Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-03-13
Country In Danger.

~
give up the comforts of civil life and live
In tent; the MESSAGE wish you would
take away with you today Is: That our
country is now in arms and our people
are called upon to make sacrifices both
personal and collective, because our ma
tional life is in danger. Autocracy is in
the saddle and would ride roughshod over
those institutions which have made our
American life what it is and which are
based on the Christian principle of human
liberty and the inalfenable rights of hui
man kind. The danger is such that, in
the language of our President. it is inn
peratiye that we mobilize all our FORCES,
military and economical, and strike de"
cisive blow against an irresponsible gov
eminent which, in running amuck had
thrown aside all consideration of human
ity and the rights of free peoples to exist
1.-THE first question ! would like to pu'
and answer is this Was President Will
son exaggerating when he characterized
the German government as being an ir-
responsible government Many there are
who suspect he was. The antithesis
drawn between Democracy on one hand,
and Autocracy on the other, in some
quarters, is looked upon as diplomatic
camouflage, calculated to arouse enthu-
siasm at home or to add a false glamOr
to a really ugly affair. In support of
such an impression, attention is drawn to
the fact that in Germany under the
Kaiser is written Constitution ana
representative government in the form of
a parliament analogous to our American
congress.
I'm crisis like the present. when
feelings are stirred and racial hatrd
aroused, it is not altogether impossible to
be Internationally wrong in our appraise-
ment of the enemy. There Is no small
thinking even in the cooler moments OF
peace. naturally enough, the heat of con-
flict does not contribute to the clearnesa
and precision of our thought. Since II
is quite possible, therefore, that we mag
be mistaken in calling the German gov
eminent an "autocracy," 1t might be well
to take our critical spy-gtass in hand and
examine the German system in detail II
were much easier and, perhaps, more en-
PERTAINING to wave the flag and arouse
emotion; | would rather. win the YER
dict Of your qnderstia1nd,ng: scar ear WIN
renmental system Of the nation with
which we are at war.
1.-THE German Empire, founded in 1871
is a confederation of twenty five states
and one imperial territory-Alsace-L or-
raine Each state has its own govern
ment and legislature and, within certain
limits, is somewhat autonomous. At Ilrst
confederation and our own American IN
ion. The analogy. however. Is only on
the surface it does not go below. our
states are ruled by men selected by the
people, and the union came into being
through the will of popular assemblies,
whereas the German states are govern
rights Of kings. while the Confederation
was established not by the people. but
by those claiming divine rights.
The Executye--Wiiliam H.
The King of Prussia is automatically
emperor of the confederation lie Is
absolute commander of the army and
navy. has charge of foreign affairs. and
makes treaties( subject to but one llmita-
ton. namely, that certain kinds of
treaties must be ratified by Parliament.
He has the power Of declaring war OF ms
own initiative In the care OF paIpanly
Of the Federal Council, which is quite
distinct. as we shall see, from the only
governmental institution even felgning to
case of defensiv war. he doesn't even
need the assent of the council. AS 1t Is
the fashion with the Hohenzolerns al
ways to pretend defensive WarIafe, ne i
Kaiser is practically unrestricted in his
power to put his army and navy into
action.
Il say his army. and navy designed
". The control Of the military forces
belongs unreservedly to the king; in no
wise to the congress or parliament. mo
authority in the state can intervene be-
ereign. THE dearest desire Of every Prus-
SIAN said Chancellor Bethman- Hollweg,
is to see the kings army, remain com,
pletely under the control OF the king and
not to become the army of parliament.
Again and again the Kaiser himself has
publicly declared and reiterated that his
right to government is personal and OIL
vine: that his crown was handed down
to him not by his father but by Cod and
that, in the government of his Empire,
he was responsible to neither people or
parliament.
The Legislative.
1.-THE laws that govern Germany are
made by the Bundesrat and Reichstag,
comparable, at first sight. to our senate
and house of representatives 1t might
be worth while to describe them in de-
tail
'"Ihe Bundesrat, or federal council. is
a kind of diplomatic assembly represent
ing the princes of the twenty-five states
as well as the imperial territory, Alsace.,,
Lorraine The members of this council
are appointed by the princes, not elect
ed by the people. Unlike our senate, a
system of unequal representation Is in
fore Prussia as might be expected, pre-
dominates with IT representatives AL
sace-Lorraine has three. who vote ac
cording to the instruction, of the Kaiser.
giving Prussia 20 votes in the council.
Bavaria has six; Saxony and Wurtem-
burg four each; others three or two;
while II have only one.
These delegates. do not vote individ,-
ually but as n unit, accordingly, as each
group is instructed by it's respective
prince. The federal council, therefore.
which is the main legislative branch of
the government, body which practical