GERMAN CONSTITUTION

Taihape Daily Times, 24 October 1917, Page 6

GERMAN CONSTITUTION

XO “ONE-tiAU" IN re.T'JSB. * The future development of the German Constitution .was recently the subject of an address in Berlin by Prince Lichnowsky, who was German Ambassador in London until the outbreak of evar. Ho declared that the time had now passed for the destinies of Germany to. be in the hands of one. man, who may not even be first class, and whose power is so great that he can make peace or war on his own account. Some people who wish for a continuance of the present system may contend that in the end he is controlled by the Emperor, but Prince Lichnowsky argues that the Emperor is far more constitutional than is commonly supposed, and adds that in the course of long experience at the Foreign Office, and in the Diplomatic Service, apart from a few r impulsive telegrams he has never known the Emperor act independently of his chancellor or against his advice. The fact therefore remains that the Chancellor practically governs alone This is further proved by the fact that if his decision is wrong he alone, and not the Sovereign, bears the blame and has to resign Prince Lichnowsky then pointed to the advantage of constitutional Government by the Throne Ministers, and the people’s representatives acting with each other, and declared that a change to this effect in Gert many was imperative and would come whether or no. He stated that this demoeratisation of Germany would necessarily alter existing relations bettveen the Empire and the federated States, and that the latter would have' to give up some of their privileges, just as every citizen would have to relinquish something in favour of the new order. ‘‘They may not like it,” he said, but they wil lhave to lump it and the Empire will have power to compel them, as one-third cf the national fortune is by now mortgaged to it. The Empire to-day is something more than a ‘perpetual alliance’ of sovereign States. Nothing in political life remains stationary a7i(i. th. 3 Empire must either develop to its full extent or the country | will fall to pieces, as in ISOO.” All of which sounds like a piece of highfalutin and insincere piece of inspired “kite-flying.” .