628 



PEUSSIA. 



and the future settlement of the existing dis- 

 agreements be rendered more difficult. 



While on the point of war with Austria, 

 the Government dissolved the Chamber of 

 Deputies, and ordered an election of primary 

 electors to be held on June 25th, and the final 

 election of deputies on July 3d. The election 

 took place under the influence of the great vic- 

 tories gained by the Prussian army, and resulted 

 in largely adding to the number of the Con- 

 servative party. A semi-official paper of Ber- 

 lin classed the new chamber as follows: Con- 

 servatives, 14-3 ; Old Liberals, 26 ; Catholic 

 party, 16; Left Centre, 65; Progress party, 

 71 ; Polish party, 21 ; uncertain, 4 ; 3 not yet 

 known. The Chambers were opened by the 

 king in person on the 4th of August by a speech 

 which refers, in the following manner, to the 

 relations of the Government with the Cham- 

 bers and to the reconstruction of Germany. 



My Government is able to look with satisfaction 

 upon the financial position of the State. Careful 

 foresight and conscientious economy have placed it 

 in a position to overcome the great financial difficul- 

 ties which have resulted, as a natural consequence, 

 from the circumstances of the present time. Al- 

 though material outlay has been imposed upon the 

 treasury during recent years by the war with Den- 

 mark, it has been found possible to meet the ex- 

 penses hitherto incurred in the present war from the 

 State revenue and the existing balances, without im- 

 posing any other burden upon the country than that 

 of furnishing supplies for the purposes it is bound to 

 provide by law. I hope the more assuredly that 

 the means required for the successful termination of 

 the war and for the payment of the supplies in kind, 

 while maintaining order and security in the finances, 

 will be readily granted by you. An agreement with 

 the representatives of the country as to the settle- 

 ment of the budget has not been able to be effected 

 in the last few years. The State outlay during this 

 period is therefore destitute of that legal basis which, 

 as I again acknowledge, the budget can alone receive 

 through the law. Article 99 of the constitution or- 

 dains it annually to be agreed upon between my 

 Government and the two Houses of the Diet, al- 

 though my Government has nevertheless carried on 

 the budget for several years without this le^al basis. 

 This has only been done after conscientious exami- 

 nation, and in the conviction, in accordance with 

 duty, that the conduct of a settled administration, 

 the fulfilment of legal obligations toward public 

 creditors and officials, the maintenance of the army 

 and the State establishments, were questions vital to 

 the existence of the State, and that the course adopt- 

 ed therefore became one of those inevitable neces- 

 sities which in the interest of the country a Govern- 

 ment cannot and must not hesitate to adopt. I trust 

 that recent events will in so far contribute to effect 

 the indispensable undertaking that an indemnity for 

 having carried on the budget, application for which 

 will be made to the representatives, will readily be 

 granted to my Government, and the hitherto existing 

 conflict be finally and the more seemly brought to 

 a conclusion, as it may be expected that the political 

 position Of the fatherland will admit an extension of 

 the frontiers of the State, and the establishment of an 

 united Federal army under the leadership of Prussia, 

 the cost of which will be borne in equal proportions 

 by all members of the Confederation. The bills re- 

 quired in this respect for the convocation of a popu- 

 lar representation of the Federal States will be laid 

 before the said Diet without delay. 



Herr von Forckenbeck was elected president, 

 sbtaining 170 votes against 13G given to the 



Conservative and 22 to the Old Liberal can 

 didates. The immense majority of the Chamber 

 of Deputies approved the foreign policy of the 

 Government, and showed a desire to come to 

 an understanding on home questions, by mak- 

 ing concessions. Thus an address, in reply to 

 the speech from the throne, was agreed upon 

 by both the Conservatives and Liberals, and 

 was adopted by all, save 25 votes (four mem- 

 bers of tho Left, and the Polish and Catholic 

 Deputies). The king, on receiving the address, 

 assured the deputies of the Chamber that the 

 Government had never disputed the rights of 

 the Chamber with regard to the budget. The 

 indemnity which was now asked had, in princi- 

 ple, been repeatedly proposed by the Govern- 

 ment, but unfortunately on former occasions 

 no agreement had ensued. The constitution 

 contained no article applicable to such a posi- 

 tion of affairs. In the e\^ent of a recurrence of 

 a similar state of things, he would be under the 

 necessity of again acting as he had acted before in 

 order to preserve the regular order in the State. 

 But a renewal of the conflict could not take 

 place after the adoption of such an address as 

 that just presented to him. 



The Chamber adopted a bill of indemnity for 

 the financial administration of the Government 

 from the commencement of the year 1862 to 

 the present time ; bills for the annexation of 

 Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Nassau, Frankfort, and 

 Schleswig-Holstein; a bill for expressing the 

 gratitude of the country to Count Bismarck, 

 and Generals von Moltke, the Minister of War 

 (Von Roon), Herwarth von Bittenfield, Von 

 Steinmetz, and Vogel von Falckenstein, by a 

 donation of 1,000,000 thalers. 



In consequence of the German-Italian war, 

 Prussia not only received a large increase of 

 territory and population, but also became the 

 head of the North German Confederation, com- 

 prising all the German States north of the river 

 Main. (See GERMANY.) On the map which ac- 

 companies this article, Prussia proper (as it was 

 at the beginning of the year 1866) is marked in 

 black ; the States annexed in 1866 are marked 

 by small horizontal lines; the States forming 

 with Prussia the North German Confederation 

 are indicated by a dotted surface. The con- 

 ventions concluded by Prussia with the minor 

 States for the purpose of establishing this con- 

 federation, give to Prussia the chief command 

 of the whole federal army, and the sole right 

 of diplomatic representation abroad. The an- 

 nexed States and the minor States of the North 

 German Confederation will increase the Prus- 

 sian army in time of peace to about 300,000, 

 and in time of war to 1,000,000. As in case 

 of war, also the armies of Bavaria, Wurtemberg, 

 Baden, and Hesse-Darmstadt, will be under 

 command of the king of Prussia ; the Prussian 

 army, on a war footing, will consist of upward 

 of 1,300,000. In December plenipotentiaries 

 from all the States met at Berlin, in order to 

 prepare a draft of the Federal Constitution, to 

 be revised by the first Federal Parliament. 



