Morning journal and courier., 1893-07-08
THE NEW ARMY BILL.

Its Introduction in the Refchstag
 Yesterday-Chancello von Capriv1's
 Address in Offering .the Amended
 Measure.
 BERLIN, July 7.-when the new reich stag met today for the first time for the consideration of the regular parliamentary business, nearly all the 397 members were in their places, for it was known that the government would at once introduce the amended army bill, and general interest was fell as to the concessions, if any, that the. government had made on the original bill.
 Immediately after the formal opening of the house was concluded Chancellor von Caprivi ascended the tribune and in long speech introduced the amended measure. He stated that the present form of the bill represented the minimum that the govern ment would accept in men or money. The governments demands were the lowest possible consistent with the safety of the empire. The previous bill had been be- fore parliament and the country for nine months, and every body understood what the government wanted. It was, there fore, needless to repeat the arguments that had heretofore been advanced in favor of the measure.
 The galleries of the richstag were crowd ed with people, among them many promi- nent in the political and social circles at the capital.
 During the delivery of his speech the chancellor was frequently interrupted by applause and shouts of "Quite right, quite true" The keynote of the speech was that foreign countries, not knowing intimately the German character, had been led to be- heye that Germany had lost confidence in herself and that the countries composing the German empire were no longer united. This, the chancellor declared, was an er- roneous impression, which ought to be quickly dispelled by the speedy adoption of the new bill.
 In the course of the speech the chancel- Tor referred to the action of Russia in in- creasing the peace footing of her army by 94, 900 men since 1889, and said that she had not yet exhausted her resources. Ger many, he declared, must increase her peace footing If her voice was to continue to have weight in the European areopagus. The assertion by the opposition that Germany did not have sufficient men to answer the call for recruits was disproved by the fact that 90, 900 servicesble men had not been recruited.
 Referring to the expense that would be entsiled by the granting of the govern ment's demands, Chancellor von Csprivi said that the new taxes that must neces- sarily be levied would be borne on strong shoulders. These taxes would not touch the middle classes or the agricultural pop ulation. He could not now, he added, definitely state the tax plan, but it was the governments intention again to introduce the old financial proposals, especially the one providing for tax on Bourse trsnsso- tions.
 Herr Payer, member of the Volkspar- tel, followed the chancellor. He declared 1t was not true that the country had pro- nounced for the army bill, nor did ma jority of the house support 1t. Such small majority as the government might obtain would only be secured through 
 Freiherr von Msnteuffel, conservative and an active supporter of the govern ment, said he regretted that the govern ment had abandoned its own bill for the Huene compromise. It was impossible for Germany to be too strong. The riots In Paris, he added, furnished striking proof of this assertion. The mob now shook and might possibly overthrow the French government and establish 8 regime that might seek strength through foreign diyeraion