694 



PKUSSIA. 



PRUTZ, EGBERT E. 



A new session would then at once be convoked, 

 and the Kreisordnung Reform Bill would be 

 the first measure brought forward in it by the 

 Government, which would employ all consti- 

 tutional means to carry it. Notwithstanding 

 Count Eulenburg's announcement, the bill was 

 rejected by 145 votes against 18. On Novem- 

 ber 1st, General von Roon, Minister of War, 

 read before the Chambers a message from the 

 King of Prussia, proroguing the session of the 

 Landtag. On the same day, the Official Ga- 

 zette promulgated a royal decree, convoking 

 both Houses of the Prussian Diet for Novem- 

 ber 12th. On November 6th, the semi-official 

 Provincial Press announced that the Govern- 

 ment, while essentially maintaining the basis 

 of the Kreisordmmg Bill, was engaged in re- 

 modelling some of its provisions, the practical 

 application of which might be open to objec- 

 tion. The bill would then first be brought 

 again before the Lower House, which it was 

 hoped would pass the measure in its amended 

 form with the least possible delay. During 

 that time, steps would have been taken for 

 insuring the passing of the measure in the Up- 

 per House. The King was fully prepared for, 

 and had decided upon, the measures which 

 might be necessary for the passing of the bill. 

 On November 12th, the session of the Prus- 

 sian Landjag, which was prorogued at the 

 close of October, was reopened. The King 

 was not present, but the speech from the throne 

 was read by a cabinet minister. It was brief, 

 and to the purpose. A reduction of the income- 

 tax was promised. The relations of the state 

 to the religious societies were alluded to as a 

 subject for legislation. The speech states that 

 the Country Reform Bill would again be sub- 

 mitted, slightly amended, and the necessity 

 and expediency of the measure were demon- 

 strated. The speech concluded with a decla- 

 ration that the Government was firmly resolved 

 to carry out its intention of improving the local 

 administration of the kingdom, and would avail 

 itself of all the constitutional means at its dis- 

 posal to effect the object. The Upper House 

 subsequently proceeded to choose a President, 

 and elected Baron Stolberg, a friend of the 

 Government. Only six votes were cast against 

 him. To break the opposition of the Upper 

 House, the Government was not only resolved 

 to create a sufficiently large number of new 

 peers, to secure a majority in .the House, but 

 it was even intimated that the Upper House 

 might be entirely reconstructed on a more 

 liberal basis. However, in order to spare, as 

 much as possible, the sensibilities of the landed 

 aristocracy, they concluded to make to them 

 some concessions. The bill was for the first 

 time read in the Chamber of Deputies on No- 

 vember 20th. The Minister of the Interior 

 stated that the reforms contemplated in the 

 bill would not be extended to Posen, because 

 that province was not ripe for them, and had 

 not been dutiful in its conduct toward the 

 Government. The minister concluded by ask- 



ing that all the amendments should be with- 

 drawn, and that the compromise offered by 

 the Government should be accepted. The 

 Chamber almost unanimously resolved not to 

 refer the bill back to the committee, but to 

 proceed to the second reading at & full sitting 

 of the House. In accordance with the wish 

 of the Government, the Chamber, by a large 

 majority, rejected the amendments proposed 

 by the Progress party and the Conservatives, 

 and on November 26th passed the entire bill, 

 as framed by the Government, by 288 against 

 91 votes. The Polish members, the majority 

 of the Centre (Catholic party), and a small 

 portion of the Conservative party, voted against 

 the measure. In view of the determined atti- 

 tude of the Government, which actually created 

 twenty-five new peers, the Upper House, on 

 December 9th, passed the bill as it had come 

 up from the Lower House. 



By a royal decree of December 21,, 1872, 

 Prince Bismarck was relieved from the position 

 of President of the Prussian Ministry. A few 

 days later, the Minister of War, Count Roon, 

 was appointed Prime - Minister. Although 

 Count Roon announced that the policy to be 

 pursued by him would not differ from that of 

 Count Bismarck, who remained Chancellor of 

 the German Empire, it was a general belief 

 that Count Roon would be more disposed than 

 Bismarck to conciliate the Ultra-conservatives. 



PRUTZ, ROBEET EENEST, a German poet, 

 historian, and novelist, born at Stettin, May 

 30, 1816; died there, June 21, 1872. Receiv- 

 ing his early education in Stettin, he studied 

 philosophy at Berlin, Breslau, and Halle, and 

 in 1838 took his degree as Doctor in Philoso- 

 phy, and soon after entered upon a literary 

 career as assistant-editor of the revolutionary 

 paper, the Hallische Jalirbuclicr. His bold- 

 ness as a liberal writer caused him to be under 

 the constant surveillance of the police, who 

 gave him no rest. Between 1840 and 1847 

 he lived successively in Dresden, Jena, Halle, 

 Berlin, and Hamburg. He was finally arrested 

 for publishing a stirring poem entitled " What 

 a King! " After a short period of imprison- 

 ment he was liberated by the Prussian Govern- 

 ment, but ordered to remain in Halle. Here 

 he wrote several of his best works. Dur- 

 ing the Revolution of 1848 he was in Berlin, 

 and exerted a powerful influence, as leader of 

 the moderate wing of the democratic party. 

 When the reaction took place, he returned to 

 Stettin, where he met and became acquainted 

 with Bismarck, who, in spite of his past revo- 

 lutionary record, obtained for him, in 1850, 

 the professorship of History and Literature in 

 the University of Halle. His lectures were 

 largely attended, and added to the reputation 

 of the university until 1859, when he was 

 compelled to resign in consequence of ill 

 health, and returned once more to Stettin, 

 where he gave courses of free lectures on his- 

 tory and literature, which were very popular. 

 But the old democratic fires were not yet 



