438 



GERMANY. 



which Prince Bismarck took a prominent part, 

 the Reichstag, by a majority of 211 against 

 122, adopted the motion of Herr Frankenstein 

 with reference to the so-called constitutional 

 guarantees, with an amendment of Herr Varn- 

 buhler in harmony therewith. This section of 

 the tariff law now provides that the surplus in 

 any year over 130,000,000 marks, arising from 

 the receipts of customs and the tobacco duties, 

 shall be distributed among the various states 

 of the empire in proportion to their popula- 

 tion and the rate of their annual contributions 

 to the general exchequer. This stipulation is to 

 take effect from the 1st of April, 1880 ; and any 

 surplus over 52,651,815 marks accruing be- 

 tween the 1st of October, 1879, and the 31st of 

 March, 1880, will be subtracted under similar 

 conditions pro rata from the matricular con- 

 tribution of the states for that period. On 

 July 12th the debate on the new tariff and the 



tariff law, after lasting for nearly three months. 

 came to an end. The House passed it in its 

 entirety by a majority of exactly 100, the num- 

 bers being 217 against 117. Before the vote 

 was taken, Dr. Delbrilck once more strove t^ 

 show that the bill would grievously injure 

 export industries, and oppressively raise the 

 price of the commonest necessaries of life, that 

 the corn duties would change the whole finan- 

 cial policy of the empire, and promised nothing 

 but discontent and confusion. Dr. Lasker 

 prophesied perpetual conflicts between the 

 Federal Council and the Finance Ministers of 

 the various states ; and he looked upon the 

 law as the beginning not of peace, but of 

 strife. 



On March 4th the Reichstag began the dis- 

 cussion of the bill introduced by the Govern- 

 ment concerning the coercive power of the 

 Reichstag over its members. The bill found 



hardly any friends among the deputies. Pro- 

 fessor Hanel, of the Law Faculty in Kiel (Pro- 

 gressist and formerly second Vice-President of 

 the Reichstag), attacked the measure in an elo- 

 quent and learned speech, and defended full 

 freedom of speech and its corollary, the right 

 to publish the proceedings. He sought to show 

 that the adoption of such a law would make the 

 Reichstag unlike any other Parliament, and de- 

 clared himself opposed to any change in the 

 standing orders of the House, especially at the 

 present time, when they might appear to act 

 under pressure. Herr Bebel, the well-known 

 leader of the Social Democrats, maintained 

 that the bill was intended to gag the Social 

 Democrats, and suggested that it would be bet- 

 ter to modify the law granting the franchise 

 to all Germans over twenty-five to the extent 

 of excepting those whom the police have cause 



to suspect of revolutionary tendencies. Such 

 a measure was possible in no other country 

 but Germany. On the 7th the bill of the Gov- 

 ernment was rejected by a large majority. On 

 the other hand, on motion of Herr von Stauf- 

 fenberg (first Vice-President), it was resolved 

 to ask the Standing Order Committee to con- 

 sider whether any changes are necessary in the 

 manner of conducting business, and, if so, to 

 formulate and lay regular proposals before the 

 House. 



Among the most important measures adopt- 

 ed by the Reichstag is the final regulation of 

 the government of Alsace-Lorraine. In the 

 early part of the session the deputies Schnee- 

 gans, North, Rack, and Lorette, belonging to 

 the party of the so-called Autonomists, intro- 

 duced a motion to request the Chancellor of the 

 Empire to prepare for Alsace-Lorraine an inde- 



