The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-07
THE CHANCELLOR WILL RESIGN.
Emperor William Dissolves Reichstag
and Orders New Elections.
The Debate ON the Bill-von Bennigssn
Thanked BY the e.Emperor-Count Won
Eulenburg May Succeed Caprivi -
Reception to Ambassador Eustis.

210 against the bill to 1852 in favor of it. The
rescript signed by the kaiser, ,dissolving the
reichstag. was Immediately promulgated
and the reichstag is dissolved. The So
cial Democratic members displayed the
widest enthusiasm over the result. giving
cheer after cheer, and great confusion and
uproar prevailed. Public excitement 10 at
the highest pitch in Berlin. The new
elections are set for June Is, and the new
session will open within ninety days.
Chancellor Caprivi has gone to Pottsdam
to offer his resignation to the kaiser. The
kaiser has summoned Count Won Eulen-
burg, the Prussian premier, to Pottsdam.
Eulenburg took the place of Caprivi. who
resigned that office owing to the decision
of the kaiser to withdraw the educational
bill from the Prussi1n landtag.
The result of the vote on the army bill
caused no surprise to the government.
Caprivi attempted last evening to rally
the wavering members to the support of
the measure by offering to reduce the
peace effective even. below the number
proposed in the amendment offered by
Won Huene. The offer, however, did not
gain, single vote. The last attempts at
compromise having failed, Caprivi re.
fusing to sanction the proposition to make
the two years. active service permanent,
the kaiser became impatient of further
delay, and was prepared for decision by
the reichstag today. Hence the vote was
taken at once. instead of being postponed
until Monday. The failure of the army
bill makes it necessary for the kaiser to
defer for the present his projected reforms
OF higher military commands and of posts
in the war office.
Tho most striking feature of the closing
debate was the resurgence of the anti
Prussian sentiment. especially from the
speakers Of the Center party. DR. Lieber,
after attacking Caprivi for having, as he
put it, resorted to the worst form of Bis
MARKHAM methods to secure the passage
of the bill, said:
The Centrist party fights today against the
ambitions of q centraliztng Cesarism. We pro-
test against militarism which translates itself
in persistent endeavors to extend the principles
of the Prussian state in tho domain of i'm.
peral legislation. In the interests of the en-
pire we demand that the Prussian policy be
confined to the Prussian diet, while the German
prevail In the reichstag.
NeitherCaprivin nor Manteuffsl attempted
to respond to this attack. The speakers for
the government side simply ignored the
expressions Of anti Prussian sentiment.
The chancellor commented vaguely upon
the democratic tendencies recently devel-
oping among the Centrists, and continued: !:
The policy now pursued by that party had its
inspiration In the Vatican, which was
now influencing republican France and trying
to draw the whole Catholic world in the same
direction. The German government had hither-
to appreciated the support of tie Center party
on the social questions. but it had now learned
a lesson. The Center party was Catholic first
and German afterward. The party stood ready
to commit itself to whatever democratic evolu-
ton foreign influences might choose to dictate
DR.. Won Bennigsen, leader Of the Ma
tional-Liberals, gave a moderate tone to
the debate in long speech urging the &C.
ceptance of concessions offered by the
government. He said:,
He depiored the inability of the reichstag to
sink party difficulties in the face of questions
involving the external safety of tho empire and
its prestige abroad. 1t was bad contrast to the
parliamentary lifeOf other countries, not alone
England. where the most violent party antag-
onism never initiated against the continuity Of
the imperial policy.
Emperor William has sent Bennigsen
special thanks for the tone of his speech.
Hurriedly convened meetings are being
held in Berlin and other populous centers
tonight. The promptness with which the
reichstag dissolved Immediately after the
defeat Of the government was announced,
has taken everybody by surprise. The
Social Demo ocratic leaders alone are ready
for an electoral campaign. Bebel, Singer
and Liebknecht wal leave Berlin tomor-
row and begin at once to stump the coun-
try in behalf Of the Socialist candidates.
In every district in which Socialists have
a fighting chance, candidates will be nom-
mated, and the party expects with reason
to have increased representation in the
next reichstag.
The emperor will not allow the dissolu-
ton of the reichstag to interfere with the
programme Of his coming tour.