The age-herald., 1899-03-26
GAMBLING IN THE
 GERMAN ARMY Exciting Discussion PreGipitated in the
 ReiChStag. SOCIALIST LEADER BEBEL Made Soma Sensational Charges Against
 the Officers Clubs.
NEGOTIATIONS REGARDING SAMOA
Have Temporarily Ceased at Berlin But are Being Quietly Carried on at Washington - Much Business
 Transacted by the Reichstag

Berlin, March 25.-Andrew D. White. the United States ambassador, referring 10 the Samoan situation, made the following statement to the correspondent here of the Associated Press:
 The negotiations between Germany and the United States in regard to Samoa, which have been partially carried on here,
 have ceased for the present and are now
 quietly carried on at Washington. Among
 the reasons for this change is the one that as Washington is nearer in point of time to the scene of action, there will be less delay in obtaining information. This is the present status.
 '"The negotiations in regard to the com-
 mercial treaty are also confined to Wash-
 ington, where the bureau of John A. Kas-
 son, special reciprocity commissioner, and Baron Von Holleben, the German ambas- sador, are handling them. l am not aware of any interest in the recent developments in the matter"
 Replying to a question as to whether
 the presence and doings in Germany Of
 Robert P. Porter have any appreciable ef- 1 feet, good or bad, on the relations between Germany and the United States, MT. White
 said:
 "No, so far as I can judge, that has not
 been the case"
 The Reich t g Adjourned
 The reichstag has adjourned to April Il.
 Since it convened it has accomplished
 great deal of work, having held 61 plenary
 and Il special sessions. The various com-
 mittees there called commissions) have al-
  ger bills, only the budget was finally pass
 cd The banking. judiciary. lex senze or law against unnatural crimes and several other plils are still progressing. The pos tal telephone, telegraph and meat inspec- ton bills have not even had their first read- ing, but these measures will come up after | the holidays in the order named Before adjourning the reichstag had a
 most exciting discussion on the subject of army gambling. Herr Rebel, the socialist leader, reiteratng his charge that there was large percentage of army officers in the notorious Harmlosen club, adding that a similar state of things prevailed at the Turf club where play is the main feature. Herr Rebel further asserted that many of fcers played there regularly in spite of the regulations forbdding gambling. He said that among. those who frequented the club
 wero three princes of regning German house.
 The socialist leader then asked why the minister of war (Gen. Won Gossler) usually quick in preventing papers from speaking disrospectfully of the army, had not pro- ceeded against the Tageblatt, which had given details in connection with these clubs, severely reflecting on army officers. To this query the minister made an evasiVe reply
 some Sensational Charges
 Herr Rebel, continuing, said that the ex- tent to which gambling fiourished in the Turf club was proved by the fact that the club last year received 350,000 marks from card money.
 An investigate on made by the correspond ent here of the Associated Press has more than corroborated the above statements. It seems that 50 per cent. of the membership
 of the club consists of officers belonging to the active reserve forces of the army, and that the frequenters of the club until recently included Emperor Williams broth er-in-law, Duke Ernst Guenther, of Schleswig- -Holstein; three Baden princes, and a number of members of the Prussian and number of members off the Prussian Herrenhaus diet and reichstag. Any num- Der of scandals have occurred in the club
 recently. One member, a Prussian officer named Von Bredow, was caught cheating
 after winning 250,000 marks and was forced
 to resign from the club and the army and
 to engrate to America, but was not pun
 ished legally.
 In the Prussian Herrenhaus there was a
 hot debate on a bill introduced by three
 yonkers for the purpose of forb dding per sons of both sexes under eighteen years of
 age from visiting dram shops or leaving
 their native place without permission, and
 re-introducing punishment by whipping.
 This feature of the bill has been referred
 to a committee, and will probably pass. It is claimed that most of those who are con-
 suited as to the advisability of re-intro-
 ducing whipping have agreed that 1t is
 necessary, and that 1t seemed in most cases
 to be more humane and more wholesome than Imprisonment.