Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-09
THE EMPEROR'S IDEA OF FUN .ft4e
 Was to Give His Loving Subjects
 a Drenching, IT WAS TAKEN IN GOOD PART William Orders His Chaplain Not to Preach Longer Than Twenty Minutes. | MUCH POMP AND SHOW AT STETTlN The Governments Prosecution of the So-
 calist Organ Is Reacting-Popular
 Odium Is essening-Socialists Ready to Fight,
MUCH POMP AND SHOW AT STETTIN

Berlin, Sept. S.-The governments prosecution of the Vorwaerts, the lead ing socialist organ of Berlin, has had d reactionary effect. The answer of Edi- tor Pfunda, followed by the clamor of journals popularly supposed to be in spired by the government for special re- -pressive legislation, has elcited from several socialist leaders not only pro- tests against governmental interference with the liberty of the press, but flat denial of the official assumption that the socialist party ought to be accused ot having failed in patrlotism The Nor- waerts, in an article replying 10 the char racterization by the emperor that the so- 'ciallst party was band or persons Who were unwilling to pear the nalne ol Ger mans, declares that the best patriots III Germany are those who are aiming to give to all Germans the fullest measure of political liberty, genuine equality and sure prosperity by destroying the eX- istlng system ot exploitation of work ingmen. The Norwaerts retralnS from making any defense of it's supposed hos tility and also of the presumed hostility of the socialist party to the celebration of Sedan day. This, of course, IS to be expected from a newspaper which has not been put under the ban of imperial diSpleaSure, but the utterances Of the Vorwaerts are upheld by speeches deliv- cred by Herren Auef and Vollmar, who voice the sentiments of large section of the socialist party. The speeches of these gentlemen have the effect to great ly lessen the popular odlum attaching to the supposed socialist faith and have also contained the alienation of great many lukewarm socialists from the tenentS of the sect.
 Herr Auer, in speech delivered at reunion at Berlin yesterday, defended the action of the party in refraining from participation in the celebrations com fnemorative of Sedan day. He takes the ground that it would be impolitic to ir- ritate the French democracy. Pursuing his subject he said that this did not i'm ply that the German socialists were ene- mics of the principle of the unity of the fatherIand, nor of the unity of the em- pre. So long as it was necessary to pre- serve unity, he said, all socialists were now ready, as they were in 1870, to march against France or any other nation pre- suming to assail the empire. Moreover, they were ready and willing to fight in defense of or for the retention of the Reichsland. These utterances were re- ceived by the meeting with prolonged cheers. Herr Vollmar in a letter writ ter to friend in regard to the absention of socialists from the celebration of Se- dan says:
 
 of 1870, 1 hoisted the flag of the empire upon my villa of the Walshensee and I am grateful to be able to still recall the victories of Germany during that period. The truth is, that though some extrem- iSts have succeeded in divesting them selves of national flags of patriotism, the mass of the socialists throughout the empire retain the sentiments which have been expressed so ably by Herr Auer"
 A distinguished American sojnurning yrh hn hac han ,1N server of the series of ceebra tions and knowing the German people intimately, said: Some of the social press gang misrepresent the national sentiments of the workngman, few of them perhaps unwittingly, but most of them wilfully. Still the military sentiment in patri- Otic sense continues to pervade them. No matter how many socialists may be elected to the rechstag there is no fear whatever that their patriotism will be lessened or that a revolution similar to that which occurred in France will ever occur
 The socialist committee of Berlin. which sent telegram to the Paris socialists on Sedan day proclaiming the soliditary of nations, has not, says the Vossische Zeitung, found sympathy even among their political friends The Cologne Ga zette in an article on the same subject, reiterateS the assertions of last week that no exceptional laws are contem- plated by the government, the democratic press to the contrary notwithstanding The Gazette contends that the emperor's speech to the Guards on the occasion of the White Hall celebration on the eve of Sedan day cannot be so interpreted. Pursuing the subject, the Gazette de- clareS that if the kaiser had desired the passage of such laws he would have said so clearly and distinctly. Moreover, he would have appealed not to the peo- ple, but directly to the legislature
 The general tone adopted by most of the German newspapers in their articles commenting upon the anniversary of the third republic of France ought to have helped compensate the French for the ir- ritation which they experienced through the ebulitions of the Germans in their commemorations of the battle of Sedan. The Vossische Zeitung says that although founded in the hour of Frances great test trial, the present republic has saved the national honor and preserved the exist ence of France against the plots of the reactionists. It has also advised the economic and military strength of France until she has become. a richer and strong CT power than she has been at any time since the first empire. Many other Ger man papers have treated this subject in a similar manner.
 A strong force of Berlin detectives has been sent to Stettin to assist the police of that town in preserving order and protecting life and property during the military maneuvers, which take place there this week. Additional to many other precautions an edict has been is- sued ordering that any person arriving in Stettin between September and 13 shall report himself to the police within six hours. Failure to comply with this order will subject the delinGuent to the penalties which would be imposed upon a criminal under parole. Excursion trains will be run at frequent intervals from Berlin, Hamburg and other cities to Stettin throughout the maneuvers.
 Pending the actual maneuvres sham battle, etc.. which will take place during the week, the emperor has amused him. self by springing surprises upon the mil itary and civilians as we'll On Thurs