The herald., 1896-12-13

try, fully two-thirds of its population
is Catholic
Jp to a few years ago the National
Liberals fromed the strongest party but
they now occupy a second place. Ihey
sit Immediately to the left of the Catho-
lies and are usually opposed to every
thing which the Conservatives favor.
An offshoot of the Liberals Is the Freis
innge, or Independent party, made ia
nous by the oratory of Eugene Richter,
it's founder.
Then to the left Of the Independents
come the Social Democrats, who would
revolutionize everything, sweeping the
kaiser, the mobiles and every form of
hereditary government from the face
of Germany. 1t was Bebel, their great
leader and spokesman who hurled the
word madness at the emperor, and who
made such a pitiful spectacle of General
Won Gossler, the minister of war, when
the latter attempted to defend the out
RACES committed by army officers.
A DULL PLACE ORDINARILY
Ordinarily when there is nothing of
| moment going on, the sessions of the
reichstag are terribly uninteresting. The
only exciting feature is the necessary
effort to secure admittance. TO accom-
plish this you must be on hand before
s o'clock of the morning of the day before
you wish to attend, and then wait in line
at the reichstag ticket office. Sometimes
the ticket is forthcoming and sometimes
it isn't.
The sessions are supposed to open at
1 o'clock, but they begin about twenty
minutes later. The room fills slowly,
and business proceeds in rather infor-
NAL manner. The members pay atten-
tion If they are interested in what the
speaker is saying, or chat with their
neighbors, or busy themselves with their
| writing If they are not. There is a con-
tinual buzzing undercurrent of CONVEX
sation. which the speaker of the moment
is usually powerless to drown.
When the president wishes to say
something that must be heard he rings
a bell, and the momentary hush which
arises allows his voice to be heard. Then
the hum begins again! When a
| man has something Of Importance to say
he usually takes his stand at the top of
; the steps leading down from the dais,
where the president and the bundesrath
sit, but many men simply rise in their
seats and speak from the floor.
RULERS OF INDIA.
| The principal feudatory prince in West
ern India, the Gaikwar OF Baroda, has been
officially invited to England for the royal
| festivities next year. and 1t is his inten-
| ton to be present. His highness is very
| fond, of England, which he has visited on
more than one previous occasion for the
| benefit of his health, and he has many
| friends in this country. 1t is possible that
! the threatened famine may prevent India
| being so we'll represented at the celebra-
| tion of the queens long reign as was orig
inally hoped; but fortunately the prosper
| GUS and we'll governed state of Baroda lies
| outside the area of the anticipated catas
! troplre and so the Gaakwar will experience
no difficulty in accepting the queens invi-
| tation.
| The Gaikwar's brother, who has spent
| some time in Oxford and in London quietly
l,fc ho r1uc Cad
| as a barrister and is to be sailed to the bar
| shortly He leaves soon for Baroda, where
| his a bilities and knowledge of western
| ideas will doubtless be turned to good ac-
| count For an Indian prince he has seen
| a great deal of the world. Not only has he
resided on and off for some years in Ok
| ford and in London but he has an ac
| and has Travelled extensively in the United
States, in Japan and in China.-Pall Mall
Gazette.