_As to liberty of association_ the Constitution still holds to the principle of the regulations of 1908. “All Germans have the right to form associations or societies for purposes not contrary to the criminal law. This right cannot be limited by preventive measures.” (Article 124.) Associations may acquire a legal status according to the regulations provided by the Civil Code. Hitherto these regulations gave administrative authorities the right to oppose the acquisition of legal status by associations of a political, social or religious character. This opposition resulted in the associations in question being kept from the register of associations, and thereby prevented them from acquiring legal standing. This restriction is abolished by the Constitution as contrary to the modern principle according to which liberty of association must be kept intact. To this effect it is expressly provided, “Every association has the right of incorporation in accordance with the civil law. No association may be denied this right on the ground that it pursues a political, social-political, or religious object.” * * * * * III.--MUNICIPALITIES.--Article 127 provides, “Municipalities and unions of municipalities have the right of self-government.…” Thus the _principle of decentralization_ is found introduced in the list of fundamental rights. The Constitution declares that this autonomy must be exercised “within the limits of the laws.” * * * * * IV.--CIVIL SERVANTS.--Finally, the Constitution reaches the question of civil servants, to which it devotes no less than six articles. Before the Constitution went into effect, the status of civil servants of the Empire was regulated by the law on civil servants, March 31, 1873, as amended by the law of May 18, 1907. The new Constitution left this law intact, but it superimposed a series of general rules, some of which were borrowed from the preceding laws applying to the civil servants of the Empire, and which are destined hereafter to hold good for all German civil servants, as well as those of the states and of public corporations. The principles that serve as a point of departure are: that civil servants are in the service not at all of the party in power, but of the community; that, therefore, civil servants who remain faithful to the community all their lives have the right to be kept in office for life and to have guaranteed them a financially adequate situation; finally that outside of his office every civil servant is neither more nor less than any other citizen. These principles the Constitution applies in the provisions relative to the free access of all citizens to public functions, to the political liberty of civil servants and finally to their financial responsibility.