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

Nti OF the M0fiuf ana not Only inc
marvel but for some parts Of the
world, a mortal terror.
Germanys growth, her RECESSION,
her efficiency, her unified 81 On have
made her competitors stand agliast,
Nothing seems 70 be able to stop
her, Everything that Germany does
Is done with the minimum Of effort
and the maxiplm Of result.
In Germany IL works. Whatever II
Is. II works, and il works with ire
sistible power.
In other countries II does not work
Or II Il works, it works badly.
And when We come upon the real
secret OF what il IS that works and
how Il works, the fundamental secret
OF Germany's progress will be re-
yealed. the fountain head viii have
been reached
The thing that happens is that in
Germany, largely by the accident Of
political consideration, a form OF gov
eminent has been evolved which, in
the midst OF the relics Of by-gone
forms Of government, is able to ae-
complish its purposes, the purposes
OF all governments, that OF carrying
out the wall OF the people, in a more
effective manner than that of any
other existing form OF government.
The Greatest Democracy in the World
Imagine the power Of the govern
mens of the United States, for ex-
ample, or of any government, il the
will OF the people could be instantly
a|seertained and instantly put into ef-
feet by a single, responsive and re-
sponsible instrument. II would be
Irresistible. Ii would be the ideal
OF government, the apotheosis Of
democracy.
The government Of Germany comes
nearer that ideal than does the gov
eminent of any other country, and to
the enormous effectiveness OF its form
OF government is due in an over
whelming measure, its success.
Unless other countries put into
practice the principles which are so
effective in. Germany, there is no
question but that within a few genera
tons Germany must outstrip all the
other countries of the world COM
bined.
America, however, is already expert
menting with the same governmental
principle, locally applied and without
realizing that il is the same principle
that has made Germany what it is to-
day. The principle has as yet no
name but it will undoubtedly in time
acquire a name. For the present pur-
poses it may be termed a polyoeracy.
To understand its meaning, it will be
necessary to describe the salient fea-
lures Of the very complex government
al system of Germany, which is but
imperfectly understood even by many
Germans, but which contains, due, as
stated, to the accidents OF political
~exigencies, 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 detected by nom
essentials, it will be necessary to lay
aside for the moment, criticisms Of
the German government system due
to what we term gerrymanderlng,
which is not a vital principle but
rather a disease. To understand the
tree of government we must imagine
it stripped of the disease or fungus
OF the gerrymander, for that has moth
ing to do with its life and proper
growth. Gerrymandering 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,
while 100000 farmers in New York
State override 5,500,000 citizens OF
New York City through so laying
out the boundaries of the states cleo
ton districts as to vitiate the suf-
frages of the city dwellers.
Germany Not a 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 German
Institutions and government.
The German Empire is a confed-
Grafton OF what were once kingdoms,
duchies, states, and free cities. All
these sovereign members upon enter
ing into the confederation, surtend-
cred their sovereignty to the empire"
as regards foreign relations and such
functions as coinage, tariffs, and cer-
tain others best administered by a
central government, but retained their
individual powers to a much greater
extent than did the states of the Am-
erican 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 governments,
and practically all the procedure and
powers over their own affairs which
they formerly exercised.
OF these Kingdoms, Prussia was by
far the largest and it now has 10000
900 of the 100000 population OF the
whole empire.
The confederation which we now
know as the German Empire sue
ceeded a partial previous confedera-
ton known as North German Bund
(union). In that bund the King Of
Prussia was made president of the
bund and also commander-in-chief Of
the united armies still retaining his
complete powers as King of Prussia
with the exception that Prussia SUR
rendered her sovereignty, as a king
dom among the other kingdoms OF
the world to the bund. When the
German Empire was formed by Bis
marck, the same conditions were put
m force, and thus the German Empire
is a United States Of German King
doms in which the King Of Prussia,
whoever he may be, is the president
with the title OF German Kaiser"
a style especially adopted rather than