New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-01-06
TINE internal political development of
Germany must interest Americans

Germany must interest Americans
moro deeply than ever now that
the Central Powers have put forth their
offer of peace. 1t is therefore, in order
for The Review to follow up it's article of
December %, in which the organization Of
the new Cabinet was treated, with an ac-
count of the first session of the Reichstag
under the new Chancellor, which met De-
cember 20 and adjourned three days later.
That brief session formed highly in /
teresting sequel to the incidents attending
the organization Of the Hertling Cabinet.
In order, however, that the reader may
better understand what was said at the
session in question it will be we'll here to
recapitulatc briefly the movement that led
to the formation of the coalition ministry
under Hertling.
By last spring a good majority Of the
members of the Reichstag had become
convinced that the moment had come for
that body to assert itself moro actively,
the time seeming ripe for important
changes in the political structure of the
empire. The Reichstag began by appoint
ing committee to consider amendments
to the constitution, with the special view
of preparing the way for securing for the
Reichstag itself greater influence over the
government. In order to carry out any
such reforms, however, it became evident
that some form Of coalition among the ma
jority parties would be necessary. Ac-
cordingly such coalition was formed
early i'll July in the shape Of the so-callcd
Inter Party Committee. This was effected
under the leadership Of Won Payer, the
Progressive, or Radical, leader, who also
became chairman of this committee. This
latter consisted Of Deputies chosen by the
various parties to represent them; that is,
the Centre or Catholic, the Progressive or
Radical, the Socialist and the National
Liberal parties. These parties together
constitute fully three-fourths of the men,
bership Of the house.
The 1nter-Party Committee at once be-
came the instrument through which this
big majority acted upon the government
When it became evident, in October, that
DR.. Michaells had botched his task as
Chancellor tho committee promptly waited
upon him and asked him TO retire, which
he did. The incident was a thing quite
unique in the history Of the Reichstag
\ Long Series of Conferences
n and Negotiations
But that was only the beginning Of in
novatons. When the Kaiser sent for Count
IIertling and asked him to become Chan
cellor the latter asked for time to study
the situation in the Reichstag. Then began
a series of conferences and negotiations
which lasted more than a week. The Inter
Party Committee practically took COM
mand of the situation and dictated its will
to Hertling and communicated it's demands
to the Kaiser. These demands consisted in
, the appointment of Payer as Minister Of
tho Interior and Vice Chancellor and DR..
Friedberg as President of the Prus-
sian Ministry. The committee also die
tated a programme of action for the new
Cabinet, the leading feature Of which was
the enactment of law to introduce equal
suffrage in Prussia
The newspapers of both the Left and
, the Right, as was shown in the article of
9 fortnight ago, treated this settlement of
the Cabinet crisis as the establishment of
parliamentary government in Germany.
f Radical and Socialist organs wrote about
the change in a tone of triumph, seeing in
, it a bloodless revolution, the beginning of
new era in the development of the
1 litical liberties Of the German people. The
' Junker organs were correspondingly de-
pressed and admitted that the majority
was fully justified in its Interpretation of
the event. They lamentcd the loss OF the
y Kaser's prerogatives as absolute mon
: arch, ranted about the Reichstag majority
/. having encroachcd upon tho prerogativcs