The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-16
TROUT BILE AHEAD IN GERMANY.
The People Growing Tired of Their
DeSnOfic Emnernr.

| The People Growing Tired of Their
Despotic Emperor.
! Berlin Letter in New York Evening Post.
The dislntegration of political parties
/ has advanced during the past three months
| al so rapid a rate that it is impossible at
/ this hour to tell where cohesion ends and
| chaos begins. That one faction which has
/ in rain and sunshine withstood the assault
| OF all the other factions the most vigorols[
I ly for quarter of a century, the Center. is
/ torn the most by inner Gissensions, so that
/ II no longer presents a united front TO the
enemy. The Polish wing of the great Cath>
Ole Center has all of 4 sudden become
more Polish than Catholic. The ConservaI
tive party, bereft of its cleverest and bold
| est leader. Baron Won Hammerstein. is like
a rudderieSS vessel swaying 10 and fro. The
National Liberals have, for several years
past, been losing strength at the polls AZ
each succeeding election, and the same 5
true of the Radicals and Ultra-Liberals
Alone the Socialists have been gaining
strength, numerically at least. for they,
too, are rent by party Srife. the south be-
! ing arrayed against the north.
So the government does not know where
to get majority for any bill introduced,
does not know where to make advances or
where 10 repel Moreover, IL lacks a we'll
defined programme. The Hohen.ohe cabi-
net, Ike its chief. is yacillating, weak, con-
cliatory. or brusque by turns. II lacks
solidarity and purpose. energy and initia-
tive. And the storm that has been gather
ing for months is sure TO burst during this
session Of the reichstag. The agrarian mall
contents-hitherto comprising the main
phalanX of government supporters, though
a number OF the Center delegates are also
agrarian, as are the Guelphs. the Poles and
other anti-government members-are firm
IL determined to eat no more sugar or
bread out OF the hand OF the government.
and 10 force things TO an issue one way or
another. They insist on two things, viz:
The restitution of bi-meta llism Tor the in
it.atory steps leading to that at leaSO and
on some trenchant measure or measures 10
bring back higher prices for cereals.
Their main organ. in its last issue. says
that Gin case the government falls us in
this, too IL can only be explained by either
a lack Of good VII or of energy. and in
either case the logical conclusions VIII be
drawn by us In other words, the agIari-
ans have fully made up their minds 10
bring the Hohen.ohe regime TO an end un-
less they get what they want. In any case
1t will be hard lines for the imperial chan
cellor. for the cabinet is far from being
unit on this vital question how far TO hu-
NOR the agrarian demands. In fact. 1t Is
split in two on the subject. Hence IT Is
probable that another ministerial crisis
wirbe on ere the session closes, or else thu
present reichstag will be sent home and an
appeal to the country made.
Meanwhile a react.onary. illiberal spirit
is spreading through the land. Informers
are everywhere. The system OF political
espionage Is zach day bearing fruit. The
thing called lese majestic, though by law
but misdemeanor, Is treated and punished
as a crime. Two days ago laborer named
Oscar Frost at Breslau was sentenced TO
two years in Jail because Of some Had
v.sed words about the emperor For the
one month of October, in thirty-one trials
against Socialist offenders alone, the fines
amounted to 294i marks and the imprison-
ment TO ten years. The states attorneys
are ever on the watch for such cases, and a
denunciation. no matter how ill-founded.
is equivalent to a conviction. The judges
are straniug the law 10 impose heavy sem
fences. To rid yourself OF an enemy no
surer and easier means can be found than
to prefer a charge OF lese majestic against
him. A 17-year-old girl, for criticising the
poorly executed Autographs of the imperial
coupe not the latter themselves, was de-
nounCed by a woman with whom she had
quarreied and thereupon spent months in
Jail. And 4 is not alone the Socialist and
anti-government press that Is gagged and
harassed. but even those journals and mag
azines or books which. in their general ten
or. are friendly to the government and are
thoroughly monarchic.
Hand in hand with that terrorism goes
the systematic attempt to curtai that free-
dom Of teaching in the universities which
has for generations been held one OF the
main bulwarks of constitutional liberty IN
Prussia. and which has been hitherto re-
spected by every government, reactionary
or liberal. A number OF steps taken In ac
cordance with government orders during
the last month show that this browning
glory OF German university life il 20 be
broken down. DR.. Jastrow. ''priv. do
cent" IN Berlin University. Is 10 he driven
out OF his Office because Of a sentence In
recent economic work Of his displeasing -
a member Of the Pruss,an cabinet The
case OF DR.. Arons furnishes parallel 70
this. and there are several other similar
cases. Associations Of students. too meet
ing for the study and discussion or social
and economical problems have been dis
solved by university rectors making them
selves the tools or government reaction
ism: notably was this the case in Berlin.
and more recently still in Halle.
II is we'll known that the emperor IS OPP
posed 10 the projected reform Of military
trials. a reform measure which has been
urged and promised for more than ten
years in the reichstag. The nation as A
whole no doubt, desires publicity al these
trials. and succeeding secretaries OF war
have signfied their willingness 70 gratfy
the popular will IT is known 10 few who
"a influencing the emperor against this
needed reform The two personages in
question are Gen. Won Hahnke. chief OF
the imperial military cabinet and Lieut.
Cen Won Plessen, commander OF the i'm
persal headquarters. both inlimates OF the
emperor.
Ceaselessly the German municipalities are
making efforts 70 secure 70 the poorer part
Of their population dwellings less crowded
and more IN accord with hygiene. But the
latest statistics prove that these efforts
have thus far accomplished no satisfactory
results. For the average number OF per-
sons inhahting dwelling house In Berlin
is 70. in Breslau %. Dresden IS. Hamburg
2i-as against Il IN Vienna and g in Paris.
In 1Sl 215 rear dwellings live 20 per cent. OF
Berlin's population. How closely the dens-
!ty OF populs ton IN dwelling houses is
connected with mortality is also shown by
this same statistical bulletin. for 10 gives
the mortality in houses averaging 30 20 ~
denizens at As per cent. Al 10 20 AT IS. IS
70 90 az 81. 81 70 70 az 6.5. II TO 50 al ~.
over so at "a These statistics give tne ex-