René Brunet

“ Almost totally deprived of political spirit and personal judgment the German people had let themselves be convinced that it was only in the hands of the monarchy, the army, and the bureaucracy that the affairs of the nation were best and most safely conducted; and they naturally came to think that the prosperity in Germany in economic and in technical matters, as well as its development in social matters, was undeniable proof of the excellence of the monarchical system. No political party dreamed of incorporating in its program the establishment of a republic. ”

“ No person who pretends to be intelligent about constitutional matters can neglect it.
It would be difficult to imagine anything more illuminating than a comparison of the Constitution of the United States drawn up in 1787, the fundamental law of the Australian Commonwealth adopted in 1900, and the new German Reichsverfassung of 1919, which vibrates with the tramp of the proletariat. In the attempt of the Germans to combine the strength of Hamilton’s government with the democratic control so vaunted by Jefferson we have an experiment that ought to stir our deepest interest. ”

“ It is sufficient for me to show that this dictatorship is in contradiction to democracy, that we must choose between dictatorship by a minority on the one hand, and democracy or government by the majority on the other. The Committee on the Constitution has declared in favour of democracy, control by the great majority of the people. ”

“ But when it comes to questions of Sunday rest, if woman labour should be countenanced, if and how the land should be distributed, how the relations between capital and labour should be organized in the great modern enterprises, and perhaps above all, who should pay the taxes—all these questions and an infinity of others raise up problems not of knowledge but of will. They are the questions in which the concern is not with economy but with the situation of man, his rights, his liberty, and his dignity within the economy. ”

“ But it is absolutely impossible to admit that an assembly thus constituted should take decisions or vote resolutions; for, a numerically equal representation both of employers and employés would correspond obviously to a proportion of electors much greater for one class than for the other. In any industry, for example, an employer represents considerably fewer electors than a worker, and to give his voice in the direction of public affairs an influence equal to that of a worker, would be, from the point of view of democracy, an absurdity. ”

“ The system of Councils in its final aspect realizes the most perfect form of democracy, for it gives political and economic equality to all its citizens. While waiting its ultimate triumph, however, it may be necessary to proclaim the dictatorship of the proletariat; but this dictatorship will not be any heavier than that which is borne by the proletariat itself. It will last if necessary till the complete fusion of social classes does away with the class struggle, till the advent of integral socialism. ”

“ It is only when the people take an active part to the largest measure in the determination of the destiny of the nation; and when the sense of responsibility is also shared by the majority of the political chiefs freely elected, that a statesman can accept direction of the helm with confidence and himself participate in this responsibility. Otherwise the shoulders of one man will be too feeble to support the immense responsibility that now confronts our government. ”

“ Those who demand all power for the Councils, who want to place between the hands of the Councils all administration and all legislation are so indefinite as to the means of realizing their demands, that it astonishes one ... that a programme, so little developed, can be put forward without the least explanation of how it is to be realized.... We reject the granting of political right to the Councils. We reject above all the dictatorship of a class that is at the base of these Councils, emphatically and unconditionally.... We reject also the Councils as organs of control. ”

“ Wissel, then Minister of Public Economy, on March 7, 1919, before the National Assembly thus defined collective economy properly so-called: “Collective economy means the organization and management of private economic enterprises in the interests of the Reich, the subordination of private interests to collective interests. The application of this general principle to particular cases must be adapted to the special conditions of the different branches of the economy. Nothing can be worse than to want to make the economy rigidly uniform. ”

“ Has the Constitution of Weimar resistance enough to withstand all the inevitable assaults which will be aimed at it, and can it guarantee to the German people a well-ordered public life and a stable government? ”

“ The former Reichstag, when it verified the election of its members, instead of being inspired solely by legal motives often let itself be guided by political considerations. The verification of elections is in itself an act of adjudication, and a political assembly is ill-prepared to fulfil such a function. That is why the English Parliament has already entrusted the function of judging of elections of its members to a separate tribunal. ”

“ Those who fix their eyes not upon the written letter of our Constitution, but upon judicial decisions, political practice, and congressional procedure are never under the delusion that our constitutional system does not change. ”

“ No division of competence between the two parliaments [90] in such a way that only social and economic questions shall be submitted to the Chamber of Labour can be admitted. This distinction between political affairs and economic affairs is a pure impossibility, for economy, politics and general culture form a unity which must be respected. It is on production, on “creation” that the existence of the people and all its material and intellectual life rests. The two parliaments therefore should have equal power to study these questions. They must also have equal rights. ”

“ Direct government expresses itself, therefore, when a conflict arises either between the organs of national representation, or between this representation and the nation itself. In these two cases it is the people who decide the conflict. ”

“ Parliamentary government has been accepted but it is mistrusted. There have also been introduced a whole series of measures such as the referendum, initiative, the nomination and the impeachment of the President by the people, which are not only logical applications of the democratic principle, but which are also assurances against any possible misdeeds of parliamentarism. This is a splendid proof of trust in democracy. It is for the future to say whether it is justified. ”

“ In any event a worker councillor must not remain such for more than twelve months. He must stay a worker and not become a functionary.
Such is the organization that the Independents and the Communists proposed. In itself lies the proof that it is contrary to the democratic principle; for only part of the nation, manual and intellectual workers, employés, the proletariat would have the right to direct public affairs. ”

“ It is the organ of all the workers of any industry taken together, and it must permit any labour organization, no matter to what tendency it belongs, to enjoy all the rights and all the control to which it is entitled. ”

“ It will have to be the Reich that will be called upon to preside over the question of new repartition of territories, because it alone is the holder of sovereignty in Germany, and because it alone is in position to maintain an equal balance between the varied and particular interests of the states. No territorial change whatsoever, whether a fusion, a separation, or the creation of a state, will be possible or operative no matter what conditions exist for its consummation, without a law enacted by the Reich. ”

“ Reforms, such as the granting of complete liberty of organization, the abolition of ordinances on wages and exceptional laws against agricultural labourers, and the protection of workers and salaried employés against arbitrary discharge, certainly mark interesting progress.
But the Socialists, followed on this point by the National Assembly, held that these reforms were only preparatory in character. True economic democracy can not content itself with the mere recognition of workers’ organizations and collective bargaining. ”

“ After the events of these our times the German people must not be denied a single right that is needed to guarantee them a free and happy future. I acquiesce together with my highest colleagues in the decisions of the representatives of the people and do so with the firm determination to co-operate to the greatest effectiveness, convinced that I will thus serve the welfare of the German people. The Emperor is at the service of the people. ”

“ One consideration contributed above all to the establishment of government by the greatest number: The German Princes had governed and had conducted themselves as monarchs by divine right; under their régime no social class could develop to which a certain political power could be given over, which the people would become accustomed to regard as authoritative. There was in Germany no political nobility, no bourgeoisie invested with political power. ”

“ It is affirmed everywhere that classic liberalism has had its day, and that in order to improve the economic situation so extremely unfavourable [295] in all the modern states, it is not enough that things be allowed freely to take their course. It is now thought that “let alone” leads to bankruptcy. One no longer believes in the former principles that held as absolute the right to private property, the right of work, liberty of commerce, and freedom of contract. To-day these rights are held to be limited by the general good and must be exercised by the individual in the interest of all. ”

“ The individual wills are not only too feeble and too little conscious; they are also too dissimilar and contradictory to permit being constructed into an ensemble. It is a chaos of infinitely diversified indications; making it an absurd project to try by means of an election to secure a parliament that will constitute a faithful mirror of these chaotic indications. ”