The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-19
DEBATE in REICHSTAG
FEATURES OF THE DISCUSSION DUR
ING THE PAST WEEK.
The Government ON the Defensive and
Chancellor HOhenlOhe Accused of
Not Keeping His Word.

BERLIN, Dec. 1S.-The past weeks sit
tings of the Reichstag were interesting.
The government throughout was on the de-
fensive, and Herren Bebel, Richter, Lieber
and other Oppositionists Haunted the fact
in Prince Hohenlohes face that he had
broken his word to the Reichstag in not
securing for the workmen the right of CO.
alition, and in falling to secure the right of
liberalization for political clubs. The
chancellors replies were decidedly lame.
Herr Richter's speeches, however, were de-
void of fire, while Herr Bebel's were so i'm
FASHIONED they forced nearly the entire
Cabinet to reply. Some of the admissions
thus made are valuable. For instance, such
as the statement of General Won Gossler,
the minister for war, on Tuesday, when,
replying to Herr Richters criticism of the
army, he declared the government did not
propose to change the system of two years
service nor increa Sc the infantry, adding,
however, that the reorganization of the
field artillery was urgent. And the state
ment of Count Posadowski, the minister of
the interior, that the sugar bounty negotia-
tons between Germany, France and Aus
tria were deadlocked, although still pend
ing
Another important statement made jointly
by Baron Won Thielmann, the minister for
foreign affairs, and Count Posadowski, was
that Germany is preparing an autonomous
tariff to enable her to Immediately retaliate
on countries enacting tariffs unfavorable to
German industry and commerce. This an
nouncement was greeted with wild cheer
ing and cries of delight from all the
Agrarians and has been acclaimed by the
Conservative press.
On Thursday the government announced
that measures were under way to relieve the
distress in Silesia caused by the floods, and
to guard against recurrence OF Such uls-
asters. The principal features will be the
construction of five huge accumulation
tanks, of a capacity of eighty millions cubic
meters, in the mountainous districts where
are the Rivers Lober, Zaoker and Quelss,
utilize the water power for Industrial pur-
pc ses. The damage done by the floods our
ing the past summer IN the aDove-n ean ood
marks. ,
the revision Of the constitution, which
hinges on the question of = repres entation
of the various classes of tn cpulation, has
assumed acute features. a. ppeai 10 the
it is probable the lower classes Will want an
increase of representatlv~S Iii the lower
chamber.
The government has decided to make a
considerable increase in the number of pro-
fessional consuls. especially In the United
States, in the BRUSH colonies anu III OOulH
America. A number of recent cases in these
countries show the necessity of maintaining
trained consuls. of diplomatic experience, In
many places now flled py local RESIDENTS.
A German railway official, who was an
eyewitness of the facts, tells the CORE
spondent here of the Associated Press an
unpublished story of the Cars journey
from Darmstedt to Coburg in October last.
Information reached Russia, through the
secret police, of plot of Nihilists studying
at German universities to wreck the car
train and most extraordinary precautions
were taken to protect his Majesty Inc
train only travelled seventeen TO twenty-one
kilometers per hour instead of eighty, and
the whole trip consumed twelve hours.
twenty Kossacks of the bodyguard, with
rifles and revolvers, constantly patrolled the
gangways of the train and the whole track
from Darmstadt to Coburg was guarded by
several thousands of German troops under
the special command Of Russian secret-serv-
ice officers.
Marie Geistinger, long leading seubrette
on the German stage and who has success
fully toured America, will appear shortly
on the variety stage at the Winter Garten,
Berlin, where she will bid final adieu to
youthful roles. she IS slAly-hlne years OF
age.
On Thursday Mr.. Ritter Brown, of Oma-
ha Neb., gave a concert with the Berlin
philharmonic Orchestra. Miss Edith Walk
er. of New York, but now of the Vienna
of German songs.
Mr.. J. W. Willard, the nephew of Miss
Frances Willard who started recently on
an expedition to Asiatic Russia, arrived on
Saturday last at Samarcand Bokkara- Mr..
Wizards journey, as cabled on Nov 2, is
undertaken for the purpose of studying the
habits of criminals and Migrants. The Rus
sian government is furnishing him with free
TRANSPORTATION throughout the empire.
Herr Hermann Spannier, of Berlin, ac-
companied by some capitalists, starts next
week for the United States to introduce in
the large cities of America the cab taxa
meter system of automatically regulating
fares.
Professor Richthofen, of the Berlin Uni
versity, has been invited By the United
States ambassador, Mr.. Andrew d. White,
on behalf of the Johns Hopkins University
of Baltimore, to deliver twelve lectures
there this winter.
The official North German Gazette refers
to the case of Mgr. Schroeder. of the Cath
Ollie University at Washington, as furnish
ing evidence of the American hatred for
everything German.
The Foreign Ofice has not yet undertaken
the REORGANIZATION Of the cases OF the