The Detroit times., 1917-09-07
Fake German Reforms
Will Bear Watching in
Days of NEAR Peace

X He has said the word on the German
ruler would not be enough. 1t would
have to be endorsed by the German PEG
pie.
OF course. this is an invitation for the
Germans to make their government a
constitutional monarchy or republic or
whateyer form suits them. just So the
people themselves do the ruling
The United states and the allies do not
wish to do business with an autocracy
which makes war or peace according to
its own sweet viii, and drives the plain
people to pay the price in blood and gold.
spurred on by their desire for an
armistice Of five or ten years TO prepare
for the next war, there is every indica-
ton the Hohenzollelns viii soon stage a
false change in German government
methods, TO befool the allies
Listen to the New York Staatszeitung
chirping:
The German nation long since discovered
a intention %
IN order a determination 20 make ii@ CABINET
officials responsible 30 the rsichsrag, and fo
create ont Of The latter something more than
gilded forum for discussion
And again:
The German people are now 20 speak.
They can have more war or they can have
peace apparently al once
The only thing asked of them Is thnE which
they have expressed rheir intention ~ achieving
sooner or later anyway responsible, parma
mentary government
Making the cabinet ministers response
BILE TO the reichstag and speaking Of par
hamentary government viii not be
enough.
If the Germans do not desire TO part
company with their precious Hohenzol-
lern tribe, they must at least make
these descendants Of BrandenDurg rob
Der barons no more than gilded figure
heads.
Al present, to speak Of Germany as
a constitutional OF limited monarchy is
huge joke.
Nominally the kaiser is limited by the
Bundesrat and Reichstag.
Actually, he imposes his viii as truly
as did the car of all the Russians in his
palmiest days
The Bundesrat is packed with his
partisans.
The Reichstag is kept from represent 1
ing the great masses Of the people by
the greatest gerrymander in all history
The sparsely settled agricultural dis
tricts Of East and West Prussia have
more representation than the largely
populated industrial cities.
A real government in which the Unit
ed States and the allies could put some
trust, would be made up as follows:
A kaiser who was a mere fgurehead.
A bundesrat or upper house not
packed with appointees Of the junkers.
but really representing all the people
A reichstag Of members elected from
districts equalling each other in popula-
ton.
A chancellor and cabinet responsible
to the parliament alone and drawn from
the party or block Of parties Temporal
rily in command. Just as at times in Eng
land the cabinet is conservative or lib
eral. according to the parliament ma
jority.
Such a government would justify con-
sidering peace negotiations
Peace could then really be concluded
with the German people and not With
their masters
And in the future there would be less
danger of war, because it would have to
be declared by the people
Anything short Of this would be
sham reform, an alleged parliamentary
government shorn Of all power the mo-
ment peace had been concluded
With the army az his back the kaiser
would quickly show who was master.
The German government with which
we deal about peace must be SO firmly
established that the army viii be its
servant
While fighting "a make the world safe
for democracy we can't afford to be
tricked into making Germany safe for
the kaiser