Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-01
GERMANY.

Germany at the opening of the year had
not ceased to suffer from the effects of her
military success, but she has made some
progress toward prosperity, and would have
made more had not Prince Bismarck under
taken to cure existing evils by the patent
medicine of protective tariff. The new
fiscal policy which the Chancellor has in his
usual arbitrary way thrust down the throat
of his country is as unscientific and bad as
it could possibly be. 1t cannot produce other
than evil results, and it will not take many
months to develop its mischievous lmpllca-
tions. The tariff which has been enacted
lays heavy imposts upon articles of food, ano
its first consequence therefore must be to make
living more costly to the masses. The re-
Gently published Consular reportson workan
wages in Europe, however, prove conclusively
that the peasants and laborers of Germany
are already on as economical a diet as will
maintain life, and to raise the cost of corn
and beef to such a population is to produce a
famine. Already in Silesia, for which
Frederic the Great paid so dearly in blood
and treasure, actual famine has occurred, and
Bismarck's tariff will assuredly operate to
disseminate rather than to check it. 1t IS the
more singular that the Chancellor should have
decided upon SO strangely anti popular fiscal
policy. because no man knows better the
Importance of conciliating the masses from
which all the recruits to Socialism are drawn.
For although he has obtained'the authority
to exercise a police power of the most sweep
ing and arbitrary character, for two years.
Bismarck must be perfectly well aware that
coercion can only drive Socialism from the
surface, ard cannot extirpate it from the body
polite The only way to do that is to re-
move all causes of complaint, and the IN
crease of the price of food has always consti-
tuted the most prolific source OF sedltion and
discomfort. The tariff is therefore certain in
the end to produce the worst effects, and
whatever it may seem to do for the moment
towards building up German manufactures
will be more than counterbalanced by its
pauperizing influence upon the masses. The
contest with the Papacy has somewhat Ian
RulSHeu SluCS Tile utdGll VI ltS dLitA ~ llA''
been made apparent more than ever
that if it were not for the Jesuits
the Vatican and the Empire would ere
now have found common standing ground.
The utter Indifference to consistency which
characterizes Bismarck's action when he has
point to make, and which leads him to
discard his friends and take his enemies to
his arms, awakened in she Ultramontanes
hope that they might after all be able to pro-
cure the repeal of the Falk laws. Bismarck,
however, has never had any real intention of
going to Canossa. He wanted the Ultra
montanes, and he therefore used them, but
he did not mean to make any concessions to
Rome, and he has not done so. So long as he
is Chancellor the State will control the
Church Of that there can be no doubt and
it is equally impossible to imagine the reten-
ton in Germany of the Catholic ascendancy
in any form. 1t has been outlived, and the
people could not, if they wanted to, 20 back
to it. AS regards foreign feeling, Germany
has for the last year been turning the cold
shoulder to Russia. 1t is indeed almost GER
tain that Bismarck desired to quarrel with
the Gar, but that the Emperor Williams
regard for his nephew overcame the Chancel-
lor's policy AS the next best course he has
steadily snubbed Russia, and given encourage
ment to the belief that Germany and Austria
have formed close alliance This no doubt
is true, but Bismarck does not probably in
tend that Austria shall derive much ad
vantage from the arrangement. The con-
solidation Of the German Empire is his am
bition, and to effect this he is willing to
trample all Europe under foot. Much re-
mains to be done before the great work can
be considered firm and solid, and Bismarck
must be approaching the end of his career.
In his efforts to make policy which will
solidify the empire he is curiously Indifferent
to the movements of that democratic spirit
which is working so subtly all over Europe in
these days, and it is possible that this spirit
may arise when he is gone to undo his handi
work, and to prove once more that policy of
repression never settles anything, but only
postpones, and in so doing intensities, the ex-
plosion of popular will and passion.