The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1891-09-10
A FORTHELAWMAKER
THE GERMAN BARON'S DIFFERING
POINTS OF VIEW.

Him Into Trouble he Was a Strong
Advocate of the Law, but Didn't ThinI
It Applied to His Case.
Freiherr Marschall Won Bieberstein,
the yiate secretary for foreign affairs,
who accompanied his imperial master.
the German emperor, On his trip to
Great Britain, while a member of the
reichstag in 1873 very unexpectedly
found himself in an embarrassing situa-
ton, as a result Of his activity in.secur-
ing the passage of a law relating chiefly
to the Jews, the story Of which was re-
lated yesterday by Mr.. Moses Open
heimer, of 3S Broadway.
Il have met the baron many a time"
said Mr.. Oppenheimer, Eat the Mann
helm Chess club, Of which we both were
members. He is an ambitious man,
and was much pleased when he was, in
1878, elected to the reichstag, the first
ultra-C Conservative member that had OBJ
tanned a victory in Baden. He was very
active in the German parliament, being
of the brightest, as we'll as the most
aggressive, men in that rather dull CON
glomerate, the ultra-Conservative party.
His prominent participation in the enact
ment Of the antiusury law resulted in 4
rather funny complication.
q happened to know personally the
other actor in the story, and | have my
information directly from him. His
name was Louis Altheimer, a well-to-do
Hebrew residing in Mannheim and liv-
ing on the proceeds of a snug fortune
which he had amassed in his youth in
the United States.
CALLED THEM B"LOODSUCKERS.
'AIthelmers speciality was to lend
money to officers of the army, to officials
and others of that class of society on
their promissory notes. His regular
charge was IL per cent per annum. He
would. of course, accommodate only
people who seemed to be good pay. AS
a rule he would extend the. note from
time to time IN payment of the interest,
provided he had no fear Of suffering a
loss.
''In those days Baron MarschaIIs ia
Their was yet alive and in possession of
his moderate estate. The young prose
cutting attorney had to get along in the |
main on his rather modest salary. He
managed it pretty we'll until he had
some trouble with a young woman. It
would never do for the rising young
courtier and conservative statesman to
have the scandal made public, and to
hush it up about 5000 marks in cash
was absolutely required. The baron en-
tered into negotiations with Mr.. Alt
helmer and secured the loan of his note.
The interest was paid promptly, and the
little hill wac Qvtan1o1 cov-oro1 411ooo
without any difficulty.
"ln advocating the antiusury bill in
the reichstag Baron Marschall delivered
a vehement speech against blood suck
ing usurers, especially those of Hebrew
descent. The law as passed, largely
owing to Marschall's persistency, was
exceedingly vague in it's provisions, leav-
ing it practically to the discretion of the
courts to say whether in any given case
the taking of more than 6 per cent. was
criminal usury, punishable by impris-
onment at hard labor and by fines.
WOULD O RENEW,
The session of the reichstag closed;
the baron returned to Mannheim and re-
sumed the duties of his office. Mean
while his note for 5000 marks, held bv
Mr.. Altheimer, was soon to fall due. The
baron wrote a note to his creditor, ask
ing him to call and arrange for an extern
sion OF time under the usual conditions.
replied briefly in writing that
the new ~antiusury law he did not
feel safe in continuing to lend money in
his former way, and therefore proposed
to go into some other business, where
his capital would yield him legitimate
He notified the baron that the !
note would be presented for collection.
This turn of affairs was embarrassing
for the young statesman. He wrote
again to MI. Altheimer, saying that the
lsury act was never intended for cases
ike his, and could not apply to their re-
He urged a renewal of the note I
Is a perfectly safe and sensible transac- ]
ion. 7
"a reply soon came from the Hebrew, I
acknowledging the baron's good inten- I
ions as we'll as his legal acumen but at /
he same time pointing to the fact that +
he Interpretation of the law was left !
to the courts. 9
"'Under those circumstances Alt
leilner continued, Il do not feel dis
posed to put my neck into the halter. e
renew your note. You have been U
accommodated so far by one of the
abused Hebrew usurers at his s
terms. Your popularity and your b
position will probably induce some of C
our Christian friends to lend you the '
mount without security on perfectly '
egal interest l.
MI. Althelmer's note, it is needless
o add, was promptly paid. Marschan :.
subsequently became the diplomatic rep Il
esentative of the grand duke of Baden l
It Berlin, and still later he was appoint
q under secretary of state in the for
ign Office, filling the place formerly oc-
upied by Count Herbert Bismarck
(ew York Sun.