Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-14
PRUSSIA OUT OF LUCK.
Her Finances in a Bad Way and
No Means of Repairing Them.
THE WORST PROBABLY TO COME.
Depressing Effect of the EmperOr's Speech
to the Landtag.
THE COMING SOCIALISTS CONGRESS-
THE WORST PROBABLY TO COME.
THE COMING SOCIALISTS CONGRESS
rBY CABLE TO THE p1spkrcH.l =

white ROOM ol the royal paIace Is siiii Al
repair, and the Deputies, therefore, were OF
Wednesday crowded into the Rittersaal
The Emperor was in Stettin, attending the
swearing-in of naval recruits. He wa:
represented by Count Botho zu Gutenberg,
Prussian Minister President. Reporters
were not admitted to the room. But few
members of the Prussian Ministry were
present
Count Botho zu Gutenberg read the speech
from the throne. The speech, apparently,
was badly written, for the Minister Presi-
dent hesitated and repeated himself fire.
quently, and, altogether, made hardly
less painful impression than di0 the speech
itself The burden of the Emperor's words
was that Prusssan finances were depressed,
and reforms would be necessary to cor
rect the unsatisfactory condition of the
budget The speech forecast the increase
of the salaries among the teachers in the
common schools, but otherwise was calcu-
lated to give little hope to any person or
class OF persons in the kingdom.
Hard Time to Balance Accounts.
There seems to be little doubt that Prussia,
so long the model State of Europe from a
financial point of view, will now have con-
siderable difficulty in balancing her ac-
counts. The temporary expedient of loan
will not do much good, and, although
MiQuels property and income taxes will ac-
compllsh much eventually throngh the
growing wealth of the country, they are
hardly to be counted upon for relief for the
need of the immediate future.
The bad impression made by the speech
from the throne has been a boon to the
Richters and Rickerts and Liebknechts,
whose political Ii e consists in opposing
everything proposed by the Government
1t has also encouraged the Clericals and
conservatives to begin anew the campaign
AGAINST the military bill. The result is a
display of Righteousness and antagonism for
its own sake, such as only German politics
can provide.
The opinion grows that Count Won Caprivi
viii be unable. in the coming season of the
Reichstag, to swim against the stream, as he
once promised to do. just now he has the
leaders o all the parties and their manifold
group declaring against him that the mill
tarv bill is impossible; that its demands for
money are exorbltant, and that, even with an
extensive compromise, it is hopelessly in
the minority. Although these declarations
must be taken with grain of salt, as far as
the Conservatives and Clericals and many
OF the National Liberals are concerned,
there is little doubt that the imperial whip
must be swung vigorously before a coali-
tlon can be got together behind the bill.
An Embarrassment for the Government
The Government would be embarrassed
by seeking relief from its present predica-
ment in a new election by the popular hula
ballO raised against the bill by the Freisin-
nige and Social Democrats.
The Conservative Post has directed the
Governments attention to this state of
affairs without any mincing OF words. Such
an appeal to the country, the Post says, would
be fatal TO Caprivis plans. The Govern
ment recessed to believe that new Reich
stag would be more tractable than the pres
ent one. This assumption was q mistake.
knowledge of the details OF the bill had been
spread before the whole people since the
COeLniScfe ZeitItn0 had revealed the bill, and
hardly a national or local leader had spoken
a word in favor of the Governments atti-
tude. The enormous additional cost of the
bills provisions had already condemned it in
the opinions of the electors. Under the cir
cumstances, dissolution would be piece
of political fatuity.
Among the many other disagreeablc sur
prises for the Government in a Reichstag
chosen on the issue of the military bill would
bo larSe increase in the number OF Social
Democratic deputies.
MiqueIs property tax bill, intended to
complement his former tax bills, is less
radical than the Prussian capitalists had APP
pretended. The first step In his plan is
tax of marks on u capital of $500 marks.
The successive steps accord with every
capital increase OF 1000 marks, the added tax
for every step being mark.
The New Tax Very Unpopular.
Like the income tax, the new property tax
is TO be administered according to the SELL
assessment principle, but extra powers of
admin istratioa in certain cases are granted
TO collectors. Those latter provisions are
likely to make the new tax excessively I'M
popular. Bismarcks organ in Hamburg
even goes so lar as to maintain that they
render the tax unconstitutional, as the
Prussian constitution prohibits too close in
CuisitiOn into a persons private affairs.
The property subject to the proposed tax
will be real and personal property except-
ing real property outside of Prussia, the |
working capital in mines and a aericulture,
household furniture and household effects.
The amount of rateable property in Prussia |
liable to the tax, after eNempting the above
mentioned list and the capital under G 600 |
marks which remains free, is estimated to |
be 81 600 OO0 900 marks |
This tax, its adh@ents contend, has, like |
the income tax, the great advantages of |
growing rapidly from year to year with the |
counuy's prosperity and the treasury's |
needs and bearin" most heavily upon those |
best able to pay it. The bill is believed to |
have a good chance to pass without material |
alterations, despite the TACT that MIGUEL has |
never been very hopeful of it.
The exDected proposals OF the Imperial |
Government for new taxes within which to |
pave the way of the new military bill will |
hardly be so well received as has been |
MiqueI's property tax bill. The opposition |
to Caprivfs tobacco tax plan Increases /
daily.
A Protest Against Tobacco Growers.
Among the latest protests is one from the
manufacturers of Duisburg. who employ |
thousands OF men, and last year worked up /
between O,OUOOOV anu sVuOsVuJ pOunUS OF r6W
material. Their protest is especially strong
against the proposal OF German tobacco |
growers that the weight of the increased /
revenue should rest on the shoulders of the /
men handling imported tobacco. The i'm /
port duty on imported tobacco, they say, is |
already burdenseme enough, and if political |
reasons require more revenue from tobacco,
the domestic article should be made to bear
its fun share OF the new tax.
The Social Democratic Congress, to be
held here this week, casts already before it
Tv,4sa eriF
of the Executive Committee is publishing
notices OF motions which ~ ill be broug lit up
for discussion and vote. The tenor of many
motions already published indicates that
the perennial question of the Social DEM |
ocracy's attitude toward religion is to cause
fresh disturbance among the delegates, The
tide of opinion seems to be against the for
rer resolution TO the effect that Social |
Democrats religion is his private affair." and
several motions have already been proposed
tOcancel 1t. This would border closely upon
+bp old issue of the "Massenaustritt aus der
Landskirche."
II the advocates of infidelity fail of their
most radical purposes they will endeavor to
obtain from the Congress a pronunciamento |
against religion as far as it inter eres with
pducation and hinders the IiDerat ion of
mankind from economies and political
bondage.
Leaders Accused of Dishonesty.
The fight against the Executive Commit
tee is foreboded in several motions suggest
lnc lack of confidence in BeDel. Singer and
Iisbkuecht, who are accused of dishonesty |
in conducting the party press-especially |
tie central oraan, the PO7I0de'Js-0f nepot- |
ism and o. using the party machinery des- |
H. hair uln 1