The age-herald., 1898-01-23
EMPEROR IN ILL HEALTH
Influenza Prevalent in German
 Court Circles.
FESTIVITIES OF THE WEEK
Number of Decorations Bestowed Larger Than Ever Before, TotaIing 2,009-Prussian
 State Loans Declared Necessary.

Berlin. Jan. 22.-The court festivities of the week, including two which are usually the most imposing of the year, viz: the order and decoration fete, and the invest ure of the new Knights of the Black Eagle, were far from gay, owing to the absence of the empress and other prin- cesses and the prevalence of influenza in court circles. The emperor himself is far conferred was larger than ever before, to- talling 2,OO9. The Vorwaerts thereupon ironically remarks:
 Tt is evident that the number of the meritorious increases year by year.
 Among those decorated were Baron Won Thielmann, the minister for foreign af- fairs, and Count William Bismarck, both of whom received the star of the Red Eagle. His majesty also sent decorations to the high officers of Edhem Pasha's army who were militarily educated in Prussia.
 There is much comment in Berlin court circles at the news from Darmstadt of the increasing matrimonial differences of the Garnd Duke and Grand Duchess Lou ise A fortnight ago there was a terrible scene between them, the trouble culmi- hating, 1t is asserted in the grand duke laying violent hands upon his wife and ejecting her from the room. The duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha has been ap- pealed to by his daughter, and letters of bitter complaint have been sent to Queen Victoria; but both the duke and her maj esty profess their inability to cure the trouble The czarina, who was also ap- preached on the subject, is said to side with her brother, Duke Louis. The quar- rels are said to be largely due to the na- tional prejudices of the Germans and Eng fish, and vice versa.
 The announcement of the minister of finance, Dr. Miquel, in the diet on Wednes- day, that, notwithstanding the increased tax receipts and the large surplus, new Prussian state loans necessary, has created a sensation. It is understood the new loans will be largely used in improv- ing the rolling stock of the railroads.
 The lberal-leftists of the reichstag seem to have been right in assuming that Count Posadowsky, the minister of the interior, means to further curtail the coalition rights of workers. The inquiries instituted by him among German state governments was the first move in that direction. It is intended to shape state legislation and practice in the different states uniformly and in sush manner as to serve two main purposes, namely: To render extended strikes more difficult and to enable the authorities to have more strict control over strike leaders and labor delegates, so as to gradually drive the latter out of the country. It would seem that the ex- isting laws ought to be sufficient to meet the requirements, from thet fact that dur ing the present week a laborer at Reconne- berg was sentenced to a year in jail for a verbal intimidation of a "scab," while at Lubeck a striker was sentenced to nine months in jail for tearing up the time slips of two "scabs."
 From information which has reached the foreign office it appears that the German missionary troubles in China are becoming widespread and are leading to new com plications between the two governments. The Protestants as well as the Catholics have been attacked. Reports received by the Berlin Evangelical Mission society show critical state of affairs exists. Mur- derous attacks have been made upon three of its stations.
 Throughout the Prussian provinces his torical work on William l., entitled, "Our Hero Emperor" which is greatly approved by the present emperor, is being peddled out by the police, who are securing thous- ands of subscriptions by intimldating farm ers Herr Richter, next week in the diet, will interpellate the government on the subject.