Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-02
ANXIOUSLY WATCHED FOR
The Emperor of Germany Soon to
Strike His Key Note.
Special Reception TO Mr.. Phelps by
Empress Augusta.
Exercise of the Royal P~rerogative
Causes Intense Wonder.

DERLIN Lee. Zc.-tCOpYr1gnUe0 Dy the
New York Associated Press. Prince Bis
marck is under the weather. but he is ap-
parently not one of the victims of influenza.
His condition does not occasion any alarm
but he is III enough to compel him to give
up almost entirely an effort to transact his
official business and to prevent his pres
ence at the court New Years day. His
doctors oppose his desire to re-appear In
the reichstag and take part In the debate
on socialist law, or military credits, or any
subject likely to irritate him.
In responding to compliments at the
diplomatic reception on New Years day,
Emperor William will make a short
pacific declaration, the presumption being
that the royal and imperial word on this
occasion gives the keynote for Europe for a
year.
On Christmas evening there were as
sembled In the new palace only Prince and
Princess Leopold, of Prussia. The duke
and duchess of Saxe-M einingen are at
Potsdam. The illness of Princess Fedora,
their only child, prevented their attending
or's FIVE sons had a large Christmas tree
hall, the tree Of the emperor and empress
OC1IlSO n a UdDIC III lit ColtIt VI UI1t udI
The emperor passed the greater part of
c~oration of the trees and frolicking with
the children, and left the party to go to
the theater for Barney's revival of Ham
let." On Christmas day the emperor and
empress and grand duke and duchess Of
Baden dined with the Empress Augusta
and her family.
Tonight Empress Augusta gave a special
reception to Mr.. Phelps, United States
ministsr, in the presence of her full court.
The empress in the course of cordial con-
~versation with Mr.. Phelps, expressed her
life long interest in American politics and
her great desire that the people of the
United States should use their immense
resources always in the interest and peace
of the world.
All society is now intensely interested in
the coming fancy dressed ball which the
emperor is to give at Schloss, where every
one of the guests must appear III oriental
costume.
An exceedingly interesting discussion is
carried on in private life everywhere, and
not without much heat over the queer pro-
ceedings of the emperor in remitting the
fine of 400 marks inflicted upon DR.. Dach-
Ter, editor of the Staatsburger Zeitung, a
conservative sheet, which libelled Herr
Singer, the socialist. 1t attacked him Wig
orously because he posed publicly as a So
cialist and a friend of the people, while in
fact he is the head of a factory for making
women's cloaks and similar garments in
which the sweating" system is practiced
at the expense of many girls employed
by him. Dachler appealed to the
aN1,r4- a,a1 +1a .a1,+A, -r,1 aa-1oDa-a1 n-1
paid his fine in August, This fine was re-
turned by the emperor on Monday last.
Such use of the royal prerogative naturally
royal clemency has been restricted to state
cases. For the emperor to thus interfere
and to stand between justice and an ac-
cused person in a mere case of private
interest, is so plain a substitution of royal
caprice for the law of the land that every
body can understand it, and therefore
everybody is profoundly moved by it. The
journals cannot ignore the subject, but
they are obliged to touch it with the
greatest caution for fear of prosecution.
Liberals of all shades discuss it in private,
however, and it is a universal theme.
Nationalist regret the Incident as
it plays into the hands of progressionists
and socialists on the eve of election with
clear demonstration of gross abuse of
power. This incident will confirm the
national liberals in their inclination to
refuse to vote as it stands In the expulsion
clause of the socialist bill. This party
now proposes as a compromise that 1t will
vote for the expulsion clause if the appli-
cation of that clause is limited to the Soc
ialists provedt to be engaged in the con-
splracy against the state and if it shall
not apply to the mere advocacy
of socialism in the press or on
the rostrum. 1t is improbable
that Bismarck will accept this compromise
and in the Immediate political future it
will take shape from this as the starting
point. The liberal spirit of the national
liberal party, quickened by the Bachler in
cident, will make it impossible for that
party to yield on this expulsion clause.
Without this party it cannot be carried.
Prince Bismarck will therefore withdraw
the bill and dissolve the reichstag.
The exchange of views with the English
government regarding the decree of the
provisional government in Brazil concern
ing naturalization has caused Prince Bis
marck to abandon the intention to take
any immediate action. Recent dispatches
from Rio Janeiro have influenced England,
Germany and Italy to agree in ignoring
the naturalization decree and other irreg-
ular revolution leaders. The general con-
viction grows here that the new govern
ment is merely a military iunto, which is
unstable and will be swept away even be-
fore the date to which it has postponed
the elections. The fear of the srepubli-
can rising in Portugal is consequent upon
the extension there of the ferment origin
ating in Brazil is much less since the char
acter of the movement in Rio Janeiro has
been revealed. Advices received here from
Lisbon indicate in fact that the republican
propaganda there has been paralyzed by
the despotic doings in Rio J%aneiro, and
that there is a strong popular reaction in
favor of monarchy.
The epidemic is rapidly decreasing here
but is spreading in other places in Ger
many. The malady has very seriously af-
fected the Christmas trade. Vienna doe
tors say the disease has reached its climax
there.
A HORRIBLE DEATH.