The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-24
THE GERMAN ARMY
The Emperor Will Prevent Re.
duoed Fighting Foros,
TIE NECESSITY FOR A BIG PoROE

Germany Must Be Prepared TO De.
fend Herself Against 10th Russia
and France, and to That END Law.
fish Outlnys foi the Army VIII BE
Insisted Upon.
BERLIN, Aug. 24-N Ia announced
semi officially that the emperor's speech
at the Emperor Franz Joseph banquet
has been misquoted and distorted, and
that the declaration that he has been
credited with making against Caprivi's
military bill was only conditional one.
What the emperor really said was that
s'the German people could not expect to
have the service term reduced to two
years unless they were willing to pay
for it. The numerical increase of the
army in accordance with the two year
service plan must be accompanied by
increase OF appropriations, otherwise
the efficiency OF the army would be i'm
paired. Ii the people refused to grant
such an increase the emperor's prefer
ence was for an army of the present
size, rather than for one with more men,
yet with inferior equipment and dis
cipline.
The speech as thus interpreted is
merely warning to the cheese pairing
freissinnig and Social Democrats
that their eagerness for saving money
at the expense of the army will not be
tolerated by the government in the next
session of the reiohstag. The emperor,
moreover, ia said to have acknowledged
explicitly that the two year term was
the basis of the new bill, as has been
generally understood.
All Must Bear Arms.
The principle of the new army bill,
round which the combat of political
parties is gathering, is the scharnhorst
principle, that the whole people must
bear weapons. The bill was conceived
by the emperor's advisers, notably Count
Caprivi, in view of the threatening atti-
tude of the dual alliance. Both William
and his chancellor are agreed that Ger
many must in her next war fight armies
on her eastern and western frontier. AS
with tho new rifles the loss of life will
be at least 40 per cent. higher than in
former wars, the present reserves of the
German army would not suffice for con-
tipuing for any length Of time this
double fight against France and Russia.
Only by putting under arms every avail
able man in the empire could Germany
- AuAbV VuOhhh LcScANo W TO-
oruit simultaneously force fighting
Russia and force fighting France.
The increase of the appropriations
contemplated BY the now bill is said
NOW to have been greatly underesti-
mated, the lowest possible figure being
100. 600, ,0G0 marks. The government, it
Is said, proposes to raise this sum by
adopting the English tobacco tax system
and colleetinga high tariff at custom
houses, while forbidding tobacco cul-
ture In Germany. This will necessitate,
however, the indemnifcation of q, 900
tobacco growers in Germany, and will
excite as widespread opposition as
would an increase of the beer tax, as
the lower and middle classes are almost
unanimously for cheap liquor and to-
bacco. The Independents, Social Dem
ocrats and National Liberals are Bit
tsrly opposed to both Of the proposed
taxes, and 10 waste them especially that
the emperor addressed his warning at
the banquet as regards cheese pairing
plans for the army.