The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-09-14
KAISER HEADS
ALL POWERFUL
BIG BUSINESS

American publications are giving
their readers much about the Reich
stag and that body's demands upon
the German autocracy for political
reforms.
Through rather prejudiced sources,
America gets information to the eff
feet that the Reichstag, the popular
body of what may be called the Ger
man congress, has secured certain
of such reforms, or autocracy's
promise of them, and because of this
some folks have hope of radical
changes in Germany's form of gov
eminent, and, consequently, early
efforts for peace.
But when we come to study Ger
many's scheme of government, we
find that it was concocted especially
to enable her autocracy to defeat
such popular movements, and we
must draw the conclusion that if the
Reichstag has really got anything
important from that autocracy,
changes of the highest import to
the world are incubating.
The German congress-as we would
call it's composed of the Bun
desrath, corresponding somewhat to
our U. S. Senate, and the Reichstag,
elected by popular vote, as is our
house.
At the head of the dozen-and-a-
half of German states are some
kings, princes, grand dukes, and this
royalty chooses the Bundesrath. The
king of the greatest of these states,
Prussia, is also emperor of Germany,
and he and the Bundesrath hold
power over business and foreign af-
fairs and final decision as to ma
tional action in war affairs. Call
this the nucleus of German autoc-
racy.
The Kaiser, his family and i'm
mediate friends, and the heads of the
states and their families and friends
go into big business.
They invest in and control the
Krupp concern, steamship lines,
railroads, powerful franchises, even
in institutions right in our own coun-
try, and under German military Or
ganization, the banker and manager
of big commercial concerns is part
of the military organization.
So that German autocracy is Roy
atty and Big Business combined, with
absolute power to elect itself, power
over legislation and power over war
matters-all the legislative, financial
and commercial power certain and
fixed.
1t is some autocracy, and, be-
sides, it picks the ministers, all by
itself. These ministers are very
useful to autocracy.
When the popular wolf-pack gets
to snarling and biting too close to
the autocratic sleigh, minister can
be thrown overheard, to stay the
hungry pack while autocracy con-
tinues its journey
The Reichstag is a mere tribute,
or sop, to democratic sentiment. 1t
is elected by so-called universal suf-
frage," but such are the franchise
limitations upon the man in overalls
and such the recent shiftings in pop
ulation that it at present comes about
as near popular and national repre-
sentation as does our own method of
making up a senate, wherein Rhode
Island is as powerful as New York
state, and sometimes more so. Be-
sides the Reichstag cannot drive a
nail in anywhere without consent of
the Bundesrath.
In other words, the German people
have nothing to do with picking their
president, their senate, their cabinet,
their courts, or their commercial, fl
nancial or war policies, either di-
rectly or by relegated authority.
The only body in their government
close to them is, practically, limited
to offering suggestions.
Their government is "Divine
Rights" amalgamated with "Big Bus
mess. Seattle Star.