The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-06
REICHSTAG IMMUNITIES.
THE GOVERNMENT BILL LOOKING
TO TaEIR CURrAILMENr.


Dsnounce the Bill ss an Infraction of
the Constitution-The Bill Referred
to Committee - Germany's New
Treaties - The Speech to the Re
cruits.
Copyright 1891, bV the N. Y. Associated Press)
BERLIN, Dec. 5.-The Reichstag has been
discussing the government bill providing
that the immunities enjoyed by members OF
that body from arrest or Imprisonment shall
be suspended when an adjournment OF the
Reichstag exceeds thirty days. Herr Won
Boetticher, secretary OF the imperial home
office and representative of the
chancellor, asked the house either to
adopt or reject the bill at once, adding that
If it was rejected the government would be
precluded from protecting the members of
the Reichstag from the proceedings taken
against them In the law courts. The
freisInnige and socialist members of the
Reichstag denounced the bill as an in
fraction of the constitution, in that 1t
placed the. minority at the mercy of the
government Off cials
SECUTED AS ABSURD.
Herr Won Boetticher's notion of govern
ment protection was secuted as absurd
They claimed that IL tho members of the
Reichstag required protection against
wauton arrest it ought to be accorded as q
constitutional right continuous through
the period Of their member
ship. The free conservatives
and centrist speakers supported a motion to
refer the bill to a committee with iustruc-
tions to report as to how the question
might be settled without abuse of parlia-
mentary immunities. Notwithstanding the
opposition OF the government, the bill was
referred to committee OF fourteen.
THE NEW TREATIES.
On Tuesday next Chancellor Won Caprivi
will introduce In the Reichstag the treaties
of commerce recently negotiated with Aus
tria and Switzerland. Although the Reich
sdnzetger is expected TO publish the text Of
the treaties In an extra blatt tomorrow, the
exact nature OF the arrangements has not
as yet been revealed. The chancellor
gave his first parliamentary dinner
on Thursday last. The treaties were the
chief subject Of conversation. The chan
cellor. however, refused to give any infor-
nation regarding their terms. Beyond
humorous predictions thateverybody would
lind something to like in them, he declined
to speak. He privately informed several
members who were his guests that urgency
would be demanded by the government
for the debate to decide the tariff
proposals. He declared that be
would oppose sending the treaties,
to committee, as the plans
of the government forbade protraoted
delay in acceptance Of the treaties Since
the dinner the, talk in the lobby Of the
Reichstag shows that a majority of the
members are determined to send the treaties
to a committee, il for no other
reason than to hear Chancellor Won Capriyi
1iya for hia OfaI
which he could not reveal in the open sit
ting OF the House. Although the full details
of the treaties have not been made public 1t
is known that they determine the tariff
for the next twelve years. They modify
Prince Bismarck's protective system, which
has been in existence since 1879. They fix
the maximum tariff, but leave the governs
ment elastic powers In regard 60 minimum
duties. Publication Of the details Is
awaited with excited interest.
THE SPEECH TO THE RECRUITS.
The silence Of the ReichsdnSeiger, which
Is the government organ, in regard Co the
emperor's supposed speech to the recruits at
Potsdam, In which he is alleged to have
said that the soldiers belonged to him, body
ana soul, is taken to confirm the truth of
the report, which first appeared In an
obscure paper, the Neiszapresse, to
which 1t was communicated by one OF
the recruits. Semi-offlcial papers at first
vaguely asserted that the words of the en-
peror had been distorted. Now the ultra
conservative press, Post, Kreuz Zeitltnq
and other papers of that class defend the
imperial language as expressing the extent
of the allegiance the soldiers owe the en-
peror through their Oaths. Apart from the
ultra-conservatives, general anxiety is ex-
pressed because of the despotic tendency
shown by the emperor in his recent ut
terances. The liberal organs demandIthat
public denial be made Of the words attri-
buted to his majesty. Prof. Derbruck, who
for a long time was tutor in the family
OF the late Emperor Frederick, has
written that the words the emperor
inscribed in the Munich register and the
general tone of the address made on that
occasion constitute danger that cannot be
overlooked. Every class of the community
and all parties in the state are anxiously
excited over the emperor's urterances. The
public. the professor says, must feel az
though they had received something IN the
nature Of an insult.
BERLIN's MORALITY.
The evangelistic synod had a protracted
and earnest debate on the emperors recent
rescript in regard to immortality. The synod
unanimously protested against licensing
women of the town or houses Of Ill repute.
1t recommended severe censorship Of the
theaters and popular literature. 1t also
decided to petition the government
to forbid the employment of women in beer
shops. The present censorship is not to be
blamed for LACK of severity in connection
with the drama A play being performed
at the Lessing theater had passages sup
pressed after it had been running month,
because the chief of police found that the
dialogue alluded TO disbelief In i'm
mortality. The Berlin medical council
discussed the immortality rescript In diff
ferent spirit from that displayed by the
synod. A majority Of the doctors ad 70
Gated the licensing Of women and regua-
ton of their houses. Finally the council
formed commission Of inquiry into pros
titution, and the burgomaster and chief of
police were invited to assist in the investi-
cation.
Herr Wermuth, the imperial commits
sioner to the Chicago Columbian exposition,
has returned from his tour in the south of
Germany. He says the success OF the Ger
man part Of the fair is assured. Manufsct.
urers and artists are all eager to make a
good show.
Dom Pedro's Obsequies.
n. Ty