The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-11
The Opening Of the Reichstag.

Whether the present Reichstag will con-
tinue long to occupy the new and sump-
tuous quarters in which 1t was recently in
stalled, depends Of course on its reception
of the bill aimed against the Socialists and
of the fiscal measures declared by the Kali
ser's Ministers to be indispensable IL the
imperial Government is to be made self
supporting.
For the moment II seems that the Social
lists have chilled to some extent the sympa-
thies of men previously reluctant to subject
them to the proposed repression by refusing
to join in the applause with which the EN-
peror's name was acclaimed by the rest of
the Reichstag at the opening of the session.
The notion that they ought to be disciplined
on this account Is one that Americans are
Unable to understand. Imagine Speaker
CRISP presuming to reprimand Republican
members Of the House of Representatives
because they declined to rise and cheer the
name of GROVER CLEVELAND. But between
the two cases there Is o deep and vital diff
ference. Mr.. CLEVELAND represents moth
ing but the casual outcome of a political de-
fusion, as to which at the first opportunity
the American people have proclaimed
their repentance and disgust. Were his
tenure Of Office c~onterminous with that
OF the House of Representatives, chosen at
the same time when he was, he would now
be on the point OF relegation to the innocu-
Gus obscurity from which he emerged.
WILLIAM H., on the other hand, however
hsadstrong and arbitrary, and strangely i'm
pervious to the spirit of his age, represents
. tremendous fact. He personifes German
unity, which, to a large majority of Ger
mans, seems a boon Of larger import than
parliamentary government, because they
deem 1t the condition of security against
invasion, and of homogeneous internal de-
velopment. When, therefore, the Socialists
insisted upon seeing in the Emperor a per-
sonal antagonist rather than the incarnation
Of the nations unity, and accordingly re-
fused to pay him even the tribute of owen
tional respect, they appeared to justify the
reproach cast ut them by their opponents
that they are wanting in the fundamental
virtue Of patriotic sentiment.
Nevertheless, those who might DO willing
to see the Socialists disciplined for unpa-
triotic conduct will be by no means pleased
TO see the same discipline applied TO them
selves. Such, however, would be. We are
told, the sweeping effect of the repressive
measure ostensibly levelled at the Social
lists alone. No draught of the bill has been
published, blu those supposed to have some
knowledge Of its purport assert that the
powers which it confers might be used in
discriminatory to gag and cripple n po-
litical party which should venture to set
itself against the Emperor's will. II gen.
eral discretionary powers Of suppressing po-
litical agitation are given TO WILLIAM H.,
the Richterists, we may be certain, will be
made to smart, and so, In quite conceivable
contingencies, may the Clericals. Nor, re-
membering the stern rebuke administered
to them ct Konigsberg. can even the agra
rian Conservatives feel sure that the weapon
which they are now Inclined to put in the
Kaiser's hands will not, under possible cir
cumstances, be turned against them. Still,
however pregnant with danger is a bill Civ
ing the executive broad powers of interior
ing with public meetings and with freedom
of speech and Of the press, it may be carried
by means OF one of the bargains through
which alone it has been possible for years
TO effect legislation in the German Parlia-
ment. The support of the Clericals, which
would be decisive, may DO gained, it is re-
ported, by assurances that IL the bill read
hitting the Jesuits 70 Germany is sent up a
second time by the Reiehstag to the Bund-
ssrath, it will be passed by the latter body.
The other measure which will provoke
strenuou opposition and perhaps cause .
dissolution Of the Reichstag is that framed
by DIR. MIGUEL, the Finance Minister. for
the purpose of increasing the fiscal resources
of the imperial Government. It is known
that the main feature OF this bill is a tax on
tobacco, but whether it also includes a tax
on Stock Exchange and Produce Exchange
transactions is uncertain. In apparent favor
of this proposal Is the fact that in the new
budget the Federal States will be called
upon to make direct contributions Of IS, 0O0,-
900 to the imperial Treasury, and that,
moreover, an imperial loan Of 81, OOO, 900
is needed to make both ends meet. But the
bill will Be yehemently resisted on two
grounds First the Federal States of Ger
do not wish the imperial Government
70 b entirely independent OF them from =