The Springdale news., 1917-11-23
By Davit r. Houston.

tiate legislation, Important measures are first discussed in the Bundesrath, then they go to the Reichstae and back to the Bundesrath for approval. The initiative, for the most part, comes from the chancellor, who is al so prime minister of Prussia The rul- CT, as Emperor, may instruct the chancellor to prepare measure; as King he may order him to introduce it and may direct amendments to be made and prevent changes. As Elm peror he may promulgate the law, and as King he administers it in Prussia. There is no imperial cabinet The chancellor is the only minister The other heads of departments act inde- pendently of each other but under the supervision of the chancellor The chancellor is not in the slightest de- gree responsible to Parliament or to the people, but solely to the Emperor, and this by reason of the fact that he is also prime minister of Prussia and represents the King of Prussia in the Bundesrath. When von Bethmann- Hollweg became chancellor he em- phasized this fact, asserting T do not serve Parliament" adding that he would not play the role of servant of the peoples representatives. The chancellor does not sit in the Reich stag as such, but as Prussian delegate to the Bundesrath, all members of which have right to sit in the lower house and there to support their measures.
 Of the 397 members of the Reich stag Prussia sends 236 The body can be dissolved at any time by the Bun desrath with the consent of the en- peror This power has been used ef- fectively three times to break down the resistance Of the Reichstag; in 1878, when it refused to pass the bill to suppress the socialists; in 1887, when it would not agree to fix the size of the army for seven years; and in 1893. when it declined to change the military system. Tn each case the new body did what the Government demanded Since the principal finan- cial arrangements are matters of standing law, if the Reichstag refuses to pass new budget increasing al- lowances, or passes one reducing them, the Government can be carried on on the old basis without any action on the part of Parliament. We find a parallel for this in English history in the days of the Stuarts.
 The Bundesrath Dominates.
 The upper house, the Bundesrath, consists of 661 instructed delegates, usually officers of state, frequently ministers, voting under instruction and appointed without fixed tenure. Of this number Prussia controls 20. This body and the King of Prussia dominates the Reichstag.
 By the constitution, the presidency of the confederation belongs to the King of Prussia. He appoints the chancellor and most other officers, di- rects foreign affairs, commands the army and navy of the whole empire, inspects and disposes of troops, ap- points al officers whose commands include the contingent of the state, and the selection of all general offlc- CTS is subject to his approval. Prus- sian military regulations are enforc- ed throughout the empire. The em- peror declares defensive war, and there is no authority to determine what war is defensive and what of fensive. Bismarek's principal aim was to create q powerful military state All the world knows how well he succeeded
 The Emper0r's Powers.
 Many of the foregoing important direct powers belong to the emperor. Obviously larger powers accrue to him by virtue of the fact that he is King of Prussia and that Prussia IS Germany. The Emperor, as such, has no material rights in legislation, no authority to appoint CT to disapprove laws, yet he constantly does these things. He has no power to issue de- crces,. yet here also, says Zorn, the German publicist, "The monarchial principle, without legal provisions, and indeed contrary to them, has fore ed recognitiog. We, Wilhelm,