GERMANY. 



349 



The following table shows the strength of each political party in each of the two Parlia- 

 ments of the North-German Confederation, and the three Parliaments of the German Empire : 



On February 22d the Eeichstag was opened 

 by the Emperor in person. The speech from 

 the throne, after stating that the attention of 

 the members would be called to the budget, to 

 the negotiations with Austro-Hungary for a 

 new commercial treaty, to the bills for the 

 creation and the powers of the " Rechnungs- 

 hof" (Court of Accounts), and to the neces- 

 sity of determining the place where the Impe- 

 rial Court is to hold its sessions, continues as 

 follows : 



Unfortunately, the depressed condition in which 

 trade and commerce found themselves during the 

 past two years continues with us as in other coun- 

 tries. The continued deliberations of the united 

 Governments on the means to relieve it have not 

 convinced me that the home relations of the German 

 Empire contribute in any way to the causes of those 

 evils, which are equally felt in all other countries: 

 to relieve any temporary and local want of employ- 

 ment of labor in search of work, lies more in the 

 province of the separate states than of the Empire. 

 As far as a want of confidence in the future stability 

 of law and order within Germany should seem to lie 

 in the way of a resumption of business, I am sure 

 that you will regard such fears as unfounded. The 

 organization of the Empire, and the common-sense 

 of the German people, form a strong protection 

 against anarchical efforts. Whatever may be her 

 internal condition, Germany is less threatened than 

 other countries by the external dangers which may 

 arise from the Eastern crisis. My policy has re- 

 mained true, without wavering, to the principles 

 which it has followed since the beginning of the 

 Oriental complications. The conference has not 

 succeeded in obtaining from the Porte the conces- 

 sions which the Powers judged expedient to demand 

 in the interests of humanity and as a means of se- 

 curing peace for the future. Nevertheless, the pro- 

 ceedings of the conference have led to this result, 

 that the Christian Powers have arrived at a common 

 understanding among themselves respecting the 

 guarantees to oe demanded from the Porte. Before 

 the conference such an understanding lacked uni- 

 versally recognized expression. By this means a 

 solid basis has been secured for confidence that 

 peace will be preserved among the Powers even 

 should the hope be disappointed that the Porte will, 

 of its own accord, carry out the reforms regarding 

 the treatment of its Christian subjects which the 

 conference considered requisite in the interests of 

 Europe. Should the expectations now entertained, 



based upon the promises of the Porte on the one 

 hand and the opening of negotiations for peace on 

 the other with Servia and Montenegro, fail to be 

 realized, the Imperial Government, while recogniz- 

 ing the fact that in the present question the interests 

 of Germany do not prescribe any precise line of con- 

 duct, will continue to exert its innuencejas hitherto, 

 in behalf of the protection of the Christians in Tur- 

 key and of the peace of Europe ; above all things, 

 however, strengthening its own good relations with 

 Governments allied or otherwise friendly to it. 



The Reichstag had a quorum at its first meet- 

 ing, so that on March 2d it proceeded to organ- 

 ize. This organization immediately showed 

 that the breach between the two Liberal par- 

 ties, the National Liberals and the Party of 

 Progress, had been considerably widened by 

 the elections. Herr von Forckenbeck, a Na- 

 tional Liberal, and the President of the last 

 Reichstag, was reflected, although 43 blank 

 votes were deposited by the Party of Progress. 

 Freiherr von Stauffenberg, of the German Im- 

 perial party, was elected first vice-president, 

 and Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a Conser- 

 vative, second vice-president. 



On March 17th the Government introduced a 

 bill transferring the right to legislate for Al- 

 sace-Lorraine from the German to the Alsace- 

 Lorraine Parliament. As a guarantee against 

 anti-national opposition, the Government, un- 

 der this bill, reserved the right of appeal from 

 the Alsace to the German Parliament. When 

 introducing this bill, the Under-Secretary of 

 State, Herr Herzog, said that the Alsace Par- 

 liament a body whose prerogative had been 

 hitherto limited to preparing bills for discus- 

 sion by the German Parliament though op- 

 posing the Government in many instances, had 

 proved a sensible and loyal body. This was 

 the more satisfactory, as 55 per cent, of all en- 

 franchised had taken part in the election of 

 those district assemblies who returned the 

 members for the Alsace Parliament. After 

 this speech, an Alsace Deputy protested against 

 the bill, declaring, amid the laughter and mer- 

 riment of the House, that the Rayah popula- 

 tion in Turkey was far better treated than 



