered that the kingdoms, and
particularly the kingdom of Prussia,
retains vastly o power relative to
the general government than do the
American states, for almost all laws
are executed by the royal govern
ments, ever though made by the Im-
.perial Government.
The lower house of deputies, how
ever, is not elected by popular vote
IN the ordinary sense, but in another
way. The amount of taxes is divided
into three parts. The payers of each
portion have equal voting powers.
Thus in 1912, in Berlin, practically
720 people determined the city's rep
resentation.
In all Of Prussia, 100000 wealthy
tax payers have one-third the voting
power, $4,000 have another third,
and 6,500,000 poor voters have the
other third. In Berlin, the first class
of voters averaged $500 in tax pay
ments, the second class $218, and the
third class $ll.
1t is thus apparent that in Prussia
the government is one of property
qualifications rather than popular
suffrage.
In addition in Prussia the king ap-
points the Landrate or governors,
who have charge of the local govern
ment of districts. 1t is as though
the President of the United States
appointed the governors of states as
he does governors of territories.
These officials, who have great power,
are responsible to the king alone and
they govern locally with much less
consideration of local interests than
of the interests Of the kingdom as a
whole. There is no graft under them,
no more than in the United States
revenue service.
As the Bundesrat is composed of
representatives from the twenty-five
kingdoms and states and three city,
states of the empire, it will be seen
that they are representatives of the
states and not of the people directly.
The Bundesrat members are appoint
ed by the individual kingdoms and
states, as the President of the United
States appoints ambassadors, but the
Bundesrat is the judge of the quail
feations of its members, having the
power enjoyed in that respect by the
Senate of the United States.
This power is really the ultimate
power in a state and its exercise by
the Bundesrat and the authority which
the Bundesrat has to extend its own
powers, gives to that body what Ger
mar iurists style the Kompetenz-
Kompetcnz, thae is, the competency
of deciding its own competency,
which is a prerequisite OF any repre-
sentative body If it is to maintain its
power and independence.
The German Empire, as will be
seen, is in reality a republic, with the
King of Prussia as its hereditary pres
ident and eommander-in-ehief of the
army and navy. The real force Of
its government is located in the Bun
desrat, the president or German Kali
ser having very limited powers.
The members OF the Bundesrat are