Denver labor bulletin., 1917-12-22
HERE IS THE VERY LAST WORD ABOUT
THE KAISER'S GERMAN CONSTITUTION
Editor Denver Labor Bulletin:

Editor Denver Labor Bulletin:
General resemblances between diff
ferent constitutions count for little.
The real question that interests hu-
manity, is the extent of freedom
which the people under the Constitu-
ton are permitted to enjoy. Judged
bv this rule. the German people are
little else than abject slaves to au-
tocracy.
1t is true, that in Germany the gov
ernment assumes the role of paternal
concern for the people, and, in some
respects, this is quite mild, but the
people really have very little freedom,
the government does the thinking for
them, as well as the acting, and no
citizen can ever hope to rise out Of his
occupation to anything higher, no
matter what his talents or capacity
may be. In return he must give so
manv years of the best part of his
life to military training or govern
ment service, and stand ready at a
moments call thereafter. to drop
everything else, and enter the service
in case of war, aggressive or de-
fensive.
If Mr.. Schwalm did not say that the
people are more free than we are, he
left that fact to be inferred from his
assertions that the constitutions of the
two countries are alike, and that the
kaiser had no vetoing power. and Ger
many was more democratic in that re
spect than America. True, the kaiser
has no vetoing power, he does not
need it, for he has a greater power
than the vetoing of legislative bills,
he can prorogue and dismiss the law
king nONUer- itself at will
1t is this colossal power that rem
ders the Reichstag timid and obedient
to the autocratic will of the kaiser, so
thev are regarded thruont the world
as little else than harmless debating
society. Mr. Schwalm thinks that Mr.
Bce did not give due emphasis to the
fact that the Reichstag controls the
purse strings of the empire. Nom
inally thev have the control of fl
nances. but they owe their seats main
ly to the votes of the soldier class, the
military. and thev know what would
hqnnen them in case of refusal to vote
military appropriations. They also
know that their official character as
legislators depenis unon the will of
the kaiser, who can dismiss them at
any moment without even showing his
reasons therefor.
In this quotation from an unnamed
there appears this par
agranh:
"Twelve administrative depart
ments as treasury, army, navy, just
ice, post, bank, etc, are under the
general supervision of the chancellor"
1t would have been interesting if he
had given the twelve departments, but
enough are given to show the absolute
want of resemblance to ANYTHING we
have in our constitution. and the rea-
son for the autocratic power of the
kaiser, who appoints the chancellor
without consulting the Reichstag.
My friend asserts that the Bundles
rath is almost an exact duplicate of
our senate In form that may be
true, but in the method of electing its
members there is no resemblance and
that is the main thing. The mem
bers of the Bundesrath are appointed
by the kings or rulers of the various
German states.
The people have nothing to say
about the choice, while the Bundles
rath, controls all legislation, and in
turn is controlled by the kaiser and