370 



GERMANY. 



agreed upon a number of defined and limited, but 

 practically important arrangements, as immediately 

 possible as they are undoubtedly requisite. The 

 draft of the constitution that will be laid before you 

 asks from the independence of individual states, for 

 the benefit of the whole, only such sacrifices as are 

 indispensable to protect peace, to guarantee the se- 

 curity of federal territory, and the development of 

 the prosperity of the inhabitants. 



I nave to thank my allies for the readiness with 

 Avhich they have met the requirements of the com- 

 mon fatherland. I express this gratitude with the 

 consciousness that I, too, should have been found 

 ready to display the same devotion to the general 

 welfare of Germany if Providence had not placed me, 

 as heir to the Prussian crown, at the head of the 

 most powerful state of the Confederation, and for 

 that reason the one called to the leadership of the 

 commonwealth. I feel myself, however, strong 

 in the conviction that all the successes of Prussia 

 have been at the same time toward the restoration 

 and elevation of German power and. honors, notwith- 

 standing the general readiness ; and although the 

 mighty events of the past year have convinced all 

 men of the indispensable necessity of reconstructing 

 the German constitution, thus rendering the public 

 mind more favorably inclined toward such a meas- 

 ure than it was previously, and perhaps might be at 

 a later period again, we have anew perceived during 

 the negotiations how difficult is the task of obtaining 

 complete unanimity between so many_ independent 

 Governments, which have also in their concessions 

 to bear in mind the views of their separate estates. 

 The more, gentlemen, you realize these difficulties, 

 the more carefully, I am convinced, you will bear in 

 mind, in your examination of the draft, the heavy 

 responsibility for the dangers to the peaceful and 

 legal execution of the work that has been commenced 

 which might arise if the agreement arrived at with 

 the Governments upon the bill now laid before you 

 could not again be obtained for the alterations de- 

 manded by the Parliament. 



The point of supreme importance at present is not 

 to neglect the favorable moment for establishing the 

 building. Its more perfect completion can then safely 

 remain mtrusted to the subsequent combined cooper- 

 ation of the German sovereigns and races. The regu- 

 lation of the national relations of the North-Ger- 

 man Confederation toward our brothers south of the 

 Main has been left by the peace treaties of last year 

 to the voluntary agreement of both parties. Our 

 hands will be openly and readily extended to bring 

 about this understanding as soon as the North Ger- 

 man Confederation has advanced far enough the 

 settlement of its constitution to be empowered to 

 conclude treaties. The preservation of the Zollverein, 

 the common promotion of trade, and a common 

 guarantee!, for the security of German, territory, will 

 form fundamental conditions of the understanding 

 which, it may be foreseen, will be desired by both 

 parties. As the direction of the German mind gen- 

 erally turned toward peace and its labors, the con- 

 federate association of the German states will mainly 

 assume a defensive character. The German move- 

 ment of recent years has borne no hostile tendency 

 toward our neighbors, not striving after conquest, 

 but has arisen solely from the necessity of affording 

 the broad domains from the Alps to the sea the fun- 

 damental conditions of political progress ; which the 

 march of development in former centuries has im- 

 peded. The German races unite only for defence 

 and not for attack, and that their brotherhood is also 

 regarded in this light by adjacent nations is proved 

 by the friendly attitude of the mightiest European 

 States, which see Germany, without apprehension 

 and envy, take possession of those same advantages 

 of a great political commonwealth which they them- 

 selves have already enjoyed for centuries. 



It, therefore, now only depends upon us, upon 

 our unity and our patriotism, to secure to entire Ger- 



many the guarantees of a future in which, free from 

 the danger of again falling into dissension and weak- 

 ness, she will be able to further, by her own decision, 

 her constitutional development and prosperity, and 

 to fulfil her peace-loving mission in the councils of 

 nations. 



I trust in God that posterity, looking back upon 

 our common labors, will not say that the experience 

 of former unsuccessful attempts has been useless to 

 the German people, but that, on the other hand, our 

 children will thankfully regard this Parliament as the 

 commencement of the unity, freedom, and power of 

 the Germans. 



Gentlemen, all Germany, even beyond the limits 

 of our Confederation, anxiously awaits the decisions 

 that may be arrived at here. May the dream of cen- 

 turies, the yearning and striving of the youngest 

 generations, be realized by our common work ! In 

 the name of all the allied Governments in the name 

 of Germany I confidently call upon you to help us 

 rapidly and safely to carry out the great national 

 task ; and may the blessing of God, upon which 

 every thing depends, accompany and promote the 

 patriotic work 1 



At the conclusion of this speech, Count Bis- 

 marck, in the name of the commissioners of 

 Federal Governments, declared the Parliament 

 opened. On March 2d the Parliament elected 

 as president Dr. Simson (Liberal), the Speaker 

 of the first Germanic Parliament, by 127 votes. 

 The other candidates, Count Stolberg, president 

 of the Prussian Upper House (candidate of the 

 Conservatives), Herr "Wachter (candidate of the 

 " Particularists " of Saxony and Hanover), and 

 Duke Ujest obtained respectively 95, 12, and 5 

 votes. Duke Ujest (Free Conservative) was 

 elected first vice-president, and Herr Bennig- 

 sen (National Liberal), president of the National 

 Verein, second vice-president. 



The Poles, together with two Danes elected 

 in North Schleswig, protested against the in- 

 corporation of the districts which they repre- 

 sented in a German Parliament, and thereby 

 called forth a very severe reply from Count 

 Bismarck. The Conservatives, Free Conserva- 

 tives, Old Liberals, and National Liberals united 

 on the whole in the support of the draft of 

 the constitution, although they offered many 

 amendments. To the members of the Left the 

 draft of the constitution appeared too illiberal, 

 to the Particularists too centralizing, and to the 

 Catholics too regardless of Austria. 



The deliberations of the Parliament lasted un- 

 til April 16th, when the Federal constitution was 

 adopted by 230 against 53 votes. On April 17th 

 Count Bismarck declared that the Confederate 

 Governments had unanimously approved the 

 constitution as adopted by Parliament. On 

 the same day the constituent Parliament was 

 closed by the King of Prussia. 



The following are the main points of the new- 

 Federal constitution : 



CHAP. I. (on territory) enumerates the twenty- 

 two states which belong to the new North-German 

 Confederation. 



CHAP. II. (federal laws) enacts that the Confedera- 

 ation, in its own territory, shall exercise the right of 

 making laws ; that the federal laws are superior to 

 the local, and that there is no longer in the Confed- 

 eration more than one single native right, the inhabit- 



