The record-union., 1895-12-30

BERLIN, Dec. 29.-The reaction to-
ward confidence in the future of Amer
lean finances, especially as affecting in
ternational monetary relations, has
been surprisingly rapid within the last
few days. Berlin and Frankfort took
the lead of London in speculative buy
ing of American stocks, and operators
here have on the whole benefited by
the selling which was done in London,
and at no time during the Wall street
panic have the German bourses been so
much influenced as was the English
market. The buying set in earlier here,
and even investors took a chance in Sc
curing stocks at low figures. The bourse
closed notably firm on Saturday. after
considerable buying of American rail-
road securities.
The course of operations here gives
evidence in the decreasing influence of
I London upon matters of finance in
which German financiers or investors
are interested. Financiers are no longer
inclined to accept the tendencies of the
London market as a good guide in i'm
portant monetary enterprises at the
present moment.
1t is not forgotten how Germany alb
sorbed the American loans at low values
during the war of the American rebel
lion, when the bonds were almost un-
Salable in London. So, now, when
English financial houses seem to hesi-
tate over the reception of new bond is
sue the Washington Government, if it
is desirous of having foreign markets
take part in the loan, might find Ger
man firms prepared to negotiate. The
belief here in the permanence of peace
between the United States. and Great
Britain is absolute, and general con-
viction in the recovery of a healthy con-
dition of American finances is un-
shaken.
The capture in Athens of Baron Won
Hammerstein, the former editor of the
''Kreuz Zeitung," who absconded under
charges Of forgery and embeZzlement
created a tremendous sensation in po-
litical and social circles when his arrest
became known on Saturday. The arrest
Of this fugitive has cut the ground from
under the feet of the socialist leaders,
and may even be said to have carried
away the feet of some of them. All
along one of the chief weapons of the
socialist press and the socialist parlia-
mentary leaders has consisted of in
situations that the Government had
connived at Hammerstein's escape. and
frowned upon genuine attempts to bring
him back in order to prevent disclosures
affecting the conservative supporters of
the Government. The capture of Ham
merstein has taken the wind out of the
sails of the socialist craft, and rendered
the Hammerstein letters which the So
cialists were holding over the heads of
many Conservative members of the
Reichstag almost if not wholly value
less as terrorizing measures.
There has never been a moment
since the disappearance of Hammer
stein that the Government has not been
earnest and unceasing in it's endeavors
to find him and bring him back to
justice, no matter who might be injured
by any revelations which his prosecu-
tion might entail. The political police
tracked him through Switzerland and
Italy, and finally spotted him as he was
landing from a steamer at Piraeus, the
port of Athens, and five miles from that
city. Having run him down, the police
commissaries watched him closely dur
applications in secret to the Greek Gov
ernment for his surrender.
The Government of Greece does not
extradite culprits except for capital
offenses, but under pressure from Ber-
lin the Athens authorities took advan-
tage of Hammersteins having recorded
himself as William Herbart" to expel
him from the kingdom as an anarchist
suspect. Hammerstein was, therefore,
compelled to leave, and embarked on a
steamer for Brindisi. The German police
also took the steamer and the moment
the vessel sailed Commissary Wolf of
the Berlin political police placed him
under arrest
The conduct of the Government in
the Hammerstein matter having thus
been vindicated, the police will be al
lowed free hand to pursue their plan
of socialist repression, while the Con-
servatives. no longer deferred by So
cialist menaces of damaging revela-
tions, will urge repression measures in
the Reichstag.
Berlin now has the prospect of an eX-
tremely racy scandal season between
the Hammerstein case and the revela-
tions contained in the Won Kotze doc
uments, which are in the possession of
Fritz Friedman, the absconding Ber-
lin lawyer. According to current report
Friedman is now in London, where he
has prepared a pamphlet attacking his
legal and political persons, which he
threatens to publish if the German au-
thorities molest him anywhere. It is
understood Friedman wants a formal
IIry
incognito, in order to settle his af-
fairs, and is now negotiating with the
proper authorities in Berlin to that end
The Christmas season, according to
reports made by the leading shops in
Berlin, show a boom in business. The
sale of the cheaper class of goods has
been slack in favor of the higher and
more costly class, and the casual on
locker would consider that the mer-
chants, as well as the public, have been
having fine time all around. The
North German Gazette" says that Ber-
lin has received and sent out Christ
mas parcels far exceeding in number
those sent and received during Christ
mas week of 1894.
The celebration in the new palace at
Potsdam on Christmas Eve was even
more brilliant than usual. The En-
peror and Empress and the members of
their family entered the Shell Hall at
D o'clock in the afternoon, attended by
the members of the imperial household.
The presents were spread out upon
tables placed along the walls. and the
young Princes could hardly be re-
strained from infractions of etiquette
by rushing forward to admire the hand