The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-19
GERMANY'S NEW CONSTITUTION IS PUT IN EFFECT Declares Empire is Republi- can Sovereignty and Secret Ballot for All. Free Speech Proclaimed
 and Religious Liberty Motherhood Given First Claim on State, Whose
 Duty Is to Keep Fam
 fly Life Pure.

LDSL 44A41 <AbS. 4S-A ASSOG+aIGu fTeSS) The new German Constitution, adopted by the National Assembly after months of debate. which be- came effective last week, is divided into two main parts, the "composi- ton and ties of the empire" and the basic rights and basic duties of Ger mans" The preamble begins:
 ''The German people, united in it's branches and inspired by the will to renew and strengthen its empire in freedom and justice, to further inner and outer peace and social advance, has voted this Constitution
 Section l sets forth that the Ger man Empire is a republican state. sovereignty being based on the peo- pie. It describes the territorial linn its, prescribes imperial coIors-black, red and gold-and accepts the gener- ally recognized rules of international law.
 The Reichstag,- superseding the temporary National Assembly, will be elected for a term of four years. The President will be chosen by the entire German people instead of the As sembly and will hold office seven years.
 The Chancellor and the rest of the
 
 President. The Chancellor will de- termine the empires foreign policy, bear responsibility for the Cabinet, and in case of tie vote in the Min istry will cast the deciding ballot.
 The Reichstag- is given the right to impeach the President, Chancellor and Ministers.
 The Imperial Council will be com posed of representatives of individual states, each of which will have at least one vote. The larger states will have votes according to the number of millions of population. No state can have more than two-fifths of the whole nr-n- ber of votes. Half of Prussia's votes must come from the provinces.
 Laws may be submitted to popular vote if the President desires. A ma jority vote will nullify a law.
 Provision is made for @ budget sys- tenn, and the Reichstag cannot raise the amount of the budget without reaching an agreement with the Council, Postage and Telegraph rates will be fixed by the Council. The railroad systems will be taken over by the empire and states.
 The second main part of the Con- stitution provides that all Germans shall be equal before the law and that men and women shall have basically the same rights and duties. Preferential rights and drawbacks of birth and positions are removed and a title of nobility is considered only a part of a persons name. No more titles of nobility will be conferred, and such as are awarded will pertain to a ynrson's occupation or will be academic titles. No token of honor may be given out by the Government and no German may accept title or order from a foreign state.
 Every German permitted to emi- grate will be protected in foreign countries, and no German may be de- livered mp to a foreign country for prosecution and punishment
 The Germans house will be his castle.
 Postal, telegraph and telephone se- crecy is guaranteed.
 Every German is to have the right to express his opinions by written or spoken word, print or picture. There will be no censorship save for nov ing pictures, for which regulations will be made to suppress objection able films for the protection of youth.
 Under "Community of Life" the Constitution declares that marriage constitutes the basis of family life and the salvation of the nation, and therefore is under the special protec- ton of the Constitution on the basis of equality of the sexes. It is de- clared to be the duty of the state to keep the family life pure and healthy, and to see that families with several children have the right to necessary care. Motherhood, it is declared, has the first claim to state protection. Illegitimate children must be placed under the same physical, spiritual and social conditions as legitimate ones, and youth must be protected from moral, spiritual or physical neg lect.
 All citizens of Germany shall enjoy full freedom of belief and conscience. Every child must attend freq public school for eight years and certain pupils must attend advanced schools until eighteen years old. Aid will be given needy pupils.
 A system of councils Is created for industries through which employees will have voice in the decisions reached by the employers