The times., 1898-06-26
proceeds of which were going to the
money lenders in the large cities

To these patent facts, however, the
been a stubborn race. deliberately shut
their eyes. and have for ten years de-
voted their energies. instead of facing the
inevitable and making the best OF the
changed situation Especially curtailing
their expenses and developing new and
profitable methods of cultivating their
soil, such as raising fruit, vegetables for
the citfes), 10 mastering all political in
huence they could for the purpose of OBJ
tanning such legislation as will serve
their separate interests using this last
word in its narrower and more selfish
sense. Their program, as gradually deyei-
oped during the last few years. now COM
prises so many and so radical remedies
that no government in the world would
dream of carrying it ouI, nor do they
themselves dream it, I suppose. but they
proceed on the principle that they will
take as much as they can get if they can
not get any more 1t comprises. for in
stance, the re-establishment of the sill
yer standard in Germany; the rejection
OF all such commercial treaties as Will
bind Germany for number of years
ahead, and as will have a tendency to
keep prices for agricultural products
down; the paying of large export boun-
ties ON sugar and other products of
theirs: the granting to them of exclusive
and low rates on the state railroads so
as to lower freights and allow them to
send their stuff TO far-away cities at a
profit; the guaranty by the state of their
loads of debt. at a nomina. rate of inter
est. ETC., and at a glance it will be seen
that to do this would plunge Germany
back into the time when she was prima-
rily an agricultural and not an industrial
and exporting country, and that the in
terests of the overwhelming majority of
the nation would be sacrificed TO those of
numerically small clique; for 1t must be
kept in mind that the many thousands of
small farmers the bulk of the agricultur-
lists in the western half of Germany have
by no means Identified themselves with
this younker program. and that they:
forming nine-tenths in numbers of the
soil in Germany. are quite satisfied with
present conditions. and that. indeed. large
societies have been formed among these
humber tillers of the ground opposed to
the younker program Nevertheless, il
is on the cards that at this coming cleo
tion the agrarians, who. as / pointed out.
exert an immense amount of political and
social influence in Germany and especial
ly in the eastern half OF Prussia, will
score more or less of success. and that
then there will be enough delegates TO
do their bidding in both reichstag and
Prussian diet to enable them to carry out
at least part of their extensive program
and that. incidentally. means tariff and
economic war with the United States.
Here in Berlin. as well as in the prov
inces, popular sentiment is still decidedly
anfriendly to the American people in this
war. and the German press teens every
day with innujendies and gibes of all
kinds hurled at the mode of warfare the
alleged lack of courage the want of dis
cipline among the militia, the failure to
bring about a decisive action, the al
legged unskilfulness of Sampson and
Schley, even of Dewey. the apparent IN
Cuba, etc, ad nauseam, and the queer
hodgepodge of dispatches dished up in
garbled shape every day to the reading
public of the empire, and the unpleasant
comments tackled to them in nearly every
instance. make ii, indeed, extremely diff
fcult for the bulk of the German public
to believe much good of the American
at this juncture. The news which is at
all favorable to Spain is always given
prominence, with laudatory comments
and the other. which tells at all in the op-
posite direction, is twisted and turned be-
yond recognition. But l spoke of that
point recently. I will, however, say this:
Some of the most virulent papers-I mean
viruient in their display OF anti American
sentiment-have now begun to express