The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-13
Liberal Elements May Be Able
to Force Him Out Unless he
Grants Their Demands
HOLD DEATH GRIP ON
IMPERIAL FINANCES
New German Chancellor Lacks
Personal Strength and Has
Eeen Unable to Secure Co
operation of Parties
Nv KARI II. Won WIEGAND.

tCopyright 1917 by me lHtei 'aN4'i'
News Service
New York. August l2.-The term OF
DIR Georg Michaelis, new imperial
chancellor OF Germany, promises 10
be short one. he viii not last
As concession and 'compro-
mise" chancellor given by the old gov
eminent to the Liberal elements. ne
has all the political qualifications OF
failure With many excellent per
soaal qualities, he has never heeh
anything bat an administrative ON
cial though a very anie one anu ne
liz largely an official today. Polul-
cany he came into his high office a
neutral" with no known pronounced
convictions one way or the other bu'
conservative in his tendencies.
The Socialists Liberals and Demo-
Gratis look upon him merely as an IN
term" or an 'interlude' TO the ne"
era coming in Germany. unless he ac-
eepts their wishes II he lasts as long
as Bethmann Holl~eg d.d--e { II I
years--ne may be fortunate In fore
Ing the kaiser to retire Dethuaann-
Hollweg the reichstag got taste OF
hlood-~a taste OF power, It is gem
orally supposed that the reichstay mas
no power. II Is less 4 question or
tina. than the using of the powers
In It's hands II is tire dlfficulty to or
Eanize an oppositional majority among
the ten or twelve different political
parties IN the reichs.ag The many
parties make il easy for the govern
ment to play one party OFF against The
other When. however, there Is ma
toritv against the government. as was
the case in June. then the government
is compelled to capitulate
The reachstIg holds the financial
strings Of the empire, When the kat-
ser. PERSONALLY much attached 10 the
ehanc eilor was reluctant 10 let Beth
mann Hoiiwes go. the reichstak. after
the first reading. simply held Up the
now budget OF fifteen billion marks.
The kaiser tried TO pry IL loose ny
his decree ordering Bethmann Holl-
weF 10 put through the electoral re-
form granting Prussia universal male
suffrage and the equal, direct and Sc
eret ballot
III FEBRUARY or March that would
: have safaced, In 5u@9-lt AID not ~
The reichstaG had no confidence In
Batnma m Hollweg's personal deter
mination. He must go. The Liberal
elements wanted besides some form OF
parliamentary government They knew
Rethmann- Holiveg was opposed. The
reichs,as had death grip on the
purse strings of the empire and re-
fused to loosen up until the kaiser
let Bethmann- Hollweig walk the po-
litical Eangpiank
And the kaiser surrendered to the
reichstag.
Michaels. "commoner." but not
a political leader, was named He,
too, is opposed to parlamentarian
government in Germany. In this the
rulers and state governments of the
twenty-six states which make up the
German confederation. are largely
with him, but the rapidly growing
democratic elements. consisting of the
Socialists, Liberals and Progressives.
usually called Radicals here, demand
a parliamentary system of govern
ment and ministers responsible TO
the reichstag.
Michaelis proposed to try what he
calls 'parliam entisation" as dstin-
Euished from "parliamentarian." BY
"parliam entisation" he means raw!ng
upon the political parties to furnish
material for ministerial posts and
cabinet, places. who. being selected by
sponsible to them
Only one party. and only one part
OF that, has SO far accomplished that
program. Aside from Kuehlmann,
who. believe, has that party's sup
port, DR.. Peter SPAIN. aged seventy
one, formerly presiding Judge OF the
upper courts IN Frankfort. leader of
the conservative wing OF the Catholic
Centrist party, has taken the port
folio OF Prussian fnot Germany min
lister of justice. All the other parties
90 far have refused to go in on
Michaelis' program.
Herr Legin. head OF the German
trades unions, or DR., David. one OF
the leaders in the majority wing OF
the Socialist party. We're slated for
the secretaryship OF the interior a
new post to be created The Social
lists promptly informed him that no
member OF their party would be per-
mitted to accept any portfolio, ex-
eept in a parliamentar!an form OF
government responsible to the peo-
pie through the reichstag
It Ii because of this attitude Of the
various political parties that the gov
ernment was so long in announcing
tho Prussian ministry.
Michaelis, unable to get the reich
stag parties to send men into the
government. was forced to fall back
upon more officials and hureaucrats.
Michaelis has made the mistake OF
retaining DR.. Helfferich. Helnerich
has made himself cordially disliked
In the reichstaK. Once. with thinner
mann. the most popular. Helfferich Is
today the most unpopular member of
the government Because Of the
change in his attitude in the u-boat
war he Is called ''turncoat." Helffer-
ich was one OF the nercest opponents
at the submarine warfare, then sud
denly switched and became one OF
It's most vigorous advocates
DR.. Richard Won Kuehlmanp, the
new foreign secretary. Is the only
man who stands out In the new cab
int and ministry. It 10 not at all I'm