New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-04
TIE GERMAN CAMPAIGN.
DIR. GEFFCKEN DISCUSSES THE ISSUE ON
WHICH IT IS FOUGHT

promise the Military bill, to which. at last the
Government acceded has been dissolved. and
that the elections will take place on June U.s.
The malignant joy with which the French press
has hailed this event defeat Of Germany
herself is totally unfounded The military
strength of the Empire remains exactly the same
as heretofore. 1t is a purely internal question
between the Government and the people as rep
resented by their delegates. However. this re-
suit of the long parliamentary struggle Is Ger
tainly to be regretted. for it throws the whole
people into a fierce electoral agitation on ques-
tion which appeals 10 the passions. and which Is
at the same time so intricate and technical that
the masses with whom the decision lies, can
scarcely appreciate it.
The Government cannot be absolved from tho
reproach Of having managed the analr WIN
little skill. In autumn last the Emperor de-
clared in a military circle that he preferred
smaller but we'll disciplined army to large
less disciplined mass Yet he assented TO General
Caprivi's bill. which proposed to reduce the
service Of three years to two. but as neces-
sary compensation asked an increase Of the army
by 1884 men. II must be recoected that tho
reduction of service formed the principal point
in the constitutional conflict of 1S60-ls66. Tho
Prussian House Of Deputies demanded that tho
two years service. which had. de facto, existed
William insisted that three years were neces-
sary for forming a good soldier. and carried his
will After the victorious campaigns OF 1866 and
1870 the three years service was no more con-
tested and passed into the constitution OF the
Empire However, the reduction to two years
remained demand Of the Liberal party, ana III
the Military bill of last autumn was de facto
accepted by the Government But they con-
tended that. as q necessary complement OF TINS
concession, a large increase Of the army was aD-
solutely necessary. This was not confessed py
any party in the Reichstag, the Social'Dcmocrats
excepted. The only question was how large tno
increase must be in order to MAINTAIN the luu
fighting force of the army.
The bill, therefore, contained first principe.
this introduction Of the two years service ana
after the Government had yielded this point, which
hitherto they had steadily impugned, there was
unanimity on it, The only question was whether
this reduction was to be introduced into the con-
stitution, or whether it was to be enacted oy
law fixing it for a certain period. But TINS dii-
ference could never have formed sufficient mo-
tive for dissovng the Reichstag. The Govern.
ment themselves having accepted the two years
service, they could not object to fix it legally In
some way subject to altering it if in the future
il should be proved that the reduction was detri-
mental to the national military force.
The second point was how the gap resulting
from the abolition of the third years service In
the fighting force of the army should be filed up
and all parties were as one that the army was to
be increased. This was acknowledged ny all tho
amendments introduced by the different parties
IL was therefore, no question OF principle Inc
only difference was, how large the increase ought
10 he. The Government not only asked that II
should Re Of 1884 men, but it contended also
that the military authorities alone were competent
70 decide what number was necessary In TINS 'ney
were clearly wrong. OF course there Is moral
obligation for the Reichsta2 to provide Tor the
safety of the country, but as long as II has the
constitutional right to vote the taxes by which the
cost of the proposed organization is to be defrayed'
members are free TO vote according TO their con-
science and insight hoy large the increase snail
be- The Government had to declare its convlction
that a certain number is Indispensable, but tho
burden of proof lay with them. They had 10 con-
vince the majority that their demand did not ex-
coed the eAipcncies of the case. This they failed
70 do. both in the Committee and in the House.
Only a small minority was ready TO grant what
wa. asked and on the other side General Caprvt
refused to enter upon any compromise In the
last moment, however, he suddenly gave up this
position, and accepted the amendment, not OF
party having some prospect OF obtaining the na-
iority, but Of an isolated Deputy, Baron Huene,
reducing the demand by about One-tenth. IL u
not impossible that If this amendment had been
brought forward at an earlier date, and II the
Government had been satisfied 10 accede to II, u
might have obtained majority but by the way
in which it was brought forward it had no chance
and when it was negatived at the second realinS
the dissolution was forthwith pronounced
Another fault of the Government was that 1t
had not sufficiently prepared the ways and means
by which the increased cost Of the army was TO
be met They proposed indeed raising OF tho
stamp duties on the transactions OF the STOCK In
change, higher beer duty and a modified
brandy excise but it was clear that these taxes
of which only the first found favor, were quite
insufficient 10 cover the extra expense OF at least
47,OOOOOO marks. which the military bill neces-
STATED II was impossible for the Reiclstag to
take leap in the dark. 10 vote first the Dill an!
leave it uncertain how the means for realizing
it should be found. And it was further not to
the point il the Government maintained that
Germany could well afford TO bear larger mill
tary burden because that of France and England
was still larger The comparison Of mere ciphers
in this regard is totally nconclusive. as all de-
ponds Oh the national income.
1t is. of course very difficult to risk forecast OF
the result of the elections. but the probability Is
that the extreme parties will gain in strength. and
that the moderate will have to bear the loss. The
question of course arises. What will happen il the
new Reichstag also negatives the demand OF the
Government now reduced TO Baron Iluene's
amendment? In this uncertain condition the
tmperor has made speech MAY 81 before a mill
tary circle in which lie expressed regrets that his
cxpectation Of the unconditional acceptaton Of
the bill had not been fulfilled. A patriotic mi
nority has been defeated by the majority. He
was therefore compelled to dissolve the Rcichstag
and hoped that the coming Assembly would ao-
cent the demand. But if this hope should be dis
appointed IL am resolved to do all in my power
for obtaining the military bill, for am too much
convinced of its necessity for maintaining the
general peace
Now these words certainly not clear, for
what can the Emperor do II the new Reichstag
also rejects the bill 1t has been spoken of as .