The sun., 1917-08-28
PAPAL NOTE BEFORE
COUNCIL IN GERMANY
Radical Factions to Uphold
Government on Question
Of Reply.
REFORM MOVE SPREADS
New Council Regarded Merely
as Provisional Measure-Re-
dictionaries Active.
REFORM MOVE SPREADS

BERLtN, Aug. 26 tvia London. Aug
80. If frank discussion and unblushinl
. criticism are capable Of bringing on par
Hamentary reforms. II may be said thai
Saturdays proceedings in the Reichstat
main committee have given increased
momentum to the movement. To thi,
| must be added the vpIume OF plair
spoken editorial comment by the Liberia
press. which states frankly that 1t viii
not be satisfied with half measures OF
substitute makeshifts.
The discussion OF national polite,
was continued by the committee yester.
day. Chancellor MichaeIis twice took the
floor for the purpose Of explaining hi.
newly created council. made up of sever
Reichstag Deputies and seven members
OF the Bundesrsth. over which he Is to
preside. The new council will hold It's rst
meeting on Tuesday for the purpose OF
discussing the Governments reply to the
papal peace note. The Social Democrats
Centrtsts. National Liberals and Pro-
gressives have agreed to cooperate with
the Government on this issue. The va
rious factions. however. have informed
the Chancellor they have accepted the
newly organized body as provisionary
device and consider II the harbinger OF
more substantial and permanent meas
ures which will secure to the Reichstag &
constitutional prerogatives and greater
responsibilities.
Demanas Of Coalition.
Among other demands. the coalition
will urge notification OF Paragraph = Of
the Imperial Constitution. which prohib-
its Reichstag Deputies from becoming
members OF the Federal Council. Elm
ination Of this restriction would facili-
tate appointment OF members Of Par
lament to secretaryships which carry
with them membership in the Bundesrath
Detailed reports Of yesterdays session
or the main committee, at which the
various factions apparently strove to
outdo each other I'm the candor Of their
criticism. Indicate that the Chancellor
was an attentive auditor and showed no
inclination to oppose some Of the more
emphatic demands. In a statement sup
pleneoSnE his speech In the forenoon
he said he would consent to consider the
seven Reichstag Deputies in the new
council as representatives OF their
political factions The session afforded
the party representatives ample oppor-
tunity to bring up their grievances
Among them was the statement OF
Matthias Erzberger. leader OF the Cen
trlsts. that his party had not received
proper recognition In the distribution of
Government honors.
The session gave the impression tina.
advocates OF parliamentary reforms are
inclined to support the Chancellor IN his
opinion that reorganiz izat,on cannot he
undertaken hastily. II IL plain at this
date. however. that the coalition, which
has been augmented immeasurably by
the adhesion Of the National Liberals,
t,,,.; ,thI u
majority, with which the Chancellor
must reckon. which will enter the new
session next month With definitely
outlined programme. That the majority
parties are not inclined to give the newly
created council permanent Importance is
indicated by press comment.
The following Deputies have been
elected by their parties 10 membership
in the council; Socialist Democrats.
Philip Schedemanr and Friedrich
Ebert; Centrists. Matthias Erzberger and
Herr Fehrenbach Progressive, Friedrich
Won Payer: National Liberal, Or. Gustav
Stresemann Conservative, Count Won
westarp.
RumOr OF Crisis Denied.
While a slip of the tongue by the
Chancellor and a bungled report of
Wednesdays session were directly re-
sponsible for the tension Of the past
week. the existence of much combustible
material OF a political and parliament
tary nature IL likely to call forth other
dareups on account OF the present mood
and temper of the Reichstag majority.
Wednesdays ruction is symptomatic OF
the majortty's growing appetite for in
creased authority and responsibility. and
further conflicts in the attempt TO ap-
pease that appetite are hardly avoidable
II has now become known that Chan
cellor Michaelis made his second state
ment of Wednesday. definitely fixing his
attitude toward the Reichstags peace
resolution, before the Introduction of
the majority declaration regarding the
establishment of full concordance be-
tween It and the statement OF the Chan
cellor on July ls. Notwithstanding the
Chancellor's revised statement. which
made this protest superhuous, the
declaration was read. The mischief was
thus done and the outside world received
the impression that another crisis had
come. For this the misma nagement OF
the censorship over reports OF the COM
mittees deliberations must be blamed.
Over this boiling cauldron there pre-
sides a new Chancellor who made his
record as capable ofYicial and organizer
In Governmental departments. He 10
admittedly tyro in the handling of
practical politics.
Opposing the Reichstag majority is
the numerically small but powerful
Conservative and pan-German faction,
which just now is not standing idly by
while Liberalism is threatening to re-
shape political and parliamentary insti-
tutions. These reactionary forces for
the most part represent the nations
finance. big business and landed In
terests.
If the Chancellor to-day feels that
the wind temporarily is being tempered
to the shorn lamb It is due to his con-
viction that German eyes are riveted on
the various fronts and the resistance
being offered there by the German
troops. and that the nation at large is
quite willing TO await more auspi-
cious time for rearrangement Of its
political household furniture An at
tempt to draw the man in the street
into a discussion OF the new orienta-
tion Is likely to be met with an express
sion of his satisfaction over the arrival
Of new potatoes and the fact that the
bread ration has been increased.
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