352 



GERMANY. 



The new session of the German Reichstag 

 was opened on April 8th by Prince Bismarck, 

 who, by order of the Emperor, read the fol- 

 lowing speech : 



HONORED GENTLEMEN : Your labors during the 

 present session will, in the first place, be devoted to 

 continuing the legislative regulation and develop- 

 ment of the common institutions of the empire, al- 

 ready commenced last year. The control of the rais- 

 ing and disbursement of the imperial revenue will be 

 definitely regulated by a law determining the consti- 

 tution and the powers of the Audit Department, and 

 the authorities, who will be intrusted with the ad- 

 ministration of this control, as well as with the prep- 

 aration of the estimates to be passed by the Federal 

 Council and the Keichstag, will by this law be in- 

 vested with the requisite powers. The draught of a 

 military penal code for the German Empire will be 

 laid before you, in order to insure uniformity of mil- 

 itary institutions in this respect, and, in compliance 

 with the wishes of Parliament, to supplement the 

 uniformity already attained in the administration of 

 the civil law. A bill regulating the position of the 

 public functionaries of the empire, which has already 

 been before the House, has undergone a fresh revi- 

 sion, having regard to the opinions expressed by the 

 committee of the Keichstag, and to the political 

 changes which have since occurred. The measure 

 thus amended will be submitted to your considera- 

 tion and decision. The uniform levy of the beer-tax, 

 in those parts of the empire where the tax exists, has 

 already at different times engaged your attention, 

 without the existing obstacles having been success- 

 fully removed. A bill for the better levying of the 

 brewery-tax in the German Empire will be laid be- 

 fore you, with the object of settling this question 

 and of carrying out a reform of the malt-tax, in 

 the interest of the- revenue as well as of the 

 consumers, by levying a tax on the substitutes 

 for malt. The gratifying increase of traffic and con- 

 sumption has made it possible, wJiile respecting the 

 well-tried principles of prudent calculation, to esti- 

 mate at a higher figure the receipts from the impe- 

 rial taxes on articles of consumption, and the surplus 

 of the postal administration, in the budget about to 

 be laid before you for 1873, so that, notwithstanding 

 the inci'eased charges in several departments of the 

 expenditure, a diminution in the state contributions 

 toward the imperial exchequer may be looked for- 

 ward to. It is proposed to bring forward a supple- 

 ment to the budget of the year 1872, in order, besides 

 providing for various wants which have recently 

 arisen, to furnish the necessary funds for founding a 

 statistical office, which, by a uniform and scientific 

 elaboration of the results of statistical inquiries in 

 the empire, will be able to render important services 

 to the Legislature and the Government, as well as 

 contribute largely to a scientific appreciation of our 

 national and social condition. The administration 

 of the year 1871 has yielded a considerable financial 

 surplus, both in the revenue and the postal depart- 

 ment. A bill will be submitted to you for the legal 

 disposal of these sums, as well as for the disposal and 

 distribution of the French war indemnity. In com- 

 pliance with the provisions of the laws by which 

 credits were granted in 1870 and 1871, an account 

 will be laid before you of the disbursements made by 

 the states of the late North-German Confederation in 

 consequence of the war with France. The negotia- 

 tions conducted for some years past with the Gov- 



ernment of the kingdom of Portugal have resulted 

 in the conclusion of a treaty on the 2d of March last, 

 on the model of treaties of commerce and navigation 

 concluded with other states, and by which the mu- 

 tual commercial and shipping relations of the two 

 countries are placed on the same footing as the most 

 favored nations. We may, therefore, hope that the 

 foundations of more intimate and more extensive 

 commercial relations between Portugal and Germany 

 have been successfully laid. The treaty will be sub- 

 mitted to you for your sanction. A consular con- 

 vention has likewise been concluded with the United 

 States, as well as a postal treaty with France, regu- 

 lating the mutual postal relations of the two coun- 

 tries, in view of their continually-increasing corre- 

 spondence. The new administration in, and the 

 consolidation of the affairs of, Alsace-Lorraine make 

 satisfactory progress. The damage done by the war 

 is gradually disappearing^ with the aid of the sub- 

 ventions given in conformity with the law dated the 

 15th of June, 1871. The foundations of a German 

 administration have been laid there, the administra- 

 tion of the law is placed on a secure basis, and the 

 University of Strasbourg will be opened on the 1st 

 of next month; imperial assistance will, it is hoped, 

 not be withheld, to meet the extraordinary cost aris- 

 ing from the establishment of scientific institutions 

 connected therewith. A synopsis of the laws passed 

 up to the present time in the newly-acquired prov- 

 inces, as well as of the various general ordinances 

 issued therein, and a review of the course the admin- 

 istration has hitherto pursued, will, in conformity 

 with the law passed the 9th of July of last year, be 

 laid before you. Honored gentlemen, you will share 

 the satisfaction with which the confederate govern- 

 ments look back on the events of the first year of the 

 newly-founded German Empire, and the joyful con- 

 fidence with which they look forward to the further 

 national and state development of our internal insti- 

 tutions. With equal satisfaction you will hail the 

 assurance that the policy of his Majesty the Emperor 

 and King has succeeded in retaining and strengthen- 

 ing the confidence of all foreign states ; that the 

 power acquired by Germany through becoming 

 united in one empire is, not only a safe bulwark fo 

 the Fatherland, but likewise affords a strong , 

 tee for the peace of Europe. 



On April 10th the Reichstag elected Hei 

 Simson President, and Prince Hohenlohe 

 Herr Bennigsen Vice-Presidents. On Api 

 10th the Consular Convention between Ge: 

 many and the United States was ratified. 



On April 25th the German charge 

 faires in Rome, Herr von Derenthal, addres 

 a communication from his Government to 

 dinal Antonelli acquainting him with the nom- 

 ination of Cardinal Prince Hohenlohe as en- 

 voy of- the German Empire to the Pope, 

 nnd announcing his early arrival in Rome, 

 in order to make sure that the choice of the 

 prince-cardinal was agreeable to his Holiness, 

 and that the new ambassador of Germany 

 might present his credentials accordingly. No 

 reply having been received from the Roman 

 Curia up to the 1st of May, Herr von Deren- 

 thal received an order to make inquiries of 



