(.I:I:MAXY. 



The motion has reference chiefly to the grand- 

 duehies of Mecklenbnrg-Schwt'rin and Meck- 

 lenburii-Strelitz, tin- political institutions of 

 which States have still an entirely feudal char- 

 acter. But, besides Mecklenburg, the little 

 Crincipality of Lippe was this year concerned 

 i the debate, as a petition from the people 

 demanded the restoration of the lawful con- 

 stitution of 1849, which had been abolished by 

 a resolution of the late Federal Diet. The rep- 

 resentative of Lippe in the Federal Council, 

 Minister von Flottwcll, became so excited in 

 the course of the debate that the President 

 of the Reichstag had to cnll him to order. In 

 accordance with an express wish of Bismarck, 

 a motion was made by Deputy Elben for the 

 establishment of an imperial railroad - office 

 (Eisenbahnamt), and adopted by the Reichstag. 

 Among the motions which were not disposed 

 of, but postponed to the second Reichstag, were 

 one by Yolk and Hinschins for the introduc- 

 tion of the obligatory civil marriage through- 

 out the empire, and another- by Wimlthorst 

 (deputy of Berlin), Biedermann, and Yolk, for 

 an imperial press-law. The Reichstag was 

 closed on June 25th, and dissolved on Novem- 

 ber 29th. The elections for the second Reichs- 

 tag were ordered to take place on January 10, 

 1 S 71, throughout the empire, except in Alsace- 

 Lorraine, where they were to bo held on Feb- 

 ruary 1st. 



The relation of the Emperor and the Cent rnl 

 Government to tho Governments of the several 

 States continued to be of a friendly character. 

 The Diets of Bavaria, Wnrtemberg, and Sax- 

 ony, pave their consent to the extension of the 

 jurisdiction of the empire over the entire civil 

 law. In Saxony, the Government and the 

 first Chamber appeared to l>e inclined to rest 

 the validity of imperial laws on tho previous 

 ntofthe Diets of the particular States; 

 but, in view of the resoluti- attitude of tho sec- 

 innl Chamber, they receded from their 

 tion. In Wurtenibcrf.', the large majority of 

 the Ditt is in favor of a strong Cent rnl Govern- 

 ment, and tho ministry was prevailed upon 

 by it to abolish there the office of a Minister 

 .it'll Atl'airs. In Bavaria, the National 

 Liberal party elected it< cniididates for IV. -i- 

 dent and Vic -i- President of the second Cham- 

 ber, and a ministry sympathizing with it re- 

 mained in power until the close of tho ; 

 but the first Chamber is strongly attached to 

 a defense of all the present rights of the sepa- 

 rate States, and opposed to a further extension 

 of the powers of the Central Governm. nt ; mid 

 the same tendency appeared to he on the in- 

 I in tho country, particularly in the rural 

 districts. In Saxony, King Johnnn, equally 

 distinguished for profound scholarship and no- 

 bility of character, died, and was snrreeded 

 by his eldest son Albert, who. in thoFrciieh- 

 (iermsn War, had !><< n on,' of tho most prom- 

 inent German penerals, and, in acknowledg- 

 ment of bin military distinction, hiid be. 

 ted by tho Emperor a field-marshal of tho 



German Army. It is expected that he will re- 

 main loyal to the maintenance of national 

 unity. The grand-duchy of Hesse made some 

 con. essions to the National Liberal party,which 

 has long been in the ascendency in tin- -. r<>i.,i 

 Chamber. In the grand-duchy of Mecklen- 

 burg, the Government laid before the Diet, 

 on November 12th, the draft of a new a 

 tut ion, which the Diet found unacceptable 

 Government accordingly, on December 90th, 

 withdrew it, and promised to abolish the ; 

 ent federal institutions by the introduction of 

 a uniform representation of the i ntire j" 

 The death of the ex-Duke Charles of Bruns- 

 wick again called attention to the question of 

 succession* in this duchy. The two Diets of 

 Saxe-Cobnrg and Gothn, which, although the 

 duchies have been united for nearly fifty \ 

 have thus far remained separate, agreed at 

 length upon a fusion and the establishment of 

 a united Diet for the entire duchy. The con- 

 stitutional troubles in the little principality of 

 Lippe were brought to the notice of tho Reichs- 

 tag. 



The important bill of the Reichstag on the 

 extension of the federal jurisdiction over tho 

 entire civil law was, on December 12th, 

 adopted in the Federal Council with only lour 

 dissenting votes (of which three belong to the 

 two grand-duchies of Mecklenburg, and one to 

 the principality of Reuss, elder line. On De- 

 cember 20th it was proclaimed by the Emperor 

 as a part of the German Constitution. 



The greatest difficulty tor the imperial Gov- 

 ernment of Germany was the continuance of 

 its conflict with the heads of the Catholic 

 Church. During the year 1873 this conflict 

 assumed greater dimensions than it had before. 

 and toward the close of the year attracted 

 the attention of the entire civilized world. It 

 chiefly concerns the kingdom of Prussia (tee 

 PRUSSIA), where the Government, in union with 

 the majority of the Diets. , muted laws on the 

 relation of the state to the clergy of tho state 

 churches, to which the bishops refused to sub- 

 mit. The Government therefore proceed d 

 against them by the imposition of tines, nnd 

 severer measures were threatened for the fu- 

 ture. It also recognized the Old Catholics as 

 still constituting a part of the Catholic state 

 church, and still entitled to all the rights of 

 membership. The Old Catholic bishop, Dr. 

 Rcinkins, was recognized as a Catholic bishop. 

 a stop which was followed by the Governments 

 of Baden and Hesse. In this conflict, the 

 overwhelming majority of the Prussian Ci.th- 

 olics sympathized with the bishops, as was 

 again signally shown by the result of the elec- 

 tions for the Prussian Diet which took place 

 in October and November. In Bavaria, a de- 

 cree of the Government authorized the com- 



The AXNDAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1RT8 plvce a conpalocri- 



ct Uhle of tin' Inn if linin-wirk. wlilrh Dlnetretei 



IM* qurMlon. and plum* thr rrlntii>n <>f the rnval fnmlly 

 i>r iJri-m llriinin and the ex-royal fnmtlv nf luaarwrto 

 tin- h<>iir of HninewJck, whtrh. In Its ducal line, if now 

 on tin- point of becoming extinct. 



