Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session of the Thirty-ninth Congress
Mr. Wright to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I forward with this despatch Count Bismarck’s address at the opening of the Prussian chambers. The number in both houses is about six hundred, but less than one hundred were present at the opening of the chambers. The liberal party were represented by very few, notwithstanding they were in the city ready to unite with their friends in their respective houses, thus affording some evidence of the correctness of my views as expressed in despatch No. 6, dated October 25, 1865. All is not quiet and secure. Much dissatisfaction exists in many portions of the country.
I have the honor to be, most respectfully, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
[Translation.]
“Illustrious, noble and Honorable Gentlemen of both Houses of the Diet: His Majesty the King has deigned to commission me to open the Diet of the monarchy in his name During the last session, as in previous years, in default of the necessary agreement of both houses of the Diet, together with the Crown, the law upon the budget, as provided by article 99 of the constitution, has not come to pass. In the past year, also, the administration of the state had, therefore, to be carried on without such law. The statement of revenue and expenditure which has served as guide to the financial department during the year which had expired, has been officially published. The budget for the current year will be immediately laid before the Diet. You will convince yourselves therefrom that our finances continue to occupy a favorable position. In the majority of the branches of administration experience shows an increase of the estimates of revenue, which afforded the means of providing in the budget for numerous additions to the expenditure, and for setting aside a sufficient sum for the further improvement of the salaries of the lower classes of officials, without disturbing the balance between expenditure and revenue. In accordance with the reserve in section 8 of the land tax law of May 21, 1861, the draught of a bill settling the conditions of the definitive distribution and levy of the land tax in the six eastern provinces will be laid before the chambers of the Diet for constitutional deliberation. The preparations for putting in execution the law upon the land tax compensation are being zealously carried on, and it may be expected that the payment of the sums devoted to that purpose will take place in the course of the year. The condition of the finances permits of the gradual reduction of the additional tax upon legal procedure, with the object of discontinuing it altogether in a few years A bill for the execution of this measure will be laid before you. The economical position of the country may be characterized as upon the whole satisfactory.
“It is true that the last harvest was in places below the average; but if certain necessaries of life have risen in price, the free action of trade, combined with increased measures of communication, have sufficed to supply the deficiency of corn in some districts. The traffic upon the railways, the activity in mining operations, the briskness of commerce, and the facility of occupation generally pervading the laboring classes, all afford proof of steadily increasing development. In the interests of these your co-operation will be requested. Bills will be laid before you for the purpose of securing increased capability of performance in some departments of the state, by extraordinary appliances for extending the circle of operations of the Prussian Bank, and for removing the obstacles still impeding the free utilization of the power of labor. The customs and commercial treaties which formed an object of your deliberations in the recent sessions has since been supplemented by renewal of the treaties with Luxemburg, Anhalt and Bremen. A navigation treaty has been concluded with Great Britain, and a commercial treaty with Italy, the ratification of which by all the states of the Zollverein is confidently hoped for by the government. The aforesaid treaties will be laid before you. The royal order, from which the formation of the upper Chamber was to result, has been completed by the decree of the 10th of November in the preceding year, and firm foundations, corresponding to the importance of the position of that Chamber in the organism of the state, and incapable of alteration except by law, have now been given to it. After fruitless negotiations for many years, as to bills for alleviating and shortening the time of service in the militia, as well as for a juster distribution of the obligation of military service generally, his Majesty’s government cannot now expect a satisfactory result from their reputation. It will, therefore, be obliged to leave the law upon the obligation to military service in its present position. While the government regrets that this determination is forced upon it, it remains convinced of the necessity of upholding the present organization of the army, calling into being with the co-operation of the former Diet, since that time brought to the test of practice, and admissible according to the existing laws, and of further requesting the necessary supplies for that purpose in future. As in the preceding year, his Majesty’s government still adheres to the intention of promoting the rapid and powerful development of the Prussian navy The application of extraordinary means remains indispensable to the creation of proper harbor establishments, the building of ships and their armament. A bill for this purpose will therefore again be laid before the Diet, especially as the chief objections raised to the bill last year have been met by the settlement of the relations of possession to Kiel, which have taken place in the mean time. The relations of Prussia to all foreign states are of peaceful and friendly character. After his Majesty the Emperor of Austria had ceded, by the treaty concluded at Gastein and Salzburg, his portion of rights of sovereignty to the duchy of Lauenburg to his Majesty the King, that duchy has been united to the Prussian crown, and it is his Majesty’s desire to allow it to enjoy all advantages of protection and care afforded it by the union, while treating with consideration its peculiar state of affairs. The final decision as to the future of the two other Elbe duchies has been reserved for further agreement by the same treaty, but in the possession of Schleswig and the position acquired in Holstein, Prussia has obtained a sufficient guarantee that this decision can only follow in a manner corresponding to the national interest of Germany and the just claims of Prussia. Resting upon his own conviction, strengthened by the opinion of the legal advisers of the Crown, his Majesty is determined [Page 4] to hold fast this pledge under all circumstances until the attainment of the desired end, and knows himself supported in this resolution by the assent of his people. It is the intention of the government to invite by special bill the co-operation of the legislature in preparing to execute the canal which is to unite the Baltic and the German ocean. The importance of this work, and with it the development of the naval power of the country, to the position of Prussia, and its utilization in the general interests of Germany, assures his Majesty’s government anew that, upon consideration of the respective bills, differences of opinion upon home questions and the position of parties will be subordinate to duty towards the common fatherland, and that both houses of the Diet will unanimously and early offer their assistance to the Crown in helping to promote the solution of those national problems, which is now in a higher degree incumbent upon Prussia on account of her relations with the Elbe duchies. Now that the harbor hitherto wanting to the future German fleet has been secured by the arrangement of the treaty with Gastein relating to the harbor of Kiel, it will be the task of the Prussian legislature to place the government in a position to open negotiations with its allies upon a basis worthy of Prussia. In the course of the past year his Majesty the King has received in four provinces the renewed homage of the inhabitants of those portions of the country which were newly united to or again acquired by the Prussian monarchy half a century ago. The spirit in which this jubilee was everywhere celebrated bears testimony to the elevating consciousness of our people what great things God had done for Prussia—how much progressive development, how much blessing and prosperity in all branches of the public welfare, had been granted within that period to our country. The population of these provinces enthusiastically evidenced their gratitude for the faithful and paternal rule of our prince, and again, upon their parts, promised to remain true to them. With thankfulness to God, and with the desire still to promote in future the happy conditions of all portions of the land, his Majesty expressed his renewed and thorough conviction that a bond of confidence will continue to embrace prince and people now and for all futurity, and that the beneficent hand of Providence will still be extended over Prussia. His Majesty’s government is conscious of not being deficient in the will to serve its royal master in this sense. It is filled with the conviction that upon an unprejudicial, dispassionate, and purely technical examination of that it still strives after, with the assistance of the legislature, objects and points enough must be found in which all parties are agreed. If, gentlemen, you are guided by the desire of seeking and holding fast these points of union, blessing and result will not fail to attend your deliberations. In his Majesty’s name I now declare the Diet of the monarchy opened.”