The record-union., 1896-06-21
Debate Upon the Bill From the Second
Reading Begun in the ReiChStag.
Government Hopes That It Will Pass
at the Present Session.
Berlin Newspapers Exercised Over
the Presence at the German Capital
of Ii Hung Chang, the Chinese
VicerOy, and Field Marshal Yama-
gaia, Chief of the
Japanese Army.

Japanese Army.
BERLIN, June 2O.-The debate from
the second reading of the Government S
bill reforming the Civil Code was be-
gun in the Reichstag yesterday. The
| previous sittingS of the chamber since
the reassembling of the Reichstag,
after Whitsuntide recess have gener-
lily failed to present a quorum, but
when the question of the second read
ing of the Civil Code was taken up a
fairly good house assembled. The Gov
ernment is convinced that a majority
! Of the opposition has hoped to retard
/ the passage of the measure by pro-
longing the discussion of the bill and
seizing every opportunity to count
OUT the House whenever they became
weary of discussion or the House does
not contain quorum, but the Govern
ment's supporters are alive to these tao
tics and have managed to foil the op-
position on their resort to them.
DR.. Won Boetticher President of the
/ Council of Ministers, stated in reply to
| a question asked by DR.. Rinteln, Cent
rist, at yesterdays sitting, that the
Federal Government hoped that the
Civil Code bill would be passed at the
present session, after which Prince Ho-
henlohe, the Imperial Chancellor, would
announce the adjournment of the
| Refchstag.
Herr Richter, Radical, moved to
| eliminate from the order of the day
the whole of the Civil Code bill, saying
| that according to the belief Of his sec
| ton, as well as the opposition of the
! Freissinigs, the measure was bad be-
| yond the possibility of its being amend
ed. Herr Richter added that he we'll
| knew that the House would refuse his
| motion, but as a matter of principle
he would offer a similar motion at a
| subsequent sitting.
| The Centrist, Conservative and Ma
| tional Liberal speakers protested
against such obstruction on the part OF
| I5err Richter DIR. Won Boetticher ex-
| pressed the hope that this great ma
| tional legislative work (the passage of
/ the Civil Code bilD would be finished
within the year, marking the twenty
fifth anniversary of the founding of the
empire.
Herr Richter's motion was rejected,
only forty-six members supporting it,
while sixty voted against it. The
! bill is composed of Socialists, Freissin-
igs and a number of anti-Semites.
The Berlin newspapers are filled with
references to the presence in Berlin of
Ii Hung Chang, the Chinese Viceroy,
and Field Marshal Yamagata, Com
lnander Chief of the japanese army,
who came here from Moscow, where
they represented their respective Gov
ernments at the coronation of Car
Nicholas II. Ii Hung Chang had a
| conference lasting two hours with
| Baron Marschall Won Bieberstein, Min
| ;ster of Foreign Affairs, yesterday,
| which gave rise to rumors of a definite
Chino-German agreement, whereby
| China cedes q coaling station and also
| grants land concessions to Germany to
| Increase the Chinese customs.
The Post" assumes to confirm these
| rumors, but the report is nevertheless
discredited in diplomatic quarters
| wherein the extent of the Powers to
| treat with the Pekin Government has
been intrusted to Lii Hung Chang are
best known. The Emperor has show
cred honors on Ii Hung Chang, be-
lieving that the Viceroy is still in pos
session of great influence with the Pc
! kin Government, and is able to forward
German industrial enterprise in China
! What is known as an absolute GER
tainty in regard to Lii Hung Chang.
however, is that he is ready to accept
money to help the Pekin Government
from anyone who is ready to lend The
| Viceroy remarked to an American gen.
tleman whose acquaintance he formed
in Moscow, and whom he again met in
Berlin, that he would be glad to place
orders for the construction of war
ships and the furnishing of munitions
of war in the United States If he could
negotiate a loan with American bank
ers. Ii Hung Chang has seen several
of the leading Berlin financiers and
talked over the prospects of another
Chinese loan, but no conclusion was
reached, nor has the Viceroy given any
definite orders to German firms. Ii
will visit Kiel as the guest of the Kai-
ser, and will inspect the Emperor's s
new racing yacht Meteor From Kiel
he will go to Hamburg and visit the
Leghorn fortress. A Chinese fete was
given in honor of Ii Hung Chang at the
Berlin Exhibition, and a son of the
Vlceroy mas received from the Emperor
the crown order of the first class.
w itAiC IA iiuiS CHdnS was being
feted and fawned upon MARQUIS Yam
agata kept in the background all the
time he was in Berlin He went out
very little, and several times consulted
Professor Renvens, the eminent spe-
csalist, in regard to an intestinal com
plant which has been increasing in Sc
verify since his campaign in China.
Marshal Yamagata declared that he
had no official mission anywhere. and
only wanted to be quiet. After his re-
ception by the Kaiser on Thursday
Marshal Yamagata started for Brus-
| sells.
Ii Hung Chang has obtained the
sanction of the Emperor to his EMPLOY
ment of Colonel Liebert and 100 other
| German officers to reorganize the Chi
| nese army.
Prince Bismarcks chef de cusine
Herr Leichau, was arrested on wednes-
day In the kitchen of the ex-Chancel-
1or's residence at FREDERICKSBURG on &
charge of embezzlement He was taken
Altoona and put in jail A search of his
| lodgings resulted in the finding of a
| large number of stolen articles.
| The heat within the last few days has