The San Francisco call., 1897-12-26
Heavy Taxes Appear to Be the
Only Way to Increase
Gernany's Navy.
CHRISTMAS IS OBSERVED.
The Imperial Family Passed the Day
at the New Palace and Distrib-
uted the Usual Presents.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

BERLIN, Dec. 25.-Prince Hohenlohe
is much distressed at the sudden death
of his wife on Tuesday last. He spent
the previous three days at her bedside
without sleep, and his octogenarian
frame has been greatly enfeebled
thereby. His physicians are urgently
advising him to retire from public life,
at any rate temporarily. but the En-
peror relies upon Prince Hohenlohe's
patriotism to remain in office in the
present critical time. The remains of
the Princess will be inferred on Sun
day. The body was consecrated on
Friday in the presence of the minis
ters, military dignitaries, followed by
the Prince Bishop of Breslau, DR.. Copp,
in the conservatory of the Chancellor S
palace. The Emperor and Empress of
Germany sent floral wreaths.
At the reconvening of the Reichstag
the members of the opposition intend
to make much of the fact that accord
ing to official figures just obtained, the
imperial treasury receipts for the cur
rent year show a decrease Of 10000, 900
marks. They will point out that in
view of the naval increase and the re-
organization of the field artillery the
large additional funds needed can only
be raised by new taxes, contrary to the
promises of the Government.
The Government will introduce at the
reconvening of the Prussian Diet, on
January II, another anti-Socialistic
bill, but not SO comprehensive as the
one introduced last summer. 1t will
merely apply to lectures which have
Ioo,, 1,ro,,sI,+ ,,r5ar co1,ar,,,,o,,+ e-,,,,o-
vision.
The imperial family passed Christ
mas at the New Palace in the usual
way. The two eldest Princes arrived
Tuesday. The distribution Of gifts was
more lavish than ever. This part of
the celebration took place in the shell
5halI. Most of the gifts were purchased
by the Empress personally at various
Berlin stores. They included hundreds
of presents for the servants and court
officials.
At a secret session of the Municipal
Council on Tuesday a New Years ad-
dress to the Emperor was adopted for
the first time in many years. This ad-
dress deals largely with national pol
itics. and is couched in patriotic terms.
Voluntary collections for naval pur-
poses are taking place among the
pupils of many Of the public schools.
The influenza, in a severe form, has
been spreading in Berlin. There have
been thousands of cases, and the death
rate is rapidly increasing.
Negotiations are proceeding in Berlin
between Germany and Austria with q
view to holding an international con-
ference at Brussels on the subject of
the abolition Of the sugar-export boun-
ties.
Deutsche Tages Zeitung, freely attacks
Baron Thielman for not declaring war
on the United States.
The Vossische Zeitung, however,
thinks that the present moment is not
propitious for such q demonstration,
and Great Britain would alone profit
by a tariff war of that kind.
To the intense amaZement of the Suf-
ferers from the floods the Government
has presented a claim for payment to
all villages and individual owners who
were aided during the floods by the
military. The village of Plaun, for in
stance, received a bill for 400 marks.
Clifton r. Breckenridge, the former
United States Minister at st. Peters
burg, arrived here Thursday to spend
the holidays with his family at Dres-
den.
There was no joint celebration of
Christmas by the American colony of
Berlin. Several American ladies had
Christmas trees and distributed gifts
to the poor children Of the neighbor-
hood.
The Agricultural Society has mem
orialiZed the Government, claiming that
American fruit of every kind imported
into Germany is infected with the San
Jose scale, which is a constant danger
to German fruit growers. They want
q strict examination of ali American
fruit, trees and shrubs, and a refusal
to admit them wherever the scale is de-
tected.
The Emperor has presented the EN-
press with a beautiful bracelet consist
ing of miniatures of himself and their
seven children set in diamonds In the
center, is the portrait of Princess
Luischen, and below it is the EN-
peror's portrait in a heart-shaped set
ting.