PRUSSIA.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 16, 2 January 1863, Page 3

PRUSSIA.

The Struggle between the Crown and the Commons — The Parliamentary Session closed by a Royal Decree. The constitutional struggle in Prussia hns reached a crisis. The House of Peers has placed itself in direct antagonism to the Representative Chamber, and the Parliamentary Session has been abruptly closed by a royal decree. Our readers aro aware that the House of Deputies hod in committee dealt very roughly with the ministerial budget. The Liberals, who on the question comprised nine-tenths of the Mouse, provided merely such a sum as would suffice to keep up the army On its old footing, and the king had to choose between giving up Sis cherished plan of a fivst rate avmy to rival that of France or Austria or defeating the economy of the liberals. It is said that moderate advice was given him by persons near the throne, and that even the crowu prince, who since left Berlin with the princess, was in favor of a constitutional policy. But King William determined to try his strength. The Upper House, accordingly, not only rejected the budget as passed by the Lower Chamber, but also adopted a resolution " establishing " the original budget that was presented by the government at the outset of the controversy. The former of these two motions was caried by 150 votes to only 17 dissentients. The ministers voted with and swelled the majority. The latter motion was carried by 114 to 44. The adoption of these motions by the Peers excited the Deputies to the utmost. The Chamber met amid great excitement, yet with a steady purpose and almost complete unanimity. The President read ',a letter from the Upper House notifying the resolution to which that assembly had come. He then said that the consent of the Chamber was necessary to enable him to reject a resolution which, with firm conviction, he bplieved to be contrary to the Constitution. Itesolutions were tben proposed to the effect that the votes of the Upper House were contrary to the evident sense and to the Constitution ; that they must consequently be regarded as null and of no essehtirl value; that the government could derive no rights from them ; that the government remained under the obligation Of settling the expenses of 1862 conformably to the constitution ; and, coming to matters of detail, that the government has not the right to dispose of credits rejected by the resolution of the Chamber " especially as Regards the supplementary expenses resulting from the increase of the army and that by so doing it wbuld violate articles 02 and 99 of the constitution." Subsequently a resolution embodying all these principles was voted unanimously by 2i>7 members, the unanimity being caused by ''»c retirement of M. Von Bonin, one of the Itoyal-st party and seven of his friends, It thus appears that in the Lower Hou.e a vote deliberately censuring the conduct of the other House, and giving a solemn warning 'o he government, was practically adopted by a majority of 237 to b. Within a few hoUrs the members of both houses were summoned, and a Royal message was read by Count Bismark-Scbonhausen. It was long and, considering the occasion, and the impatience of the bearers, somewhat verbose. It first referred to conventions with Japan and Siam, reforms in the post-office, military arrangements concluded with Saxe-Coburg Gotha, SaxeAltenburg, arid Waldck ; and then it came to the great subject of the king's constitutional relations with his legislature. . "The government of hia majesty the king," said the royal message, " would be guilty of a serious forgetfulness of its duties, if conformably to the resolution of the Chamber, at the price of abandoning the considerable sacrifices it has made and to the detriment of tho power of Prussia, it were to retract the reform of the constitution of the army, accomplished in conformity with the

iormer votes of the national representation." The kin" thus asserts his right to keep up an army 0f'205,000 men inslend'of 140,000; and to maintain three years as the term of service, when the Chamber would reduce it to two. The royal message went on (o say that the budget " as decreed by the Chamber of Representatives having been rejected by the Chamber of Lords on the ground of insufficiency, the government of his majesty was under the necessity of wielding i ie public affairs outside the conditions of the constitution." It concluded by declaring the parliamentary session closed. It will readily bo conceived that the above events have created no small sensation throughout Europe. "We must wait for some days," says the Times, "perh'ps i\i some weeks before the co.i---s v :CO3 of the Prur '- l ro , u'etab en be \ lly understood. The first effect or such an : -t, of power is to stun and numb U a sr ;' ty on '1 it is inflicted. It is easy ti underslrnd that when the royal message informed L" easseinbl. deputii • that the sovereign would ' wield the public affairs outside the conditions prescribed by ihe constitution,' and when, accordingly, the ses.ion wr ■ summarily and prematurely closed, both Pres : dent anil deputic 1 ft the place rs quie' 'y as if it had been an ordino y proro;;r ion. Men must have. t' ao for tiny feeling except astonishment, and thou.hno one could doubt tlr.t tVo throne hrd ventured on a serious c .1 of vio'.:uce, yet the results of it, and the proper course to be ' ken in such a'J emergency, were matt .s for at 1 st ani lit of reflection. As fares wee xjud^e, the first fueling, that this is a eonfl : ct for the ex4stence of CVistit jtional governi tin Pru. ' ', hrs gathered strength with cv \y hour. On every side the conduct of the ':■" is compared with the unfortunate invr - ; on m French liberty by Charles X., or with another and more suci c^sl'i'! usurpation a few years since. It is eveu an'icipatod by some, though ".vc know not for what rerson, that an nppc 1 to universal sufiVrge will be made to obtain a i-a." cr '.on of the king's policy. Though we c mot do-bt thnt this suspicion has only nrisen from the "milnvity of the events of 18G2 in Pruss' i to tho^c of 18G1, and from the growing fashionof asking for every abrupt change the sanction of a plebi 'tc, yet the very idea shows how much import ueo i • attached in Prussia and abroad to the cor > (fc'at of King William. The king has but kept up ;he tradiiion of his house, which has always been that the Priusion States are a sacred charge, which the sovereign must govern to the best of his own knowledge, and defend to the utmost of his strength, without caring for the adverse opinion ~>i his own subjects or foreigners. In all matters connected with the army we have, little doubt that King Williitn has made up his mind to be absolute, and he evidently docs not hesitate to tell his subjects this iv the most forcible language. The reply of the deputies and of their constituents hns yet to come. It is said that the Liberal representatives will be received with enthusiasm by the places which have tent them to the Legislature. If lie nation be as uuanimous as its Chamber, if Prussia declares energetically that it docs not value these high theories of paternal government, it is possible that even the bold King William may have to retreat." Within the lrst week the king has been delivering some extraordinary speeches in reply to addresses from small knots of sympathising absolutists. In one of these ovations he is very severe on the want of gratitude displayed by the Representative Chamber in not thanking him for the moderation of his financial demands ; and he lays the great burden of the present crins upon the shoulders of a " mis-leading press." Throughout the whole of the speech he indicates (hat he regards the functions of the Representative Chamber to be simply the voting, without question, of any sums of money the king demands. J Itassures his hearers that on no account will he recede from the position he has now ,■ ssmned. In spite of his confident bearing, however, it. is said that his majesty has increased the strength of the guard at tiie palace ol" U.ibelsberg in Potsdam, where he now resides.