If the new Reichstag meets in the same spirit of resistance to the excesses of Prussian militarism, William II will be condemned to constitutional government and then, little by little, to the surrender of everything that he believes to be his proper attributes, and of all his tastes.  No further possibility then of an offensive war, to escape from domestic difficulties; no more parades with the past riding behind him; no more finding a way out by some sudden headlong move, for he would drag behind him only a people convinced against its will and too late.  The only thing then left to the King of Prussia, face to face with a new majority opposed to militarism, would be the dangerous resource of a coup d’etat.

Dr. Lieber, an influential deputy, has defined the actual situation with a clearness which leaves nothing to be desired—­

“We perceive,” he said, “that the Prussian principle of government is developing more and more, and tending to become the idea of the German Empire.  The policy to be pursued in the German Parliament should be purely German.”

The dilemma is clear.  Will Germany continue to become Prussianised or will she remain German?  If she is Prussian, that is to say, militarist, socialism will grow and increase; if she is German, the development and expansion of her political and social organism, having free play, will come about normally and surely.  Therefore, the solidity of German unity should consist in resistance to Prussianism or militarism, to William II, and to the past.  On the other hand, submission of the old Confederation to Prussia must inevitably lead to disintegration.

May 29, 1893. [7]

William II has told us, on the occasion of the unveiling of the statue of William I at Gorlitz, that the question which brought about the dissolution of the Reichstag, that like which confronts the impending election, is that of the Military Bill, and that this question dominates all others.

“That which the Emperor, William I, has won, I will uphold,” says the present Emperor; “we must assure the future of the Fatherland.  In order to attain this object, the military strength of the country must be increased and fortified, and I have asked the nation to supply the necessary means.  Confronted by this grave question, on which the very existence of the country depends, all others are relegated to the background.”

Should we conclude, with the Frankfurter Zeitung, that “that which oppresses our minds in this struggle is the reflection, that no possible benefit is to be attained through victory, nor any remedy for defeat”?

Will Germany yield, or will she resist the will of the Emperor thus clearly expressed?  Herein lies a question which, in one way or another, must have the gravest consequences.

July 1, 1893. [8]