The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-02-27

BERLIN. Feb 26-In the reichstag today
the debate on the Russo-German CONNER
cial treaty opened.
Count Won Mirbach, on behalf OF the
Conservatives, gave full explanation OF
reasons which had decided that party not
to support the government, contendlng
that the treaty would prove an injury TO
German husbandry. and that the injury
which industry would receive from the
treaty would be greater than the advan-
tages which could possibly follow It's pas
sage.
Baron Marschal Won Bieberstein, secre-
tary of state for foreign affairs, answered
the arguments of Count Won Mirbach. and
declared that German manufacturers ana
merchants secured under the treaty an l'i-
estimabIe boon. He insisted that the
treaty completed the governments COM
mercial policy; moreover, husDandry, the
speaker claimed, proflied nothlhS py ohe
present customs tariff, and the agrarlans
should direct their efforts towards lunu-
encing the federal government IN favor OF
practical solicitude for German husDandry
But, the secretary said, the government
could not surrender at discretion TO the
demand of the agrariaEs.
Count Won Moltke opposed the treaty IN
the name of the imperlallsts.
Herr Rickert then urged the adoption OF
the treaty, saying that the entrance oil
Russia into the European commercial
community would have important conse-
quences.
The house then adjourned.
II is estimated that the treaty Will be
adopted by "A ma jority from 81 to ~
LoNDoN, Feb 27-The correspondent of
The Times at Berlin says that the public
seemed 10 have formed great expectations
as to the debate in the reichstag yesterday,
and the galleries were overcrowdeu. Inc
members benches, however, were by no
means full. except on the right slde OF tbe
house. The Conservatives had evidently
mace every exertion 10 secure good at
tendance of their partlsans ia
order 10 applaud Count Won Mir
bach on the Russian treaty.
In speech which took nearly two hours
to deliver Count Won Mirbach dilated in
general terms on the lncalculable injury
the imperial policy would intfct upon
husbandry, but he utterly failed to addu,e
any new arguments to justify the Con
servative opposition. 1t appeared In fact,
AS if he purposely avoided the dangerous
course of trying TO prove mis- assertions.
His opening repuGiutiOn of personal an
tagonism TO leading statesmen caused
great merriment. He declared that he
would leave any interference with the
prerogatives of the crown to other
parties.
I'VE still cling" be continued, "to
Prince Bismarck's commercial policy, AS
both national and patriotic. We would
have been willing to accept the sacrifices
that the government policy imposed on
husbandry had we received the necessary
compensation"
Baron Marschal Won Bieberstein, the for
eign secretary, in n speech Justifying the
treaty on a patriotic basis, said that he
would leave to the members of the opposi-
tion TO prove, if they could, that 1t IL not
politically dangerous to refuse to one
mighty neighbor what had been granted
30 others The minister, whose patience
was inexhaustible then entered into the
hopeless task of convincing the Agrarians.
bv incontrovertible statistics that their as
sumptions were false.
After refuting one by one the Couserva-
tive arguments the foreign minister con-
cluded:
1.-The cause | represent has strong cur
rent flowing against it among the agri-
cultural population. / am not inclined to
make light of this current, for If placid
conservative folks, such rs our agricultur
al population, show such signs of discon-
tent, it points to a sore spot In our econo-
mic life, which it Is the duty
of the state to cure. The
maintenance of a prosperous country and
middle class is exceedingly important; but
no one can demand that the government
should yield to an agitation as TO the OBJ
ject of which the leaders themselves are
not fully informed"
The whole discussion, except the speech
of the foreign minister was marked by
irrelevancy and almost fiippancy, quite in
compatible with the Importance of the
subject. Every possible incident was con-
yerted into a source of merriment