Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-15
ARMY BILL PASSED.
Chancellor Won Caprivi Has a
Majority of l6.
LEADING POINTS OF THE MEASURE.
The Government Gains Five Over
the First Vote.
HOW THE MEMBERS DIVIDED.

BERLIN, July 15.-Ths army bill was passed
by the reichstag this afternoon by Q majority Of
sixteen, the vote standing 20l in favor Of the
measure to 1856 against 1t.
The army bill was placed on its fnal passage
at 2:l5 o clock this afternoon.
CLOSING THE DEBATE.
Count Won Der Decken, q leader Of the
uelph, made a strong speech against the meas
ure, basing his objections to IT on the
theory that it wonld have the same deplorsble
consequences that followed the war Of 1866 be-
tween Hanover and Prussia, when, he declared,
the legitimist feeling Of great section OF Ger
many had been violated. The government was
doing the same thing now
Such a bill the present could not and
should not be passed at the demand Of a gov
eminent that had not yet won the confidence Of
the country, end which was weak even IN the
countenance Of its supporters.
Herr Bebe,. leader Of the social democrats,
in speech that occupied twenty minutes in
its delivery. defended the French power, or at
least section Of them, against the insinua-
tions that had been made to the effect
that they were the cause OF the govern
ment's wanting an increased military force. 1t
was not the French workinQmen, he sand, who
were aggressive. 1t was only the bourgeoise
who entertained the desire for revenge against
Germany. The continued demands for
increases in the German army were caused
solely by the annexation Of Alsace-Lorraine. II
Germany should be threatened with invasion
by a foreign power it would be the German
workingmen, who are socialists, who would de-
fend the soil, and not the rotten bourgeoise Of
Germany.
Herr Won Ksrdof, a reichspartie leader, sup
ported the bill in q speech in which he declared
that the measure was demanded TO strengthen
the agrarian population in order to stop social
ist inroads.
Nine other members spoke for and against
the measure, and the final vote was then
taken.
The bill was adopted by . majority slightly
larger than that given Yesterday on its first
reading.
On the first reading the governments ma
jority was eleven. Today II was sixteen.
After the bill had finally been adopted the
reichstag was declared closed
According to the original bill the peace foot
ing, excluding commissioned officers and non
commissioned officers above the rank Of cor
poral, WAS to have consisted of 492, ,00s men be-
tween October ], 1892 and March 81, 1899.
The strength Of the various branches Of the
service during the period mentioned was to
have been I'll battalions OF infantry, z17 squad
rons Of cavalry. 4s4 batteries Of field artillery,
81 battalions of foot artillery, "a battalions OF
pioneers, battalions Of railway troops and 2l
battalions Of the transport.
The average strength Of the standing army
| was calculated in accordance with the principle
| of two years active service with the colon FOR
| the infantry.
The increase involved the expenditure of
sc. 500, 600 marks in q lump sum. OF this
| sum 81, ,000, 900 was to have appeared in
the budget for the financial year ls9S's4
The annually recurring expenditure was
| fixed at 81 900 600 marks. When the new sys-
tenn should have been fully developed Germany
would have in times Of war Q trained army Of
4, 400 900 men.
These proposals did not meet with the ap-
proval of the House, and in attempting to 80
fix the measure that 1t would be accept
able to the reichstag the government
accepted the suggestion Of Freiherr
Won Huene and incorporated in the bill, with
drawing its own demands on the points
" bich the compromise was effected.
The suggestion of Freiherr Won Huene was
thst the peace force should be increased by
$4,000 men at once, and in the course
of the next three years should be raised
gradually until 10000 men, practically the full
number demanded, should be added TO the
standing army.
1t was also suggested that the sixty batteries
of field artillery should have four instead Of six
| guns-each-
The bill as thus amended had been rejected.
| the reichstag dissolved, new elections called
| and the government submitted to the new
| house a measure that. in its detail. was prsc-
tcally the old Huene compromise bill.
In the vote on the first reading Of the bill the
members declared themselves thus;
For the bill: is Poles, Is radical unionists, 10
anti-semites. 50 national liberals, q free con-
servatives, 6s separstives, clericals and in
dependents; total. l9S.
Against the bill: Ninety-one clericals, IS So
cial democrats, 8 Alsatiaus, % Richter radi-
Gals, 10 South German democrats, L Guelphs
and 8 independents. Total, l67.