The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-01

vieff's Visit 10 BerIin Fails TO
Arouse Much Interest on the Part
of the PubIic-The Tie Binding the
Dretbund Powers Not So strong as
Formerly.
| Copyright 1897 by the United Associated
Presses:
Berlin Jan. 31.-Public interest in the
Reichstag this week has been at the very
lowest ebb. At no time have there been
more than thirty members in the building.
including those in the restaurant or libra
ry and it has been next to impossible to
! obatin a quorum. In view of this state
of apathy on the part of members of the
imperial legislative body. it is not sur
prising That the restauranteur who holds
the contract to supply the members with
meals refuses to keep the restaurant open
any longer unless he is subsidized and has
given formal notice that he will retire
on April 1. In the meantime another con-
tractor will be advertised for, but what
success will attend the efforts to get a
responsible and competent person to un-
dertake the service remains to be seen.
Apart from the fact that the keeper of the
restaurant receives no subsidy, the terms of
his contract require him TO furnish mem
bers of the Reichstag with full dinner at
! the very reasonable rate Of a mark and a
half head, and limited repast at one
mark each.
The National Zeitung, commenting upon
the fact that there were only ten mem
bers present upon the occasion of recent
debate upon an important measure. says:
Members of the Reichstag appear to
think that debates are useless, as they
lead to no practical action"
The Berlin newspapers, noticing the visit
to the German capital of Count Muravieff.
the Russian foreign minister, contrast the
| general indifference shown to his pres
ence in the city, with the interest taken
in the recent sojourn of Count Goluchow-
| ski. Short as was Count Golu-
I chowskis stay in Berlin, It resulted
in an important change in Germany's pol
| icy toward the sultan, and probably also
! in the Balkans. The Austrian governs
ment has long maintained that the oh
| jects of the dreibund, and especially of the
| dual alliance, could only be obtained by
! concert of policy at Constantinople. The
/
schemes of reform without coercion, II
/ necessary, was held by the Austrian min
| lister to menace the stability of the alli-
ance. Count Goluchowskl is understood
| to have made the all-important declara.
| ton to the kaiser and Prince Hohenlohe
| that Austria and Italy would join Eng
land in imposing by force the needful re-
forms upon the sultan, even if they had
to act without the cooperation Of France
! and Russia
| Nothing but defeat in diplomacy and
disappointment of aim has resulted from
! the attempts of Germany to cultivate the
/ friendship of Russia. The Russo-French
entente has grown In closeness while the
understanding between the dreibund pow
| ers has been subjected to some strain.
! Count Goluchowski has now succeeded in
obtaining such a full agreement with the
kaiser as will enable the ambassadors of
! the three powers to work in perfect har-
mony. If the Turkish correspondence is
sued by the English foreign Office had
been completed up to date, instead of
| finishing at the close of December, the
modification in Germany's policy would
| have been seen to alter the position in the
east The kaiser is no longer a hard and
fast opponent of coercion, but has agreed
| to Join in coercion if the other powers are
unanimous.
Europe is thus within view of present.
ing the sultan with a programme of re-
! form under compulsion, not the moral
| pressure" the Russian government still
| holds out for, but the material enforce
ment which Austria, Italy and England
! have for some time been agreed upon. A
! draft of the reform demands has at last
! been presented to the sultan through Ba-
| ron Calice, the president at the ambassa-
dorial conferences Some semi-official idea
of the scheme Of the powers has been re-
ceived here from Constantinople The prov
| inces Asiatic as well as European, are
| TO have some sort of elective councils with
administrative governments. A council of
| state composed of members representing
| the provinces and members appointed by
the sultan, is to sit for stated annual PEE
RODS In Constantinople. This council will
have voice In the appointment of min
listers and in the regulation of the finances.
The sultan is to govern through his minis
ters and not through the palace function
aries, and the administration of justice is
also to be reformed.
The struggle which Is proceeding in
Austria between the clerical ana anti
Semitic coalition, the German liberals,
and the social democrats, is watched
here with the keenest interest. The fore
casts OF the results Of the elections pre-
dieting the triumph OF the clerico-anti-
semitic parties have already been cabled. j..
Count Badeni the Austrian premier, de-
spite his circular to the provincial gov
ernors, directing them TO observe the
strictest impartiality. Is undoubtedly as
slstlng the groups which the liberals call
reactonary. Count Badenrs organ, the
Reichswehr, In an official communication,
dilates upon the necessity OF creating a
newer governmental party, which Is to
embrace all representatives Of conserva-
tism and Catholicism, and which will
"worthiiy sustain the best traditions Of
the Austrian state
The aristocratic clubs, such as the Ho-
henwart Qhe fuedal party In Bohemia)
and the ciericals In the Tyrol-Salzburg,
T'pper Austria and Syria, are rallying to
tbe cali OF Count Badeni. This new party
Will form the center In the new Relchs-
rath and the nucleus OF strong govern
ment majority
THE socialists are actively working an
electoral agitation In Vienna, and In all
The manufacturing centers, and expect TO
secure about twenty seats. They have fair
prospects IN some workingmon's districts
In the north and especially In Bohemia,
where the excitement Is intense and where
the elections are not likely to pass on
without rloting The mixed nationalities OF
Austria are IN a ferment and present
more complex election problem than over,
but that Count Badeni viii get the sort OF
/