Cologne, September 8, 10 p. m. The Government of Action has 
fallen. After it had “‘stumbled” several times, it was only able to 
stay in office by insolence. Finally, the constantly rising pretensions 
of the Government revealed the secret of its existence to the 
Assembly. 

In yesterday’s session of the Agreement Assembly Stein’s 
motion?” was debated. The motion reads: 

“It was the urgent duty of the Government to issue without more ado the 
decree which was approved on August 9 to pacify the country and avoid a break 
with the Assembly.” 

The Government declared that it would not consider any attempt 
at whitewashing or mediation. 
The Left declared that it would walk out if the Assembly were to 
drop its resolution of August 9. 
After a meaningless speech by the Prime Minister,* Deputy Unruh 
introduced the following amendment at yesterday’s session: 
“Taking into account that the resolutions of August 9 do not constitute any 
investigation into attitudes or any constraint of conscience, but that they merely 
intend to bring about the agreement between the people and the army which is 
necessary in a constitutional state and that it is their purpose to avoid reactionary 
endeavours as well as further conflicts between the citizens who belong to the 
army and those who are civilians”, 

the Assembly declares 

“that the Government does not possess the confidence of the country if it 
hesitates any further to issue to the army a decree which corresponds to the 
resolution of August 9.” 

a Rudolf von Auerswald.— Ed. 

This amendment of the Left Centre was opposed by a second one 
from the Right Centre advanced by Deputy Tamnau. 

It reads: 

“The National Assembly wishes to make the following declaration: by its 
resolution of August 9 of this year, the National Assembly intended to bring 
about a decree to the commanders of the army similar to the one promulgated by 
the Ministries of Finance and of the Interior to the Regierungsprasidenten on July 15. 
It does not intend to oblige the officers of the army to set forth their political 
views or to prescribe to the Minister of War the text of the decree. It regards such 
a decree, in which the officers of the army are warned against reactionary and 
republican endeavours, as necessary in the interest of civil peace and for the 
advancement of the new constitutional state system.” 

After the debate had gone on for some time, the “noble” 
Schreckenstein declared on behalf of the Government that he agreed 
with the Tamnau amendment. And this after the proud protestation 
that it would not accept any mediation! 

After the debate had continued again for some time and after even 
Herr Milde had warned the Assembly not to become a revolutionary 
National Convention (Herr Milde’s fear is entirely superfluous!) a 
vote is taken with an enormous throng of people pressing towards 
the meeting hall: 

The result of the division: 

The Unruh amendment was rejected by 320 votes to 38. 

The Tamnau amendment was rejected by 210 votes to 156. 

The Stein motion was adopted by 219 votes to 152. The majority 
against the Ministers: 

67 votes. 

One of our Berlin correspondents reports: 

Today the excitement in the city was great. Thousands of people 
surrounded the meeting house of the Assembly, so that, when the 
President read the quite loyal address of the civic militia, Herr 
Reichensperger moved that the Assembly shift its sessions to another 
town since Berlin was endangered. 

Indescribable rejoicing broke out when news of the Government’s 
defeat became known to the assembled crowd, and when the 
deputies of the Left came out, they were accompanied as far as Unter 
den Linden by incessant “ Vivats!” But when Deputy Stein (the 
mover of today’s vote) was caught sight of, the enthusiasm reached 
its climax. Several men from the people immediately lifted him upon 
their shoulders and carried him thus in a triumphal procession to his 
hotel in the Taubenstrasse. Thousands of people joined this 
procession and to the accompaniment of endless hurrahs the masses 
rolled across the Opera House Square. Never before has such an 

expression of joy been seen here. The greater the previous anxiety 
about success, the more surprising the brilliant victory. 

Against the Government voted: the Left, the Left Centre (the 
Rodbertus-Berg party) and the Centre (Unruh, Duncker, Kosch). 
The President* voted for the Government on all three issues. 
According to this, a Waldeck-Rodbertus Government will enjoy an 
absolute majority. 

Thus in a few days we shall have the pleasure of seeing the author 
of the compulsory loan, the Minister of action, “His Excellency’ Herr 
Hansemann, pass through here in order to return to his “bourgeois” 
past” and to reflect on Duchatel and Pinto. 

Camphausen fell respectably. Herr Hansemann who brought 
about Camphausen’s fall by his intrigues, Herr Hansemann has met 
with a very sad end! Poor Hansemann-Pinto! 

to the Neue Rheinische Zeitung No. 98, time