The Emperor retains his confidence, and has, as usual, spoken
frankly to his people. The occasion selected was an inspection of the Guard on Tuesday, when his Majesty addressed the Generals round him, saying that he had not anti- cipated the rejection of the Bills, but that his hopes had deceived him. "A patriotic minority had been unable to pre- vail against the majority." He had therefore been compelled to dissolve and look forward to the acceptance of the Bills by a new Reichstag. Should this expectation be again disap- pointed, " I am determined to use every means in my power to achieve my purpose, for I am convinced that the Bills are necessary for the maintenance of the general peace." These words are criticised by the German Press as if they con- tained a threat of a coup cl'i;tat ; but it is probable that the Emperor only intended them as an assurance to his people that he is in earnest. The Hohenzollerns are active rulers, not figure-heads; and their place in the State is so firm that they can resist Parliament without shaking order or relying on naked military force. It is by no means certain that if the Social Democrat vote is greatly increased, the remaining parties, alarmed for the safety of society, will not join the Emperor in modifying the suffrage,--a measure which, if accepted by Parliament, could be resisted only by an impos- sible popular insurrection. The Prussian suffrage, if adopted by the Empire, would greatly increase the strength of all the Conservative parties, and irritate only the populace of the great towns.
