The Bundesrat is above all a legislative organ. Laws may, and are usually, first dis cussed in this body and must always be sanc tioned by it. As an administrative organ, the Bundesrat takes action upon the general ad ministrative provisions and arrangements neces sary for the execution of the imperial laws. Like the Senate of the United States, it has the right to recommend and elect some higher ad ministrative officers. A great deal of ordinance power is also delegated to the Bundesrat. In the judicial field the Bundesrat acts frequently as an imperial administrative court. Upon com plaint, the Bundesrat may force a state to ren der justice to an individual. In a very re stricted sense the interpretation of the constitu tion is left to the Bundesrat. At the request of one of the parties, the Bundesrat decides disputes in public law between several states and constitutional disputes within the state.
' The Reichstag.— The Reichstag is the representative body of all the German people. Its 397 members are chosen by universal male suffrage, the voting being secret and direct. Every German man 25 years old has a vote and is eligible to the Reichstag. The disqualifica tions are essentially the same as in the United States. An absolute majority is necessary for election. If no candidate has such a majority a second election between the two highest can didates takes place within 14 days after the general election. Elections are protected by special provisions in the Criminal Code of the empire. The Reichstag is judge of the cor rectness of the elections. Its organizations and proceedings with the exception of the selection of committees are almost the same as in the United States. The committees, in which as a matter of fact most of the business is done, just as in the United States, are elected in the following way: At the beginning of the legis lative period the members are divided by lot into seven equal sections. Each section elects an equal number of men to each committee. The deputies enjoy the usual parliamentary immunities. Since 1906 they reserve a small annual remuneration of 3,000 marks and free use of the railroad. Twenty marks are de ducted for absence from a meeting. The meet ings are public, while those of the Bundesrat are secret. The legislative period is five years, but may be shortened by a dissolution of the body through the Bundesrat with the consent of the Kaiser. A new election must then take place shortly afterward. The Reichstag must be convened at least once a year.
The Reichstag participates in legislation with the Bundesrat and may introduce bills, just as the Bundesrat. Its approval is necessary for imperial loans, certain ordinances and treaties, if these affect the citizens directly. The Reich stag may as a body petition the Chancellor and express its disapproval of his policy by a vote of want of confidence, which, however, in Ger many has no effect on the position of the Chan cellor. The representatives of the government and the Bundesrat have at any time the right to appear before the Reichstag and advocate and defend the bills of the Bundesrat. They
have, however, no vote. See article PairriEs AND PARTY POLITICS.
The Chancellor and the Administrative Officers.— The supreme and only officer created by the constitution is the Chancellor. He is the chairman of the Bundesrat and head of the whole imperial administration. By counter signing all imperial documents he assumes the responsibility for them. He is appointed and removed by the Kaiser, neither Reichstag nor Bundesrat can force his resignation. The kind of responsibility is not fixed by the constitution or by law. At the head of the different branches of the administration are secretaries of state who are subordinated to the Chancellor and who remain in office only as long as they are in harmony with the policy of the Chancellor. At present there exist the following supreme offices presided over by secretaries: Interior, treasury, justice, post, foreign affairs, army, navy. These secretaries may also countersign the acts of the Kaiser. The leading position of Prussia in the German Federation requires that the Chancellor is at the same time the Prime Minister of Prussia, although this is not laid down in the constitution. Twice the two posi tions were in different hands, but both times the experiment was a failure and was soon given up. Under the heads of departments a host of civil service officers serve who are, according to their training, salary and social position, di vided into three classes. They are subject to a special law, hold their office during life or good behavior, and receive a pension in case of disability or old age.
The Functions of Government: Legisla tion.— Bills, as said before, may be proposed either by the Reichstag or the Bundesrat. The majority, however, are prepared in the Prussian ministries and introduced in the Bundesrat by Prussia. Here they go through the customary readings and committees. A bill is passed by a majority vote, in case of a tie Prussia's vote decides the matter. No state is allowed to vote on matters in regard to which it enjoys special privileges. Constitutional amendments are treated just like other bills, except that 14 votes are sufficient to kill them, which gives Prussia an absolute veto in this respect. The bill, when passed, is then sent to the Reichstag. Here it is usually given to a com mittee after the first reading, and from there is reported to the Reichstag, and after two more readings passed, rejected or passed with amendments. If passed, it goes to the Bundes rat for final approval. The sanctioned bill is then examined by the Kaiser as to the consti tutionality of its form (but not its contents), promulgated and published with the counter signature of the Chancellor in the official Im perial Gazette.' Whenever it is later on found out that imperial and state law conflict, the rule is, that imperial law takes precedence over state law.