The people express themselves not only on the text of a law. They are also the great political judges, the supreme arbiters to whom must be submitted all difficulties of vital importance to the nation. The people give to the organs chosen by them the right to legislate and to govern; but if a discord arises between these organs or if these organs once nominated do not bend to the people’s will, they intervene themselves on the appeal of one of the organs or of their own accord. 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. * * * * * First, then, discord may arise between the organs of national representation. Being given a multiplicity of these organs the issues in which the people is thus appealed to for intervention may be of several kinds. (1) The conflict may arise between two legislative chambers of the Reich. If the Reichstag and the Reichsrat cannot agree on the text of a law, the President of the Reich may or must, according to circumstances, order the text to be submitted to a popular referendum. The conditions under which this referendum is to take place are different according to whether the law in question is a constitutional one or an ordinary law. If the law in question is to be an amendment of the Constitution, the presupposition is, that (Article 76) this change has been passed by the Reichstag and objected to by the Reichsrat. If the Reichstag does not yield to this objection and persists in its first decision, or if it modifies it but in a manner not entirely conforming to the exigencies of the Reichsrat, the latter may demand a referendum and the President must order it. If, on the other hand, it is an ordinary law that is in question, the presupposition is again that the Reichsrat has objected to a law voted by the Reichstag and that the latter disregards this objection. The President in such a case is allowed to decide whether the situation remains as it is--that is to say, that the projected law fails of enactment; or, that the difficulty between the two Assemblies shall be submitted to a referendum. It must be noted besides that these matters referred for referendum to the people must be limited to the divergencies arising between the two assemblies, and that the people pronounce for either the text of one assembly or that of the other. If, however, the Reichstag has rallied a majority of two-thirds against the objection raised by the Reichsrat the choice on the part of the President is thereby limited. He can only either promulgate or publish the law, or refer it to the people. (2) The conflict may arise between Parliament and the President; and this may present two quite different aspects.