The record-union., 1895-12-23


Berlin in the quarrel between the
United States and Great Britain has
never been highly strained, and bids
fair to become rapidly less, especially as
regards the political aspect of the
question. On the other hand, however,
financial anxiety is on the increase. The
operations on the bourse here, In
Frankfort and in Vienna on Saturday
showed a greater tendency to take the
station seriously. 1t is true that moth
ing like a war panic prevailed, but
the operators obviously got the impress
sion that the financial position must be-
come much worse than it is, whatever
may happen, in relieving the political
difficulty. The selling of American
stocks on the various German bourSeS
proceeded actively, and a considerable
number of selling orders are reported
to have been sent from Berlin to Lon
don. The selling movement, meanwhile,
is not an indication that investors are
unloading, but it is largely confined to
speculative dealings, which seem cal
culated to eventually draw in genuine
holders.
The concurrence of the financial press
in the general gloomy view of the mon
etary prospects of the United States is
giving a great deal of assistance to
spectators for a fall. Responsible
newspapers like the National Zeitung
predict flow of gold from the United
States. To a large extent the trouble
lies in the difficulty of American rail-
roads and other enterprises obtaining
the support of European capital and
the cessation Of the revival of Ameri-
can industry which recently set in.
In regard to a tariff war between Ger
many and the United States, nobody af
fects to believe that anything of the
kind will occur except interested agra
rians who have been hoping that such
a war would result in the formation of
strong agrarian and protectionist
Ministry in Germany.
The preparations which everybody is
making for Christmas places to the ma
tions at large political and financial
events in the background
The members of the imperial family
are passing their time in thorough
burgher fashion. The Emperor is en-
JOylIlS HlHfS6lI III Tile UOSOIH Oh his
lily, and the life of the royalties at the
palace at Potsdam mirrors upon great
scale the life of most of the households
in Germany. On Christmas eve the
biggest event for the young princes will
be Die Bescherung''-the giving of
Christmas boxes. The distribution of
gifts will be made from a Christmas
tree, of which each Prince will have one
their size varying according to the ages
of the owners. There will be a tree, too,
for the little Princess, Victoria Louise
and there will also be trees for every
body in the household, down to the
kitchen servants.
Apart from democratic fetes, Berlin
will be quiet socially until the season
commences shortly before the annual
"Ordensfest," which will take place on
January 18th, the twenty fifth ami
versary of the proclamation of the Ger
man Empire.
Chancellor Prince Won Hohenlohe left
Berlin on Friday on his way to Bohemia
to pass the Christmas holidays with his
eldest son, Prince Philip.
Among the high society leaders of
Berlin Prince and Princess RadziwiI
are the only ones now here The
Princess is "at home" every day from
D o'clock until 8 o'clock in the evening
to intimate friends. Just prior to the
"OrdenSfeSt" all of the grand seig-
neurs will leave their country seats for
Berlin. The upper house of the Prus-
sian Diet will then begin it's session.
and the series of court balls will COM
mence. The aristocratic set gives it's
own functions society cliqueism having
not been modified in the slightest de-
gree under the regime of Emperor Will
lam II. Besides the regular court circle,
there is the set of officers of the First
Guards, composed of members of the
old Mediatized princely families This
set is so exclusive that it will not mix
even with the officers of the Garde de
Corps.
According to accepted reports. the
uch-talked-of letters that were in the
possession of Baron Won Hammerstein
the absconding ex-editor of the ''Kreuz
Zeitung," came into the possession of
the socialist leaders in the Reichstag
through the Baron's mistress. Flora
Gaes. Frauelin Gaes was left in in
dlgent circumstances, and was obliged
to leave her hotel because of inability
" pay ueI DiilS, the cflamDermal0S In
the hotel holding her trunks as security
for small loans which she had con-
tracted. The Freisinnige deputies in
the Reichstag bought some Of the let
ters from her, but the socialists are in
possession of seventy of them. signed
by well-known conservatives, deputies
and officials. Most of these letters are
addressed to Hammerstein, but some of
them are addressed to Flora herself 1t
is revelations not of political scheming
that these Conservatives dread.
but the letters show various examples
of moral turpitude On their part that
they would go great lengths to conceal.
Baron Won Stumm- HaIberg. who is
himself clear of all suspicion, proposes
to assist h Il embarrassed associates in
the Reichs ag by moving a resolution
restraining members from any oral dis
closures in debates, and also prohib-
iting, under severe penalties, the pub
lication of any of the contents of the
letters
Baron Won Stumm also seems very
serious in his resolve to raise the uues-
tion of the exclusion of the Socialists
from the Reichstag, on the ground that
they have violated the Constitution in
receiving payment from party funds
While Prince Bismarck was Chancellor
a similar effort was made to repreSs