The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-27
WILLIAM IFS SUCCESSES.
zRfUMPH OF MS PoLICT IN AND
our OF TIE REICHSThG.

mas Gained for Ilis Various Preiects-Ono
Success for Trades Unionista - Anecdotes
sr the Late William ferries "A Curious
Relic or plcdIpsvaiism In Parts OF Bavaria.
LaNDoN. Dec. 1s.-Ifi II is possible for a man Of
the German Emperor's temperament to rest and
DO thankful even for n few days. then surely he
must spend n very happy Christmas this year.
To Successes dependent on tho personal asser-
tion OF his imperial authority he Is accustomed,
but to secure them through the ReichstaG and
at the same time to reestablish the reputation
Of his GovernmentRmong the people at large Is
q new and unexpected thing. At the proroga.
tion In July tho almostu unanimous opinion in
Berlin was that a speedy dissolution offered
the only chance of safety to the Government.
Since then Emperor Williams ccaseless ac-
tivity has been directed with skill and
helped by fortune, until now a great
part OF his scheme that was expected
to embittcr existing discomfort and DO stubborn.
ly resisted Is already carried through amid en-.
thusiastic applause. Something OF the change
10 doubtless due to the proverbial qualities Of
q. new brooms." The new men at the holm, Herr
Won Bnlow, Baron Thiolmann, Admiral Won
Tirpitz. Gen. Podbielski. and Count Posadowsky,
are anxious to justify their appointment. But
IL was the Emperor that initiated these Min.
isterial changes. and the events Of the past few
weeks have shown toward what they are tend
ing. In domestic politics the word is given to
"go Slow" That is tho other eide OF the naval
crusade, The Home Secretary. Count Posa-
dowsky, delivered a long speech in tho Reichstag
this week. that has been greeted by the semi
official press as a manifesto of the Government.
The plaincst thing about 1t is that the present
Ministers are bent on avoiding the fate of their
predecessors. Nearly every Minister whose
dismissal dates from the period Of tho Emperor's
own reaction from his dreams of social reform
may be said to have paid the penalty OF his mas
ters ideals. The new course Is. as Count
Posadowsky informed the Social Democratic
party. that q CLOSE timo" in social legislation
has set in. The Emperor on his side has galvan.
lied new life into Prince Hohenioho; he has con-
jured n letter Of recommendation from Prince
Bismarck on behalf OF the Naval bill. More than
all he has reached the hearts OF his impression
able people by stalking his only brother in tho
service Of the Fatherland " at the Christmas
season of family reunion. and has appealed to
his commercial population by sending the flag
to follow the trade.
Alongside of this energy and expansion there
10 the wretched spectacle of the Austrian Navy
which is now remarked in Vienna. A CORE
spondent writes that seven OF tho ironclads
are declared to DO obsolete. having been built
in tho carly sixties. Ten years later they were
podernized, but only in n very defective
and unsatisfactory way. Most of tho others
were launched in 1901, their keels
having been laid down several years before.
Thus they almost all belong to very early types.
They are built OF iron instead of steel. and armed
with old pattern cannon. The engines are also
out of date and consume a relatively enormous
amount Of coal. The speed is low, and most of
the ships would be no match for the modern
greyhounds In the event of war.
IAN effort is now being made to arouse tho
country to a sense of the need for strengthening
the navy. as a kind of sequel 10 tho movement
In Germany, but public opinion is rs yet slow to
manifest ITSELF"
While tho Engineering Employers Federation
has been fighting tho Amalgamated Society Of
Engineers in q contest of sheer endurance to Sc
cure absolute freedom of management in their
business and eliminate trade-union Interference,
trade unionism has itself received a great and
permanent accession of strength from q most
unexpected quarter. This is the decision OF the
House of Lords in the case of ALLEN vs.. Hood
and another" Tho facts of the case are as fol-
lows:
The respondents, Flood and Taylor. were
Norkmen engaged by tho day at the works of
tho Glengall Company. They were ~shipwrights
doing wood work on a vessel called the Sam
Weller. The company employed a far larger
number of nor doing Iron work than of ship
wrights, and there was q strong feeling against
the respondents on the ground that they had
previously, being shipwriRhis, done iron work
for another firm. One of the iron men, on April
IL. 1894, telegraphed to the appellant, Allen,
who was a delegate or official of the Boiler
makers Union, and he came to the dock and
saw tho man who had sent the telegram. This
man. Elliott by name, told Allen that the men
were talking Of throwing down their tools at
dinner-time. Allen warned Elliott to be care
full, and said the men must not leave without
the sanction Of the union. Shortly afterward
tho appellant saw Mr.. Halkett. the managing
director. to whom he showed the telegram,
observing that the men felt aggrieved at
having to work with Flood and Taylor, and
that II these were continued on the job the iron
men would leave off work or DO called out.
The two mon were thereupon dismissed by Mr..
nalkett and brought their action against Allen.
At the trial Mr.. Justice Kennedy, after stating
that no case had been established of conspiracy
or Of coercion or intimidation. left two questions
to the jury: 1. did Allen maliciously induce
the company to discharge the plaintiffs T. Q.
Ibid Allen maliciously induce the company not
to engage the plaintiffs" The questions were
adversely TO the appellant, against
whom damages were given. The question ad.
dressed to the Judges was: Assuming the owl
/, donce given by the plaintiffs witnesses to be
correct, was there any evidence of q cause Of
action ft to DO left to the jury"
A common jury OF working'class men gave
e2O damages against Allon. Tho Court of Ap-
peal supported tho verdict, and tho case went
to the House of Lords two years ago. whore the
first doubts were raised. In view of the Inn
portance OF the case 1t was decided to reargue
the appeal and ask the opinions OF the Judges.
OF the eight Judges who answered tho
questions put them. six were In favor
of the opinion of the Court of Appeal.
But now the law Lords. by q majority OF
six to one. have upset all tho lower courts.
and as the House Of Lords decision is alb.
solutely final. 1t must now DO held that
a discharged workman has no redress against a
trades union or trades union official who induces
T. maliciously. as the jury hold an employer to
dismiss him merely because he is Objectionable
to the union. The following extracts from the
lengthy judgments of the law Lords. who were
in the majority. show the reasons on which they
base this important principle Of law over which
tradaA union nOliIiciAna and collAcfiviata in ran.