Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-14
Chamber of Deputies.

l With endorsements from Spain, and to | suppress all existing small attachments.
 Chamber ot Deputies.
 l Paris, Feb. 13.-A large number of vis- | itors, includlng United States Ampassa-
 dor Eustis aliu many forelgn dipioInats, | were present in the galleries of the cnam- l Der uf deputies today when M. Jules | Pams, republican deputy for the Eastern | fyrenees, interpellateu the government | relative to the designation of Judge Poit- | evin instead or Judge Rampier to con- | duct the inquiry into the Southern rail- | way scandal, Tor which the senate of l Tuesday had blamed the government 1 M. Ricard, minister or justice defended | the nomination of Judge Poitevin. He | reviewed the measures leading up to his | appointment and declared that he as- | suined full responsibility for the acts for 1 which the senate had blamed the govern | ment and virtually declared to be irreg | lar He was glad of the occasion now | afforded, he sald, to acquaint the country | through the chamber of deputies of the | intention of the government to prosecute I the inquiry with the utmost vigor and l thoroughness.
 The center appeared to be opposed to | the government in the matter, but the | radicals appiauded M Ricard loudly and | frequently. M. Ricard, continuing, said 1 that he knew Judge Poitevin personally
 and knew him to be an able. upright and l unbiased judge. He (Ricard) had not | given instructions for the prosecution of
 anybody. He was not imbued with de-
 sire for vengeance upon any one. We- | hement radical applause) Several rad | ical deputies demanded that M. Ricard's | speech be printed and placarded through | out the country.
 M. Dulan, republican, said that the in- | reference of M. Ricard in the inquiry l into the Southern railway scandal had l proved that the cabinet was gravely dis turbed over the idea of having the inves- 1 tigation conducted by Independent l judges.
 | Premier Bourgeoise indorsed the re-
 marks of M. Ricard and expressed him. l self as surprised at the attitude assumed l by the senate. The cabinet, he said, was | faithfully executing the desire of the | chamber of deputies to throw light upon | the scandals. Ex-Premier Rouvier inter l rupting, said that the government was l rather trying to sully the reputation or l it's political opponents.
 l Premier Bourgoise demanded vote of l confidence, which was passed by the l chamber by a poll of 326 to 43.
 1 German Reichstag.
 l Berlin, Feb. 13.-In presenting the for l eign office estimates in the reichstag to- | day Von Bieberstein, minister of foreign | affairs, took occasion to declare that nothing had happened to justify an out | break of indignation on the part of the l British public The good relations ex- 1 isting between the ministers of Germany l and Great Britain, he said, had not for a
 moment been interrupted. It was not | true, he continued, that President Kru- | ger of the South African republic had 1 appealed to Germany to intervene. Ger | many had only protected her interests | in the Transvaal under the commercial l treaty concluded in 1885. He would not l oft rf fn against English public | opinion, he said, and he would equally | avoid anything calculated to pour oil upon the fire but. he declared, he would | demand the same right of free expression | of the feelings of the people of Germany 1 as England yields freely the right to ex- | press the anti-German feeling of the peo- l pie of Great Britain. This declaration was received with prolonged cheers ! Dr. Hammacher expressed his thanks 1 that the government had not identified | itself with the fantastic increase of the | navy which had been suggested. l Herren Lieber and Von Kardorn gave 1 expressions of thanks to the government
 for it's firm foreign policy.
 | Herr Richter declared that harmony
 existing between England and Germany 1 meant peace throughout the world. War, i he said, would work serious damage to l Germany. but it would be disastrous to
 England in India, in the Bosphorus and | in Germany.
 1 Herr Bebel. socialist, condemned the | congratula tory telegram sent by the em- | peror to President Kruger of the South l African republic. which. he said had
 justly aroused the indignation of Eng | gand If the case had been one involving | France or Russia instead of England. he 1 declared. the message would never have | been sent If such policy were ven 1 tured upon he predicted that Germany | would some dav be awakened bv dire l catastrophe He then proceeded to at- l tack the policy of Germany in the east. Rebels Won.
 ] Santiago de Cuba, Feb. 4. via Tampa, l Fla Feb. 13.-On January 13 Spanish 1 Commander Gonzales Moro, with 300 in- l fantry and artillery, had an encounter with Rebel Colonel Tamayo and 300 in | surgents in La Pedrera Baracoa. After fighting an hour the troops, retired to the i city limits unable to defeat the rebels in l spite of the advantage of. the artillery. 1 The rebels had splendid positions. The | Spanish commander. Gonzales Moro, was 1 wounded in one leg, one officer and five i soldiers were killed and twenty-eight
 soldiers were wounded. The rebels had l one killed and five wounded.
 | For the last few days the number of l men leaving the city to join the rebels 1 has increased considerably
 | Smallpox is causing many deaths in the ! military hospital of this city.
 Russia's Blue Book.
 | London. Feh 13.-A blue book on Ar menia, issued by the government this | afternoon, shows that Russia from the very first refused to cooperate with the | powers in exertfng pressure on Turkey | in behalf of the Armenian ms. and also de- clined to use force In that direction her eolf fearing that thereby she would as-