The new Bill making the enforcement of the old May
laws among the Catholic clergy in Prussia optional on the part of the- Government of Prussia was introduced into the Prus- sian Diet on Thursday, and is quite a unique fragment of per- missive legislation. That a Government should actually make-. persecution permissive is almost unexampled in history, but this is what the new mode of modifying the Falk laws really means. For instance, "the Prussian Ministry, with the consent of the King, may dispense with certain specified requirements of the law in relation to the training and appointment of the clergy ; and further, may accord to foreign clergy permission to perform. the duties of their office in Prussia;" or they may not. For instance, we suppose the Prussian Ministry may, if they like,. let a German candidate for the priesthood go to a Catholic "seminary," or they may refuse him that right. The discre- tionary power of the German officials can hardly be put higher. They have received the widest discretionary power of dealing with the Socialists, and now they receive the same kind of dis- cretionary power of dealing with the Catholics. Soon, we sup- pose, they will receive the same discretionary power to sanction meals, or to withhold their sanction.
Previous page
