The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-08-20

There May Ee Sweeping Changes IN
the German Cabinet as n Result
of the Defeat Of the Measure
German Newspapers on the Trial
of Dreyfus-Nyercier Is RidicuIed
fer References to Germany.
Copyrighted by the Associated Press.
BERLIN Aug 19.-The result of
Wednesdays and Thursdays sessions of
; he diet, the unbroken opposition of the
Conservatives, constituting almost a ma
iority Of the house, came as a stunning
urprise, not alone to Emperor William,
Dat to the whole cabinet, DR.. Won MIGUEL,
the Prussian minister of finance, included.
To one of his intimates the emperor said
carrier this week, referring to the oppOsi-
ton 20 the canal bill:
ITO yield in this matter now before me
would be tantamount to an abdication."
To the same gentleman his majesty
complained bitterly of the fact that the
cabinet often managed affairs of impor-
lance so badly as to force him against his
viii to actively interfere.
The result of Thursdays vote In the
}ower house, when, by a vote of 220 to 20s
rejected the second reading of the bill
elatr to the Dortmund- canal
nd [ 34mpletion of the Dortmund-Ems
anal q by a vote of 22S to 126 rejected
he Cen bal canal bill, came as a surprise
10 the house itself. Nobody supposed
that the opposition was as strong, espe-
tally after the emperor's vigorous decla-
atoms The whole Polish faction voted
lgainst the entire bill, whereas it was
Expected that at least they would vote
or the Dortmund-Rhine canal bill The
Center also acted contrary to all ex-
pectation. 1t split into three sections
one voting for the canal bill and another
against it, while the third remained neu-
trail and abstained from voting This,
though meant as a clever trick, rendered
the Center powerless and helped In the
Conservatives ruin
CABINET BLAMED.
The crushing defeat of the government,
which was meant as the defeat Of EN-
perOr William as king Of Prussia, is gen
rally admitted to be due to the clumsy,
alf-hearted manner in which the govern
ment fought the battle from the very
start Neither Prince Hohenlohe. the i'm
erial chancellor, nor Dr. Won MIGUEL
houSh both were present at the session
Wednesday, said a word in favor Of
the measure, with which the emperor has
SO strongly and publicly identified him
self Their inactivity excited general
comment. The Kreus Zeitung said:
I'VE do not know whether Dr. Won Mi
}uel IS really for or against the bill"
The word "dissolution' was not even
sed by any Of the government speakers
ihough those present comprised nearly
he entire cabinet The only govern
ment representative who spoke decisive
" and well was Col. Budde who declared
that the canal was a military necessity
I for Germany.
it is quite evident that an important
part of the cabinet does not share the
emperor's enthusiasm for the canal
Putting things together it is almost Ger
ain that if the bill fails, and there seem
NV now who doubt it Will as far as the
midland canat project is concerned, the
cabinet must be reorganized. 1t has
beer confidently asserted all along by
persons intimate with his majesty, that
5 IN the event of the failure of the bill, the
emperor will dissolve the diet and appeal
TO the country. Should this experiment
be made, which is unlikely, The outcome
Is doubtful.
INTEREST IN DREYFUs CASE.
The second trial by court-martial of
+ Capt. }Fed Dreyfus, at Rennes, on the
: char eereason, excited much comment
here th, week, especially the attempt on
the lie IF Maitre Labori leading counsel
for TIC defense, and Gen. Mercier's So
called denouements. The latter are not
4 taken seriously. His statement that Ger
many was on the point of declaring war
with France in 1894 is ridiculed The
whole German press united on this point
1 The extreme step which Germany would
have taken then, If President Casimir-
Perier had not put a stop to the violent
. attacks on the German embassy, would
. have been to send Count Won Munster
Ledenburg, the German ambassador at
Paris or a long leave of absence In no
case wood the relations of the two coun-
tries has assumed a threatening aspect
- The Tageblatt calls Gen. Mercier's rev
telations prepOsterOus, and the Frankfort
Zeitung says Gen. Mercier's talk about
Germany meaning war in January, 1895,
has excited only hilarity throughout Ger
many.
The Cologne Gazette, after calling the
present state of the French mind "a
specie of dementia," says nobody in Ger
many takes Gen. MERCER seriously.
While the energy of the French govern
ment is generally commented upon favor
ably, doubts are expressed as to whether
It IS strong enough to overcome the dis
affection in the army Emperor William.
On receiving the news Of the attempt on