Evening star., 1918-10-18
No Control Over Kaiser.

| The reichstag, they recognize, has
no control over the kaiser cannot
even make or unmake ministries.
eAbout all it can do is to vote a lack
! OF confidence or withhold appropria-
tions. 1t has been the custom since
BlSmarck'S s time for chancellors of the
empire to defy openly the reichstag.
Moreover, the Legislative acts of the
re1chstag are subject to absolute veto
by the bundesrath and can even be
dissolved by that body.
Inc bundesrath represents the state
and is created by the rulers of the
twenty-five states which constitute
the empire. composed of delegates ap-
pointed by those rulers. Prussia.
which is to say the kaiser and the
/ military and junker class, controls
twenty votes in the bundesrath, Bava-
ria has six, Saxony and Wurttemburg
four each, others three and four. and
seventeen of the states one each,
making total of sixty-one. THE
members are really diplomats" it has
been maintained, Representing the
! numerous monarchs of Germany 1t
is a thoroughly monarchical institu-
I ton, representing as it. does the
princes of Germany. 1t is the bull
wark of the monarchical order"
Call Wars Defensive" Is View.
While the emperor makes war with
the consent of the bundesrath, if the
war is defensive the consent is not
needed. All wars from the German
viewpoint are defensive" and the
bundesrath was not informed for
| three days when Germany entered
upon this war.
The emperor is chief
, of the army and navy. has charge of
| foreign affairs. makes treatieS-cer-
! tain kinds of treaties subject to
ratification by the parliament-and
appoints a chancellor, who is re-
sponsible to him alone. The under
secretaries of state administer de-
partments, at the will of the chan
cellor. but do not form cabinet
Pointing out the absolute autoc-
racy of the German form of govern
ment, Charles d. Hazen. professor of
| European history. Columbia Uni
versity, in a brochure which has re-
ceived official sanction says:
"In the determination of national
policy. the German nation has, there
+ fore. no way of enforcing it's wishes
through the only agency it pos
sesses. In other words, the nation
does not govern itself. The main
spring of power lies not in the reichs-
| tag. but in the bundesrath, the organ
of the princes, every one of whom
claims to rule by divine right. not
one of whom has his policy dictated
| tives and by the kingdom of Prussia.
! Constitution Dates Back to 1850.
"Prussia has. since 1850. had a con-
| stitution and parliament What are
they like The constitution was
! granted by the king, and nowhere
does it recognize the sovereignty of
! the people. What the monarch has
/ granted he can alter or withdraw
, All the restriction the constitution
! imposes upon the monarchial princi-
pie is that henceforth it shall be ex-
erciSed and expressed in certain
/ forms. with a certain procedure. Prus
sian statesmen and PruSSian jurists
/ maintain with practical unanimity
/ that this does not mean any diminu-
/ ton of the power of the monarch; !;
| that the fact that he creates legis-
/ lature does not mean for an instant
that he bestows upon it part of the
/ sovereignty.
You cannot amend the constitution
of the empire without the consent of
one man. William H." continues Prof.
Hazen, land you cannot amend the
constitution of any German state
without the consent of the prince.
Power Rests in Monarchs.
.The effective seat of political
power in Germany is. as 1t has always
been, in the monarchS.
officials in this country do not ex-
nee. any acceptable changes in the
| ing that nation amenable to the de-
mands of the allies of terms of peace
| from a responsible government, un-
til the power of government is vested
/ in the people, not subject to veto or
reputation by the kaiser.