370 



GERMANY. 



great readiness to cooperate in the progressive 

 consolidation of the empire. 



The good relations which on the whole ex- 

 isted with the Imperial Government came near 

 being seriously interrupted. The bill regulat- 

 ing the administration of Alsace-Lorraine, 

 which the Federal Council presented to the 

 Reichsrath, provided that the Constitution of 

 the German Empire shall not go into operation 

 before January 1, 1874. During the interval, 

 the entire right of legislation in the new terri- 

 tory is to be exercised by the Emperor in union 

 with the Federal Council, but without the 

 cooperation of the Reichstag; all the other 

 rights of the Central Government by the Em- 

 peror alone.' The committee of the Chamber, 

 to which this bill had been referred, recom- 

 mended that the Constitution of the empire be 

 introduced by January 1, 1873 ; that until then 

 a communication of the Reichsrath give an 

 account of the laws and general regulations is- 

 sued for Alsace-Lorraine, and of the progress 

 of administration, and that the Chancellor of 

 the empire shall countersign all decrees of the 

 Emperor. The Reichstag approved the report 

 of the committee, and also adopted a motion 

 offered by Lasker and Stauffenberg, in the 

 name of a number of members of the moder- 

 ate Liberal parties, and demanding the consent 

 of the Reichstag for all laws which burden 

 Alsace and Lorraine with loans or the assump- 

 tion of guarantees. Bismarck returned from 

 Frankfort, where, on May 10th, he had con- 

 cluded the definite peace, shortly before the 

 third reading of the bill. He made a long and 

 strong speech against the motion of Lasker, 

 and declared that, in the case of its adoption, 

 he would ask the Emperor to intrust some one 

 else with the responsible government of Alsace 

 and Lorraine. The Reichstag, therefore, re- 

 solved to refer the motion back to the commit- 

 tee, which effected an understanding with 

 Bismarck by restricting the motion of Lasker 

 to loans and guarantees involving a responsi- 

 bility of the empire. Thus amended, the mo- 

 tion was adopted by the Reichsrath with the 

 consent of Bismarck. 



The Reichstag, by a small majority, again 

 declared in favor of a compensation being giv- 

 en to its members, but the Federal Council, as 

 in former years, unanimously resolved not to 

 grant the demand of the Reichstag. A full 

 agreement between the Federal Council and 

 the Reichstag was secured concerning the in- 

 demnification for all the damages sustained by 

 certain classes of the population during the 

 war. The sums allowed for the invalids and 

 the widows and orphans of the killed exceeded 

 in particular, in point of liberality, the provi- 

 sions made in similar cases by any European 

 government or parliament. Four million dol- 

 lars were granted for dotations to be conferred 

 upon soldiers and statesmen who had distin- 

 guished themselves in the war. On June 15th 

 the Emperor closed the Reichsrath with a 

 speech from the throne which briefly reviewed 



the laws which had been passed during the 

 session. 



The second session of the first German 

 Reichstag was opened by the Emperor on Oc- 

 tober 16th. The speech from the throne 

 briefly referred to the most important ques- 

 tions which would engage the Reichstag, rep- 

 resented the foreign relations of the empire as 

 being of a thoroughly peaceful character, and 

 laid particular stress on the friendly relations 

 existing between Germany and the powerful 

 empires which are bordering upon it in the 

 east. The Reichstag gave to the Imperial Gov- 

 ernment a great proof of its confidence by re- 

 signing for the following three years its right 

 to vote the special military budget. It also 

 gave its consent to the formation of an impe- 

 rial war-treasure, consisting of forty million 

 thalers. On November 23d a law concerning 

 the^ coining of imperial gold coin was adopted, 

 which is gradually to take the place of the 

 coins of the particular states. The Federal 

 Council, in compliance with a proposition em- 

 anating from Bavaria, submitted to the Reichs- 

 tag an amendment to the German criminal 

 code providing the penalty of imprisonment 

 in a jail or in a fortress, for a term not exceed- 

 ing two years, for a clergyman or other reli- 

 gious teacher, who, in the exercise, or on occa- 

 sion of the exercise, of his vocation, shall 

 make the affairs of state the subject of a pub- 

 lic address or discussion in a manner endanger- 

 ing the public peace. The Catholic party in 

 vain made a strenuous opposition to this 

 amendment, as it was believed to be chiefly 

 directed against their priests; nearly all the 

 other parties were divided in their opinion, but 

 it was finally adopted by a vote of 179 against 

 108. An important amendment to the Fed- 

 eral Constitution was adopted by the Reichs- 

 tag, providing that every Federal state must 

 have an elective representation of the people, 

 and that the consent of these representatives 

 shall be required for every law of the state 

 and for the adoption of the budget. The reso- 

 lution, however, did not receive the consent 

 of the Federal Council. On December 1st 

 the Reichstag -was closed by an imperial speech 

 from the throne. 



On May 10th the definite peace was conclud- 

 ed at Frankfort between France and Germany 

 (see GERMAN - FEENCH WAE). The German 

 troops, on their return from France, were re- 

 ceived with great demonstrations of joy. On 

 June 16th the Prussian troops made their tri- 

 umphal entry into Berlin : 81 eagles captured 

 from the French army were borne at the head 

 of the column. Then followed the generals 

 engaged in the late war, aides-de-camp of offi- 

 cers in the field, commanding officers, Prince 

 Bismarck, Generals Von Roon and Von Molt- 

 ke, and the Emperor William. After the Em- 

 peror came the German princes, and the pro- 

 cession was then made up of detachments of 

 the victorious army. The triumphal entry of 

 the Bavarian troops into Munich, on July 16th, 



