Second half, 1858
Michael von Hohenzollern quietly ascended to the podium in front of the Reichstag. The only foreign news of note -- the capture of a small part of New Zealand by the British Empire and the renewal of the German-Transylvanian alliance -- was of little interest to most Germans.
Everybody was interested to hear the results of the disappearance of young Ferdinand, but the new Minister of the Interior in the third Bismarck government gave his normal report first.
"Thank you, gentlemen of the Reichstag, for giving me time to speak to you today. The recent investments into the Ruhr Valley have already paid handsomely; the slight increase in taxes has captured some of this revenue for the state, and I am certain it will be apportioned wisely by my colleagues.
We have, for the first time in some months, enjoyed domestic as well as foreign peace. A single uprising by some foolish Umbrians was put down quickly and ruthlessly by General Jacob von Zahringen and the 16th Army.
I have little else to report, on a formal level. I do want to apologize to the President of the State Planning Commission, as some of his orders were sent to my office instead of his for his final signature; this delay meant that the closing of the factories in Bohemia and Pomerania took longer than expected, as did the correction of the hiring priorities throughout Germany. I beg his forgiveness. I close my report with the results of the investigation into my cousin's arrest and imprisonment in the Franconian factory."
Michael paused for breath.
"I do not blame Herr von Altmark. He has served Germany well these past several years and, I am certain, will serve Germany again in the future. I consider his integrity to be unimpeachable, and if I once questioned his methods and excessive zeal, I do not do so any longer. The kidnapping of Ferdinand was nothing less than a pointed political statement by the enemies of Germany, and indeed, all the sane and ordered peoples of the world:
The Jacobins.
It must drive Karl Marx mad that his homeland has thoroughly rejected any Jacobin nonsense. His godlessness and ruthlessness may bring down poorly organized countries, full of anarchists and people who would sell the State to uneducated commoners. It will not do the same to Germany, as long as I am Minister of the Interior. Let me share with you the precise details of the nefarious plot.
One of Karl Marx's most trusted lieutenants, an Anglophile named Friedrich Engels, was ordered to find a way of exerting leverage against Germany. He first tried to get the British Empire to bankroll his operation to bring down the German government; the British, in a rare fit of reason and sanity, declined his offer. Without money, they could not afford to buy the arms necessary to launch a coup against the Reichstag and, in particular, the Hohenzollern family (purely as a symbol of German stability and order). Engels, based in London, decided to clandestinely travel to Germany and seek out the support of rich industrialists to fund him.
He found one, or so he thought, in the owner of a fertilizer factory not far from our capital. This individual, a David Müller, was the new husband of Ferdinand's mother. He enlisted the madwoman in his scheme; to kidnap Ferdinand, hold him for ransom, and then split the ransom with Engels. However, Müller had no children, and began to think he might convince Ferdinand that he, Müller, was his true father and that with the boy's mother, they would raise Ferdinand. The ransom demand was never sent, and Ferdinand put to work in the fertilizer factory 'to learn a useful trade.' Ferdinand, with the intelligence that befits a young Hohenzollern, tried to reason with David, but to no avail. Friedrich Engels, on the other hand, considering Müller a double crosser, tried to get back into the country to reclaim the boy. He was intercepted by the Corps of Gendarmerie, with Herr von Schwaben at their head; promised leniency in exchange for revealing the name and location of Ferdinand's captor, Engels quickly revealed everything. Müller was arrested as well, and both awaited interrogation in the prison cells; Engels, in particular, might know where Marx was.
Regrettably, both Engels and Müller are now dead, killed in an escape attempt. They face God's justice now. Ferdinand is safely with my brother, Fritz, none the worse for wear despite his horrific experience. However, I cannot let the Jacobins gain any purchase or any benefit from this attempt. I am circulating around a new bill, proposed by me, that will reform our justice system and provide additional protections to ensure this never happens again. I do hope you will all consider my proposal carefully, and vote accordingly."
Everybody anxiously awaited the Minister of the Interior's reform bills.
((Idhrendur, apologies -- I completely forgot about your plans up until the end of the period.))
Gentlemen of the Reichstag,
The first step in eliminating the Jacobins, once and for all, is to cripple their base of popular support in the Republic. Therefore, I request the
Conclave's support to send the Corps of Gendarmerie into the suffragist movement, to investigate and infiltrate them. If we
suppress them now, the Jacobins will lose their most vocal advocates.
Second, I propose the Corps of Gendarmerie be permanently expanded and mobilized, at all times. To this end, I ask for a
Constitutional Amendment, granting the Ministry of the Interior the funds to support a permanent Corps of
12,000 Hussars, or 4 brigades as a rapid response force, under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior only. This Corps would give us an institution of well trained officers, rather than relying upon a tiny corps of professionals and whoever is locally available. By law, the Corps of Gendarmerie may not leave German soil.
Third, I request that any and all members of the Reichstag make themselves available for questioning, to determine if they have been funded by Jacobins, wittingly or not, or if they hold any Jacobin sympathies. As this is part of the normal operation of the internal security of the Republic, it is
not subject to any sort of vote. I further empower the Head of the Corps of Gendarmerie to conduct the questioning personally, respecting the persons and privacy of each member of the Reichstag as befits their station and office, entirely in keeping with the Constitution.
Thank you all for your time, and I await your feedback.
--Michael von Hohenzollern, Minister of the Interior