Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-18
THE IRON CHANCELLOR On His Eightieth Birthday to Be
 -Regally Honored.
ALL GERMANY TO DO HOMAGE
To Inc Venerable Bismarck. Imposing Ceremony at the
 Canal Opening.

BERLIN, March F. The programme of the Bismarck birthday celebration has ex- tended so far beyond expectations that the deputations are arranging to be received late this month. The festival will virt- ually begin on March 25, when many will go on special trains. The president of the landtag will present an address. Tne prince will reply and then all will have luncheon. The deputies will return to Berlin in the evening.
 The country seems to bs most interested at present In the progress of the conflict in the reichstag over the question of sending birthday deputation to congratulate the prince. The committee of senior members after three hours' discussion decided to propose final action because the clericals, Richter radicals and south German demo- crats held aloof. President Won Levetzow, since the reconciliation between Freid- richsruhe and Potsdam, is again an sn- thusiastlc Bismarckian and Is anxious that all parliamentary parties except the social democrats shall unite in congratulating the prince. He continues confidential ne- gotiatiors with the party leaders and ap- parently is hopeful of success. Probably a motion in favor of the demonstration will be made in the plenary sitting of the reichs- tag and will receive such support as will warrant the sending of a large delegation in the reichstag's name.
 Eugene Richter, Bismarck's historic enemy in debate, makes this admission in his Freissinige Zeitung:
 'sIf the question be made matter of courtesy toward an aged statesman associa- ted with the uniticatian of Germany, the radical party ought to send members to do homage. However, as long as Prince Bis marck, although not in office, remains &C., lively hostile to the liberal parties, thoss parties ought to refrain from showing him spec al honors.'
 The Danz-iger zeitung, organ of the rad ical unionists, argues that the birthday fes- tival is not intended so much as homage to the prince's personality as to his share in founding the German empire. The edi- this view of the festival, but he has not found many to agree with him. His views, which have been quoted widely, have aroused the indignation of the Bis public. who have not thought of discovering the man from his life work. Whatever the reichstag:. may decide to do it's action will be viewed coidiy by the prince: If deputatiop go to Freidrichsruhe 1t ton, The old chancellor attaches the greasest portance to the resolution of the students. For him their coming will be the event of his birthday. He tells his friends that he thinks more of the houors from the students than of all the others combined. He clings to the idea cher ished in Germany in the old days when the universities were the warmest advo- cates of a new empire. He believes that most loyal and steadfast friends of the national idea-the men who in after life can be rallied to counteract the plots of others. He will address them as the most promising class in the nation's future.
 Three extra telegraph wires have been laid from Friedrichsruhe to Hamburg and ten extra telegraph clerks will be sent to man the Friedrichsruhe office. Still the telegraph facilities are likely to be far be- hind the requirements of business on April 1.
 General Count Waldersee will head the delegation of corps commanders whom the prince will entertain at dinner on the 2d. 10 ease the strain of the celebration the deputations from the cities will spread their demonstrations over several days. Munich begins the series on April 9. The prince will limit himself on each occasion to brief ceremony indoors and but few words in acknowledgement of the address.
 It is now proposed that birthday bonfires be lighted on most of the mountains and high hills of Germany so as to form, as far as possible, chain of beacon lights cover ing the whole country. In the Rhine coun- try the people have arranged already to light all the high points from Brachtenfels to Ruedesheim. The German Alpine society will light beacons at the most conspicuous points in the Silesian and Paris mountains and in the Palatinate. A special ceremony will be held on the Kyfflaeuser, near Nord- hausen, with bands, speeches, music and fireworks. There will be torchlight parade of ThurinEen at Haletes, ban quet sat the Rathsfeld castle and an illumination of tbe mountain with beacon lights. The German athletes, known as turner's, will send to Friedrichsruhe huge silver and giltlaurel wreath supported by two mas sive pillars, on which are engraved the names of all the athletic societies (turn- verein) in Germany.
 The authorities of Myslowiiz have de- cided to light on the evening Of April & big bonfire at the Three Emperors' corner, Q hiH on which the Russian, Austrian and German borders meet, and 10 meet there with the people to sing "fbe Watch on the Eastmark. .''
 The Nauste Nachtrichten, the National Zeitung and other conspicuous dailies urge the Berlin city council to consider their vote against honoripg Bismarck. They say it will be national scandal if tbe capi- tai which in 1866 conferred honorary citi- zshship upon him now refuses to join the rest of the country in congratulating him.
 An official of the emperor's marine cab .inet told the United Press correspondent yesterday that neither Emperor Franz Joseph nor King Humbert were expected to attend the ceremony of opening the North sea and Baltic canal. He thought that no foreign sovereign would be pres. ent. The details of the programme will not be finally fixed before the middle of Msy. The whole line of the canal from iei to Brunsbuettel will be provided with electric lamps, some $50 in all, with twen- ty live candle power each. Every sluice