OCR Text |
Show I M' HS. AEBY SCOTT BAKES, j political ciL'.irmau of the ! j; Natter.;.! Women's party, wlio ".r- ;! rived last niLkt to urgo the gover- ! j! nors to call special legislative. S3S- ' sions to ratify the suflrige ii'.nond- I ment. Photograph copyrighted by I j Harris & Ewtu". Washington. D. C. ( i ..' : " . ' 1 I 1 - i I I " ? ' j ' .:i I I ) 7 ,1 ' :'- i ',' ; "V" J X K v , r . - t "' ' '' ' :t f v a L - ' HUN BASSG II HDWJNEFFEGT Resume of Gerinan Constitution Con-stitution Made Public by Ebert Government. KKK .I.".', F:-i'!.'i, Au,', l.V Tly the A -socSfl.'.cd PniXH. ) Tiie new German con-f con-f 1 1 r u t ifiti, vhi' !i was paw-sr-.l by the na-t na-t lonn 1 ;t:(.'U'mhly a ftr inontlis of dehate ;ir,d wnicii bt;''iime erfeeLlve thin weeU. Is f ! ; i '1 o ( In to two main pa rt ft th a ' Vo m -pfi.lilon ami tiort of t!)P pmplre" "tlie In -if rights aii'l ;n- dijtlt-H of 1 W-rminis." if- pre;unule to the von c 1 tu t ion ij"ins fi.s fallows: "The German fm'. "nltc-d In It'-v u-.innpH and inspired by tue will to re-xif-w and Htrentlum Itn empire in freedom and just Ir'!, to further irmf-r und out.-r pep and HOfial advance, has oted ih'.s co nM I tit ion." Ser-iinn 1 declares the German empire is a re pi ml' '-a n .slate, tjOveretKiUy i'L'inC la.ed on llie jieoph-. It d n lies me territorl-ii.1 limitH of the empire, o.st a b-lihes b-lihes the Imperial colors as beins black, r-rl and xold, aiul sta 1ls that the 'f;mi-v 'f;mi-v rally recotnlzcd ml cm of in tn-na tional law will he h.;1d a binding on tlie empire. em-pire. The empire, will have exclusive Ictf-ilntlve Ictf-ilntlve riKlilH -overnln mrein affairs, colonic?', i itizeiif hip, i ;n m i'A ra i.lon, de-fciir-e, coinage, cuKtonis, pon' s, lelesjraphig and lon-fllsfiiu-e telephones; re population, popula-tion, motherhood, children, youth, health, labor InHuranee, protection to laborers and employees, confiscation, cafe of wounded soldiers and their relatives, socialization so-cialization of national resources, economic. eco-nomic. undcrtiikinKs, manufacture, distribution, distri-bution, price flxlntr, economic production, trade weights and measures, the issuance of paper money, food, luxuries, articles of industry, mines, Insurance, the mercantile marine, control of lake and coast fisheries, fish-eries, railroads, automobile traffic, transportation trans-portation by land, water and air; road construction and theaters. Individual states will have legislative rlKhta. but the imperial law will supersede super-sede thofo of individual states. The constitution lays down rules for filteriiiK the empire territorially, providing-that providing-that plebiscites shall be held in districts affected. The. roichstag- supersedes tlie temporary national assembly. It will be elected for a term of four years. The president will he chosen by the entire -German people instead of by the assembly and will hold oftiee for a term of seven years. He will re prose n t the empire under International law. will make treaties and accredit diplomats. diplo-mats. Declaration of war or peace must be proclaimed by the imperial reichstas?, and treaties with foreign states must be acceptod by the relchstag. The president, presi-dent, as commander of tho chief defense forces of the empire, can employ armed forces for quailing disturbances, or may send t hem ngfi inst etatea which do not fulfil! their duties, hut In doing so must notify the reichstag, which Is given thc power of veto. The president's orders must bo countersigned by a chancellor or the Imperial minister whose department is affected. He has the right to pardon criminals, but tlie granting of amnesty must be voted by the reichstag. Tlie chancellor will occupy a position analogous to tha t of vice president. He and the resl of the ministry will ,be appointed ap-pointed by the president. The chancellor will del ermine the empire's foreign policy, bear responsibility for the cabinet, and, In case of a tie vote in the mtniptry, will have the deciding ballot. The relchs-lag relchs-lag Is given tlie vight to impeach the president. chancellor ami ministers. ( 'barges upon which impeachment proceedings pro-ceedings are based must bear the names of 1 00 members of the ret ens tag before the case can be brought before the court. Tlie Imperial council will be composed of representatives of individual states, which will have at least one vote apiece. The votes of the larger states will be based on population, being fixed on the number of millions of inhabitants within their borders. No state can have more than two-fifths at the total number of votes in the council. Half of Prussia's legislation cannot be introduced in tlie reiehMag without the consent of the council, unless the government ventures to Introduce bills which the relchstag knows to be disapproved by the council. Ias may be submitted by plebiscites, if the president desires. A majority vote will nullify the law. The constitution can be altered by a quorum of two-thirds of the reichstag voting for the alteration by a two-thirds majority. The imperial administration is placed In control of treaties by individual states with foreign countries", territorial changes and defense of the realm. German merchant mer-chant vessels will comprise a unified mercantile mer-cantile marine. The new German frontier fron-tier comprises customs zones, tlie income from which will be administered, by the empire. Provision is mode for a budget system, and tlie reichstag cannot raise the amount of the budget without reaching an agreement agree-ment with the council. Imperial postal and t ele.gra phic rat es will be determined by thc con ncil a nd the ra ilroad systems will be taken over by the empire and states. |