The San Francisco call., 1896-05-03
Ministers Threaten to Resign if
the Proposed Measures Are
Not Sanctioned.
THE EMPEROR FORCED TO YIELD
HOnors Bestowed Upon the Widow of
Embassador Runyon While
Departing.

BERLIN, GERMANY, May I'm the ear
lier part of the week there was minis
terial crisis over the question of reform in
the laws of military procedure in the trial
of militaries for criminal offenses, which,
:: it was generally believed, had reached an
acute stage, but it has since been denied,
upon semi-official authority, that such a
state of things ever existed. AS was an
nounced in these dispatches last week, the
whole of the Emperor's Military Cabinet,
of which General Won Hahnke is the
T.: head, was strongly opposed to the reform
proposed, Or. in fact, to any reform at all,
and as Chancellor Won Hohenlohe and
General Bronsart von Schellendorf, Min
lister OF War, are known to have advised
: the Kaiser that reforms in the military
code of procedure were imperative, and
., that the. authorities of the sovereign Fed
eral States held the same views on the sub
ject, it was expected that the opponents of
reform, the chief OF whom is General Won
.Hahnke. would not long be able to resist
the demands of the Ministers.
The question assumed a serious aspect
when. inspired articles simultaneously ap-
peared in the. Cologne Gazette and the
Hamburg Correspondent, purporting to
disclose the attitude of the Ministry upon
the question at issue. The acial head of
the press department of the Foreign Office
is accredited with having animated both
articles, which Vehtured to refer to the
proceedings of the Cabinet sitting in
council, which have hitherto been held
strictly secret. It was stated in these
: articles that General Bronsart von Schellen-
dorf would Immediately resign his Office if
the Emperor retarded; the reforms which
; were advocated by the Chancellor and
himself, on the grounds furnished by
General Hahnke's adverse reports, and it
was also asserted thatn only Prince Won
Hohenlohe, but the whole Ministry, in
Guiding Dr. MIGUEL, Prussian Minister of
Finance, conceded with General Won
Scheliendorf and would resign also. These
statements created a great sensation
throughout the country and gave rise to
an excited press. paign in which the
Emperor and General Ton Hahnke were
.. severely commented upon.
=. After the Emperor's conference with the
Chancellor and other members of the Min
istry Immediately upon his return to
Berlin on Wednesday an official announce
.ment was made to. the effect that the EN-
peror had not refused to sanction the
reforms proposed, and also that the retire.
ment of General Won Spitz was due to his
extreme age and not to any difference
with the Emperor's Military Cabinet.
The inner track of the whole matter is
believed to be a plan laid by certain
official to oust General Bronsart Won
:. .Schellendorf from the Office of Minister of
War; ana the articles published in the
Hamburg Correspondent and the Cologne
Gazette; which were designed to convey to
the Emperor the impression that General
Bronsart von Schellendorf intended to en-
. force the reforms through the medium of
the press were exactly calculated to cause
man of the Emperor's temperament to
= dismiss so presumptuous a Minister. 1t
=. is taken for granted that Prince Hohen-
lobe disclaimed to the Emperor all respon-
..sibility for the statements made in the
: Gazette and its Hamburg contemporary.
- The Berlin Neuste Nachrichten, which
draws its inspiration from the Chancel-
lerie, characterizes the articles as contain
ing the issues of fact interviewer with fic-
tion, originating with persons who are
interested in fostering Ministerial dIssen-
*sions. The Deutsche Zeitung. in an article
on the subject, demands the public expos
ure OF the guilty intriguers who are using
.. the press as a vehicle to convey their
malice. The sum total of the present effect
of the press campaign is that it will tend
to keep the Chancellor in Office.
The North German Gazette declares that
=. the Chancellor's health has been re-estab-
lished, but this assertion does not check
the continuance, of surmises as to his
probable successor. and Count Philip Won
Eulen burg, the present German Embassa-
dor to Austria, is regarded as having the
best chance.
1t was the intention of the majority of
the Berlin employers to close their places
of business yesterday in order to allow
their workmen to attend the opening of
the Industrial Exposition, but these plans
were altered in consequence of the issu-
= ance of manifesto by the Trades Union
committee appealing to the workingmen
to stay away from the opening ceremonies
of the exhibition and not allow thems selves
to be used as ornamental supernumeraries.
In the face of this appeal of the Trades
Union workingmen themselves a great
many of the employers decided not to
close their workshops, but rather to en-
force the ordinary regulations against the
men who were absent without leave.
The departure from Berlin of Mrs. Run
yon, widow of the late United States EN-
bassador, Hon. Theodore Runyon, and her
daughter, Miss Julia Runyon, who sailed
from Bremen for New York on board the
steamer Lain to-day, was accompanied by
marked demonstrations of sympathy and
respect.
The railway authorities assigned to
them the use of a special waiting-room al
the station, which is reserved for court
officials, and number of persons high in
official and social circles presented them
with flowers. Mrs. ]. B. Jackson and Mrs.
II. 6. Squires, respectively the wives OF
first and second secretaries of the United
States embassy, and many other me mbers
of the American colony, also sent floral
pieces in SUCH profusion as to almost COM
completely fill the compartment OF the
railway carriage they:were placed in.
United States Consul General Charles de
Kay and the entire American EN- bassy,
with the exception of ambassador Uhl. .bade