The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1918-01-16
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own government. there 81 s federation
of different states under Presid lent,
the German Emperor. This President,
like our own, controls the foreign poll
fcy Of the federation and Is command. |
er-in-chief OF the army and navy
There IL an upper house, or Senate
called the Bundesrath, and lower
House Of Representatives the Reich
stag. There is also q constitution de-
lining the rights and privileges Of the
people and their rulers All this
sounds familiar to Americans, and
might easily deceive them, as It has
deceived many Of the German people.
into supposing that Germany enjoys
self-government. But let us look more
closely. We find that the upper house
does not represent the people, but
consists, with three exceptions) Of
men personally appointed by twenty
two hereditary princes. Even the low
Or house is not truly representative,
tor the so-called universal suffrage ID
. farce. The conservative country
districts, which are the strongholds OF
reactionary ideas, may have: in pro-
portion to their population ten times
a. much representation as the great
cities where education and liberalism
flourish. Less than two hundred thous.
and voters In certain country districts
have sent to the, Reichstag as many
representatives as two million. voters
~ some Of the cities. In Prussia. the
dominant German state, voting is bas.
cd on a system which. gives to the
large taxpayers nearly thirty times as
much representation as to the small
taxpayers. Thus it is stated that in
1907 the large taxpayers, represent
ing 80 of the voters, elected o1e.
third Of the electors, or as many as
small taxpayers representing S7% Of
the voters. q
Even this does not tell the whole
story of autocratic Prussian rule. The
Reichstag, or lower house has no con-
troll over the Kaiser's salary or civil
list, none over the Imperial Ministers
. who determine national and interna-
ttonal policy, and almost none over
legislation. Practically all legislation
initiates with the upper house of mon
archical appointees, and it may, with
the Kaiser's consent, dissolve the low
Ell, house. The Kaiser has the power
to declare defensive war, and since
even this war of conquest is to him
defensive war, he may in practice
declare war at will. He can make
treaties, appoint or dismiss the chan
cellor and imperial ministers, and
with the consent of the upper house,
dissolve the Reichstag. He is assign
ed enough votes in the upper house to
enable him to pass any legislation
which he DESIRES, and to block any
measure of which he disapproves. In
word, the Prince-appointed upper
house controls the misrepresentation
lower house, and the Raiser: in turn
controls both. Despite the outward
form of constitutional government,
Germany possesses the strongest auto !
cratic despotism in the world today.
The Prussian government Of Ger.
many is an absolute, despotism.. The
constitution is so skillfully devised
as utterly to prevent any reform the
Hohenzollern ruler does not approve;
no matter how insistent the popular
demand may be. The lberal.minded
masses have a wholly inadequate re-
presentation in the Reichstag. But
should reform pass there, the mon
archical appointees of the upper
house, ever jealous of their preroga-
tives, stand ready to stif1e them. And
could we conceive that real reforms
should win the support of "a majority
OF these princely delegates, we must
remember that fourteen votes are
enough to defeat any amendment in
this body, and that the Kaiser controls
seventeen votes! The despotic con-
troll is final and absolute. : -...~ r. -. =
s. The Prussfan government of Ger
The chief minister of the empire is
the Imperial Chancellor, who is re-.
sponsible to the KAISER alone. The
Kaiser, in turn, owns responsibility
only to God. William H. faithful to
the centuries-old tradition =, of his
Hohenzollern ancestors, seriously
claims that he rules by the grace of
God, and the claim is loyalty support
ed by the conservative parties in the
German state: The hateful doctrine
of the divine right of kings is a fun
damental article of the Hohenzollern
creed, although frequently disguised
for the German people under the
more subtle, therefore more danger
GUS, doctrine of the divine right of
the State. Since the State is, in the
last analysis, the Kaiser, the differ
ence is one of words. "We Hohenzol-
lern,' cries the present Kaiser, take
our crown from God alone, and to
God alone are we responsible in tho
fulfillment of duty" !. -. -
THE DIVINE RIGHT OF THE
STATE.