New-York tribune., 1879-04-28
brought up with q round turn. What do they
propose to do nextf
BIsYARCK'S NEW POLICY.

BISHARCK'S NEW POLICY.
A revolution has been planned in Ger
many this Spring but 1t Is movement
without anarchical tendencies. 1t Is
commercial revolution, and the leader Is Ine
iron-harsded Chancellor, who has made
the Fatherland the first of military nations,
and vet has failed to crown her years oi
united action with economic prosperity. WIN
consummate tact he has succeeded i'll divert
ing public attention from the Socialist craze
the obnoxious Force bill and the futile at
tempt to gag a Parliament elected by univer-
sal suffrage; and by bringing the CUSTOMS
controversy into the foreground OF poh'ics
has given all classes something new to think anu
talk about. If disappointment, dlstrust ana rest
lessness have prevailed since 1874, IL Is De-
cause the burdens of the worlds economic
laws have fallen upon this victorious nation
and weighed it down to the earth. raui-
cal change of policy from Free trade 10
Protection offers the people a promise OF re-
lief, and checks, temporarily at least, the
spread Of disaifection.
The Parliament which resumes its sessions
to-day will be put in possession OF the new
Tariff Act. 1t has been prepared by speciai
commission as a. revenue tariff Dut Is Ill
reality q protective tariff, albeit so hastily
drawn as to be crude and ill-proDortioned.
The Bundesrath, which exercises the 1uhc-
tions of privy council rather thah
those of a Senate, approved the measure
without undertaking the work OF revision.
The draft has been published and all the
commercial boards and branches of trade
have discussed it. The Chancellor himself
Al. t,Ifh aho a. p
istic energy and shrewdness. lie has recently
suffered Parliamentary defeat in the reJec-
tion of the GaggIng bill; and although such
reverses cause him no embarrassment mas
much as he holds his Office by the VIII OF his
sovereign and not at the pleasure OF the
Reichstag, it is more comfortable Tor the
Chancellor to have n majority behind than III
front of him. He is bent upon securing the pas
sage of this Tariff Act. During the last two
months economic questions have been DIS
cussed at every social gathering i'll his palace,
and although the party which has uniformly
controlled the Reichstag since 1871 is fully
committed TO free trade, so many converts
have been made that the adoption of the new
policy is now considered certain. The Cham
&C lor has even gone so far rs to have long
conference with Herr Windthorst, the leader
of the Centre, who hss bitterly opposed him,
not Onlv in ecclesif ,rcal mates, but even III
the reDressige measures aga ~ the Soc allsts
to which the Liberal factions gave their as
sent. Th, Centre is re rtl' mainly from
lhe rpral district. and l. Ia, ally in sympathy
with the High Tariff no. ement, inaSruch
as agricultural product, ar named h. the
schedules. The prospect is that t., Con-
servatives will be reinforced by many National
liberals and Catholics, and that the Chancel-
lor will be suffered to have his own way.
Americans cannot complain if the success of
their National policy induces other countries
to follow their example. There has not been
year when the Chancellor has not been at
his Wits end to make both ends meet and
owing 70 the burdens of the military estab-
lishment the deficits have steadily increased.
He now has recourse TO q high tariff, and ex-
poets not only to swell the revenue receipts,
but to stimulate home industries. What the
Fatherland has needed more than anything
else is "a comprehensive commercial policy
that will enable the physical and intellectual
forces which triumphed in war TO work out
their ends in an era of peace. Certainly moth
ing could be more oppOrtune than the advo-
cacy of this economic policy at a time when
the country is suffering from a sense of COM
presslon caused by the rigid and ye1ati0us
enforcement of the Socialist law, and when
the Northern Empire is honeyconitcd with
revolutionary societies.