The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-12-03

" You were not intelligent enough for me
to take you into my confidence, and you
used come very bad language; but my
plans have all been carried out, and
cherish you no i'll will" Won Fretschke
10 known to every reader of German as q
brilliant political writer, but there is
something rather anomalous in his being
. parliamentariAn, for he is absolutely y
deaf. Besides the consequent indistinct
articulation, he stammers very badly, 90
that his delivery is about as outrageous as
one can imagine, and when he speaks he
has to use q fIiend's short hand manu-
script instead of his ears. Among many
others Herr Richter is specially worthy
of mention. Bismarck dep!ores him as
constitutionally in the opposition. and he
led the opposition in the Prussian LAndtag
last winter to the governmental project
of turning the state railroads over TO the
pire with such euccess that blsmarcS
appeared in person to carry his point.
This railroad matter is likely to be
main question before this session ef the
Reichstag. Prussia has offered to sell her
railroads to the empire. Should the offer
be accepted, the other state roads must in
time come under imperial control; and
while the ostens6le object ia mere bust
ness convenience, the particulatists cry
that il is part OF grand project of ceotra.
liEation. The jealousy of the empire is very
strong, especially in South Germany, where
it is associated with the supremacy of PTus-
s!a. \ BAvarian rarely forseis that his
dukes were great princes when Prassis vas
stll peopled by heatheu Wends, and thas
the house of Witte!slach was glorious when
that of HohenZolieIn owned but single
burg. Men dread TO see the individuality
of their states lost in the empire and their
Prisces sinking into mere social dignita7ies.
They say the empire has our armies, ap-
portions our taxes, and il the railroads are
sbol l- ha lafr
Another strong feeling likely to ind some
expression in the Reichstag is a desire
among man ufacturing classes for Protection.
The heresy claims several advocates among
the Radicals and Conservatives, and a
speech of Prince Bismarck's year ago,
the amount of comfort taken by
4 laboripg man when his pipe and comforts
we're directly taxed with that when the
burden was distributed out of sight by in
direct taxation, was thought TO foreshsdow
} change of policy. So, too, the sudden |
retirement of Herr Delbruckin the spring |
was considered another indication of the |
'ame sort, Delbruck being doctrindire and |
who succeeded him as Minister. |
iowever all this may be, there certainly |
loes exist q very great dissatisfaction |
Imong commercial classes, and the success !
al com petition of French and English goods |
as made the discussion of some sort OF
'rotectloa familiar. Curiously enough, the
ale of foreign goods is most often attribu-
I'd to a lack of patriotism among the Ger
mana. After the war a bureau was ipsti
uted in Berlin for the substitution of
iermau for French fashions, but most peo-
lie prefer the French still, and don't K now
nythng which more excites a middle
lass German than the uDpatriotic desire of
is wife and daughters to wear French
onnets and shoes. Travelling in the man
portions Of Saxony, just after the
.sipsic fair, of course got the extreme
xpresaion of these views, and in the cars,
t the hotels, in the stores. everywhere,
here was the same cry of hard times and
he necessity of having something done
bout it. And 1 once heard a commercial
raveller conclude long explanation of
he causes of the evils by saying: "The
German is au ass, and nobody can deny it
md he is an ass why Because he is q
monkey and must initiate. Whatever the
3uglishman or Frenchman wears he must
YEAR also. Even the Kaiser, great patriot
hat he ia, does not wear one particle of
German CLOTH