THE KAISER'S INFLUENCE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11491, 26 January 1903, Page 6

THE KAISER'S INFLUENCE.

The rumours of general discontent in Germany -with the existing state of affairs would seem to find "some confirmation in the strong attacks which h&ve been made in the Geiroan Reichstag during the past week upon certain actions and utterances of the Emperor. The feeling of discontent, it is aeserted by those who should be well informed, is not confined to the Socialist party, amongst whom the Em-

perorß angry criticisms have aroused no little bitterness, but is shared by the best element of the population. Foremost among the causes of unmt appears to be the anomalous position of the Emperor's Ministry, which, while constitutionally responsible for every official expression of his iTiews, in reality exerts but little influence over the forceful personality of the German monarch. The extraordinary hold which the Kaiser Ixaa acquired over the publics life of the nation be rules can best be ' realised by comparing the present position with that assigned to the. head ol the Empire by the Constitution, The Kaiser is Comm&nder-in-Chief of the naval and military forces, and the Empire's representative in all dealings with foreign Statee; but under the Constitution he has no power to veto unwelcome legislation, or to interfere in the internal affairs of any of the German States gave Pi-us-

sia. It is also provided that no public utterance of the Emperor, oral or written, can be considered official unless it has received the sanction of the Imperial Chancellor. An interesting article by Wolf Yon SchierbrandJn the '"North American Review" shows how the present Kaiser has contrived repeatedly to ignore the Constitution, and impress his influence on every sphere of public activity in Germany. His control over the Bundesrath. or Federal Council, is evidently complete.

"At any rate," says Herr Yon Schierbrand, "it is a fact the Bundes"rath, ever since its initial ses"sion in 1671, hae in the end '■ run counter to the Kaiser's and Prussia's

I " serious interests in Dot a single instance." In tlie Iteiehstag, or National Parliament, as the recent cable messages indicate, the Kaiser has at times to meet with opposition; but the heterogeneous nature of that assembly, and the remarkable personal influence oTthe Kaiser, tend to prevent the opposition from ever becoming formidable. Germany, it must be remembered, does not enjoy anything like tike degree of political liberty which obtains in English-speaking countries, and while the Imperial Government is obliged to gain a majority of votes in the Reichstag for every measure it desires to pass, the power exerted by the Kaiser in generally sufiicieiit to bend the people's representatives to his will. Hie position is strengthened enormooly by the perfect control he has acquired over the German Army and Navy, end over every department of the Civil Service, The astuteness j with which be hat indulged the popular ua*

bition for titles an-j diTOnflionn Wjalff still further to increase hw influent Jjp the middle and tfle higher (.vaeeeerftf3| pire. But. thp Kaiser, it is β^mtf 'tjfj by no means been eeutont to «»jt legitimate means to strengthen hi, ijy£ Ho Ims repeatedly ignored the the Constitution wllhli makes U» WL& Chancellor responsible for the acts of State, and>.is taken his own hands tlw direction of tit policy of Germany. Thus the becomes to a large extent a m«« ami t-he power of the Parliaaet, S, nominal than rea 1. "To all intents aad? poses Germany, ,, declares Yon '• though nominally enjoying a "form of Uovwnmput, is ruled '■ ally." Ihit the personal popularity tfjy,\ present Kaiser counts for so nnica ■administration of the Kmpiie, a^W "luonau-liiu principle" has still gtiga. hold over the nation m a whole, tlw* seems little likelihood of a serious mj£ against his autocratic tendencies.