Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-25
HARD TIMES IN GERMANY.
Dullest Christmas Season
Ever Known.
Extreme Suffering Among the
LOwly Poor.
The Middle Glasses Forced to FOrego
Their Usual Fare.
Cholera Expected to Become Epidemic
in tine Spring-Persecution OF
the Jews Continued-The
Army Bill, Etc.

By the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Dec. 24.-The stagnation o.
business here as we'll as the sloppy
weather preceding Christmas, usually
characterized by hustle in business, is
about the dullest within the memory oi
the oldest resident. According to shop.
keepers, holiday sales were never before
90 small. The curse of hard times pre-.
walls. The wealthier classes appear to
be affected by the depression, and where
heretofore they have spent money
freely, this year they have made only
limited purchases. The people of the
middle classes, who are usually the
best Of customers during the festive
period, have bought only cheap trifles,
and workingmen, with little or no
money, are obliged to do without their
small share of Christmas fare.
GLOOMY OUTLOOK.
The outlook for improvement in any
branch Of trade is exceedingly gloomy.
Commercial and financial circles take a
pessimistic view Of the situation. Oper-
ators on the bourse have lost their
usual daring, and now enter into specu-
lations with timidity foreign to their
natures. Bourse transactions are over
shadowed by fears OF a political convul-.
sion in France, and disturbed by the
condition OF home affairs arising from
the army bill.
The Socialist papers have seized
upon the occasion to comment upon the
misery that is prevailing among the
working classes. Vorwaerts publishes
Christmas article, in which it expsti-
ates upon the frightful suferings Of the
poor throughout Germany. The paper
says that while there is plenty of care
fully nourished game in the forests and
in the domains of the aristocrats, work,
ingmen are allowed to die of hunger.
Though the article is written in the cus-
tomarN style of Socialist texaggeration, it
has large basis OF fact.
THE CHOLERA SITUATION.
The reappearance of cholera at Ham
burg has caused the authorities to order
a renewal of the precautions heretofore
taken to check the spread of the disease.
daily reports regarding the cholera be
and the extraordinary low water in the
Elbe are claimed to have assisted in the
present outbreak. A discussion held by
the German hygienic society on the
subject elected the concurrent opinion
from experts that there will be another
outbreak in the spring. News from St.
Petersburg states that the Russian gov
ernment has summoned congress of
800 doctors which will sit for eight days
and will prepare report on the meas
ures to be adopted to meet the expected
re.occurrence of the epidemic in the
Russian dominions.
CONTINUED JEW. BATTING.
The Friessinnige papers continue
their attacks upon the Jews. The
statement is made that in 1856 Scher-
ing's chemical factory supplied the
French government large quantities of
prussic acid, and when informed of the
fact Prince Bismarck said: go on;
take all the money you possibly can out
of the French" Despite this knowl-
edge, however, the Conservative and
Catholic papers do not abate their in
citing of the people against the Jews,
owing to the fact that Herr Loewe, who
happens to be q Hebrew, admits that
he offered, through General Boulanger,
when French minister of war, to supply
France with plant necessary to manu-
facure Lebel rifles.
The Staatsburger Zeitung, recalling
the saying of the king of Prussia in re-
gard to Meyerbeer's opera, The Huge
nots, where Catholics and Protestants
cut each others throats, while Jew
supplies the music, adds: "a war is
near in which the people of Europe will
massacre each other, Jews supplying the
arms"
This stuff, to use an intelligent ex-
preston, helps to keep popular preju-
dices inf1amed.
PROSPECTS OF THE ARMY BILL.
Chancellor Won Caprivi's organs reit-
crate that the army bill will be passed
intact or the reichstag be dissolved.
This menace is the strongest weapon of
the government. Many members of the
reichstag are quaking at the prospect of
a general election, through which the
Socialists and members of the Friesin-
nige parties alone are likely to benefit.
The members of the government cir
cles attach little importance to the ru-
mors of the formation of new party to
be composed of the adherents of Prince
Bismarck.
The Strasser Post, in an article in
spired by the foreign Office. deplores the
approaching resignation of Hon. William
Walter Phelps, American minister to
Germany.
The Langtry Out OF Danger.