People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-12
TIE GERMAN CRISIS.
ARMY BILL DEFEATED
IN THE REICHSTAG.
An Election Has Been Ordered Which
May Have a Far-R Reaching Re-
suit in European Affairs.

against the bill to 100 in favor of the
bill The rescript signed by the
Kaiser dissolvlng the Reichstag was
Immediately promulgated and the
Reichstag is now dissolved.
Immediately upon the result of
the vote being announced, Chancellor
Caprivi read the imperial message
decreeing the dissolution of the
Reichstag. The social democratic
members of the Reichstag displayed
the widest enthusiasm over the re-
suit. They hurrahed repeatedly, fol-
lowing cheer with cheer. Great con-
fusion and uproar prevailed in the
house, and public excitement is at the
highest pitch in Berlin.
The result of the vote on the army
bill caused no surprise to the gov
eminent. Chancellor Capriyi at
tempted yesterday to rally the
wayering members to the support of
the measure by offering to reduce
the peace effective even below the
number proposed in the amendment
offered by Freiherr Won Huene.
The offer, however, did not gam
single vote. The house had made up
It's mind to reject the bill and the
speeches made on the subject were
addresses to leaders rather than to
Reichstag.
DR.. Leiber, who is a leader in the
councils of the party, after attacking
Chancellor Won Caprivi for having,
as he puts it, resorted to the worst
form of Bismarckian methods to Sc
cure the passage OF the bill, said:
"The center party fights to-day
against the ambition of centralizing
C@sarism. We protest against the
militarism which translates itself in
persistent endeavors to extend the
principles of the Prussian state into
! the domain Of IMP eri&l Legislation.
In the interest of the empire we de-
mand that the Prussian aolioy be
confined to the Prussian Diet, while
the Germnn prevail in the Reichstag."
Neither Chancellor Won Caprivl
nor Won Manteufel, the Prussian
conservative leader, attempted to re-
spond to DR.. Leiber's attack. All
the speakers on the government side
simply ignored the expressions of
anti Prussian sentiment. The chan
cellor commented vaguely upon the
democratic tendency that has re-
Gently been developing among the
centrists and suggested that the
policy now pursued by that party
had LIS inspiration in the vatican,
which he said was now the friend of
republican France and trying to
draw the whole Catholic world in
the same direction. The German
government, the chancellor added,
had hitherto appreciated the support
of the central party on social ques-
tons, but it had now learned les
son. The central party was Catholic
first, and German afterward. The
party stood ready to commit itself
to whatever democratic evolution
foreign influences might choose to
dictate.
DR.. Won Benningsen, the leader of
the national liberals, gave moderate
tone to the debate in long speech
urging the houses to accept the con-
cessions offered by the government.
He deplored the inability of the
reichstag to sink party differences, in
the face of questions involving the
external safety of the empire and its
prestige abroad. The difficulty Of
successfully conducting the affairs of
the country had always been en-
HANGED by the absence of stable
parliamentary majority. A govern
ment driven to rely upon fortuitous
majority could never present to the
country a really consistent national
policy. What the reichstag ought to
try to obtain was a strong, moderate
party, established on a broad, natural
basis. 1t seemed pitiful, that no ma
iority was forthcoming in response
to the governments appeal in behalf
of the national honor and the ex-
istance of Germany. 1t was bad
contrast to the parliamentary life of
other countries, notably England,
where the most violent party antago-
nism never initiated against the con-
tinuity of the imperial policy.
Emperor William has sent to DR..
Won Benningsen his special thanks
for the tone of his speech.
Hurriedly convened meetings are
being held in Berlin and other popu-
lous centers tonight.
The promptness with which the
reichstag has dissolved Immediately
after the defeat of the government
was announced, has taken everybody
by surprise. The social democratic
leaders alone are really ready for the
electoral campaign. Herren Bebel,
Singer and Liebeknecht will leave
Berlin tomorrow and begin at once
to stump the country in behalf of the
socialist candidates. In every dis