The morning call., 1893-11-18
EMPEROR WILLIAMS SPEECH

In his address Cd opening the Reichstag.
Kaiser William shows that he does not de-
part from the policy which his grandfather
pursued, and which he proclaimed when
be first assembled the German throne. He
thanked the Reichstag for having enabled
him to increase the army, and called upon
the body to do its duty 10 providing means
TO make the increase available. He stated
that Government bills would be introduced
providing for increased revenue. and he
especially designated wine. tobacco and
stamps as fitting objects of further taxa
ton. The correspondent states that he
was warmly cheered."
This is not scene from an opera bouffe,
but is a matter-of-tact report of a grave
transaction. Germany is one of the poor
est countries in Europe. The peasant class
and the inhabitants of small towns have TO
scrape and pinch so as to live; thousands
of men come to this country every year TO
better their condition. 1t is barely posi-
BILE for the German farmer 10 subsist with
comfort on the product of his farm. A
mark in Germanyis as much thought of as
a dollar is here. In some of the larger
towns as in Berlin, Dresden, Munich,
Cologne. StrasbOurg, Hamburg and
Frankfort rich men are to be found, but
the great bulk of the German people live
from years end TO years end in biting pOv-
erty. Out of a population of 10000. 600.
half million males are supported in idle
ness under the name of soldiers, and
3000.0 600 are held in reserve and taken from
their productive avOcatiOns for so many
weeks each year. About S110,000,000 is
spent every year in maintaining this Ger
man army, being The product of taxes paid
By this very Door people.
The pretext for the diversion Of the pro-
ceeds OF agriculture and industry to mill
tary purposes is the dread of attack from
France or Russia. Is it not rather largely
due 10 the inordinate ambition of an im-
petuous ruler TO win fame as a cOnQueror?
William III is an anachr0nism. He ought
10 have lived in the days OF BarbarOssa.
In justice to his grandfather it may be
said that he was born and brought up
amid the clash of arms. and never con-
ceived higher destiny than that of The
soldier. His son, unSer Fritz, was in touch
with his times; had he lived. an agreement
for a mutual disbandment of armies would
long ago have been reached between him
aud France. The present Emperor has
inherited the traits of the grandfather,
skipping over the intervening generation.
The chances are be will go Oh as sort of
modern Timour the Tartar until he is
brought up standing by some unexpected
accident.
People wonder that the German people
should SO tamely submit TO the military
despOtsm of young William. But civil
lied races are submissive. and rarely rise
in 70 ha linn
bearable. The French endured the stupid
tyranny of their kings for many genera
tons; the English bowed the knee to their
absurd aristocracy until people began TO
think that they did not know the meaning
of liberty. The Germans are hiding their
time. The old man who sits smoking his
long china pipe at Friederichsruhe knows
all about it, For twenty years he sat on a
volcano, and knew Ii. The fierce intoler-
ance with which lie repressed the Liberals
in Germany sprang from the consciousness
that it was their life or his. II once the
German people realized that the military
despOtism was unnecessary and injurious,
the whole imperial fabric, which he had
taken so much pains to construct, would
crumble to the earth, His successors are
lot so wise. They are drunken with sue
cess, and they assume that because Ger
mans do not rise in arms therefore they
approve all that is going on. They will
have a lesson some day.
No country in the world is producing
clearer heads and broader minds than Ger
many. Nowhere is it better understood
that the worst use a man can be put to is
to make a soldier of him, and that nation
of soldiers is nation sinking into decay.
But IL takes time fer these truths to per-
meate the minds of the masses. AS the
proverb says. the mills of the gods grind
slowly. 1t is some consolation to remem-
Der that when they do move they grind ex-
coed ing fine.