Frederick William IV of Prussia

“ The charge of the external affairs of the elementary schools shall belong to the community. With the statutory co-operation of the community in the manner and to the extent determined by law, the State shall appoint the teachers in the public elementary schools from the number of those qualified. ”

“ If a member of the chamber shall accept a salaried office of the State, or is promoted in the service of the State to a post involving higher rank or increase of salary, he shall lose his seat and vote in the chamber, and can only recover his seat in it by re-election. ”

“ Protection of Such Officials The special legal status of public officials, including advocates and solicitors not belonging to the judicial class shall be determined by a law which, without unduly restricting the government in the choice of its executive agents, shall secure to civil servants proper protection against arbitrary dismissal from their posts or deprivation of their pay. ”

“ Powers and Oath of Regent The regent shall exercise the powers vested in the king in the name of the latter. After the establishment of the regency, he shall take the oath before the chambers in joint session to observe the constitution of the monarchy steadfastly and inviolably, and to rule in accordance with it and the laws. ”

“ One entitled to take part in the election of different communes, can only exercise his right as primary voter in one commune.
Article 71: Electors For every 250 souls of the population, one elector shall be chosen. The primary voters shall be divided into three classes in proportion to the amount of direct taxes they pay, and in such a manner as that each class shall represent a third of the sum total of the taxes paid by the primary voters. ”

“ Each chamber can demand the presence of the ministers.
The ministers shall be entitled to vote in one or other of the chambers only when members of it.
Article 61: Impeachment On the resolution of one chamber the ministers may be impeached for the crime of violating the constitution, for bribery and for treason. The decision of such cases shall lie with the supreme tribunal of the monarchy sitting as one body. As long as two Supreme Courts exist, they shall be united for the above purpose. ”

“ The enjoyment of civil and political rights shall not be dependent upon religious belief. But the exercise of religious liberty shall not be permitted to interfere with the civil or political duties of the citizen. ”

“ Support of Schools The means for establishing, maintaining and enlarging the public elementary schools shall be provided by the communities, which shall, however, be assisted by the State in proven cases of pecuniary inability on the part of the community. ”

“ Supervision of Education All public and private educational institutions shall be under the supervision of authorities appointed by the state. Teachers in the public schools shall have the rights and duties of public officials. ”

“ No Exemption for Taxation In the matter of taxes there shall be no privileges.
Existing tax-laws shall be subjected to a revision, and all such privileges abolished.
Article 102: Fees State and communal officers can levy fees only when authorized by law.
Article 103: Loans The contracting of loans for the State treasury can only be effected in virtue of a law; and the same holds good of guarantees involving a burden to the State.
Article 104: Auditing Any violation of the provisions of the budget shall require subsequent approval by the chambers. ”

“ Public Trials The proceedings of the civil and criminal courts shall be public, but the public may be excluded by a publicly announced resolution of the court, when order or good morals may seem endangered by their admittance. ”

“ In criminal cases the guilt of the accused shall be determined by jurymen, in so far as exceptions are not introduced by a law issued with the previous assent of the chambers. The formation of the jury-court shall be regulated by a law. ”

“ State Religion The Christian religion shall be taken as the basis of those state institutions which are connected with the exercise of religion without prejudice to the religious liberty guaranteed by Article 12. ”

“ War, Peace, Treaties The king shall have power to declare war and make peace, and to conclude other treaties with foreign governments. The latter require for their validity the assent of the chambers in so far as they are commercial treaties, or impose burdens on the State, or obligations on the individual subjects. ”

“ Election of a Regent If there be no agnate of age, and if no legal provision has previously been made for such a contingency, the Ministry of State shall convoke the chambers, which shall then elect a regent in joint session. ”

“ Executive Power The executive power shall belong to the king alone. He shall appoint and dismiss the ministers.1 He shall order the promulgation of the laws and issue the necessary ordinances for their execution.
Article 46: Commander-in-Chief The king shall be commander-in-chief of the army.
Article 47: Power of Appointment The king shall fill all posts in the army, as well as in other branches of the public service, in so far as it is not otherwise ordained by law. ”

“ Each chamber shall take action by absolute majority of votes, subject to any exceptions that may be determined by the rules of order for elections.
The house of lords shall not take action unless at least sixty members of the house holding seats and voting in accordance with the provisions of the ordinance of October 12, 1854, shall be present.
Article 81: Addresses, Petitions, Information Each chamber shall have the separate right of presenting addresses to the king.
No one may in person present to the chambers, or to one of them a petition or address. ”

“ These classes may be divided into several voting sections, none of which, however, must include more than 500 primary voters.
The electors shall be chosen by each class from the number of the primary voters in their district, without regard to the classes.
Article 72: Election of Deputies The deputies shall be chosen by the electors.
Further details relating to the elections shall be determined by an electoral law, which shall also make the necessary provision for those cities where flour and meat duties are levied instead of direct taxes. ”

“ Article 70: Primary Voters Every Prussian who has completed his twenty-fifth year, and is qualified to take part in the elections of the commune where he is domiciled, is entitled to act as a primary voter. ”

“ The third class shall be made up of the remaining taxpayers, lowest in the scale, who contribute the other third of the whole.
Each class shall vote apart, and shall choose each a third of the electors. ”