The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-26
THE SAMOAN SITUATION
Negotiations Switched From Der.
lin to Washington.
ON A FRUlTLESS MISSION
Porter Unable to Effect the Relations
Between Germany and United
States-Army Gambling Gre
ates Great Scandal.


Berlin, March 25.--Andrew D. White.
the United States ambassador, refer
ring to the Samoan situation, made the
following statement to the correspond
ent OF the associated press: .
THE negotiations between Germany
and the United States in regard to
Samoa, which have been partly car
ried on here, have ceased for the pres
ent and are now exclusively 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 the action there will be
less delay in obtaining information,
This is the present status.
THE negotiations in regard to the
commercial treaty are also confined to
washington, where the bureaus of John
kasson, special reciprocity commission
er, and Baron Won Holleben, the Ger
man ambassador, are handling them.
l am not aware of any interesting re-
cent developments in the NATTER
Replying to a question as to whether
the presence and doings in Germany of
Robert P. Porter have had any ap-
preciable effect, good or bad, on the re-
latlons between Germany and the
United States, Mr. White said:
NO; SO far as can judge that has
not been the case"
The reichstag has adjourned until
April II. Since it convened it has ac-
complished a great deal of work, hay
ing held 81 plenary and II special SEES
sions. The various committees, here
called commissions, have also dispatch
ed much business. OF the bigger bills
only the budget was finally passed.
The banking, judiciary. lex seinze or
law against unnatural crimes, and sew
eral other bills are still progressing.
The postal, telephone, telegraph and
meat inspection bills have not even
had their first reading, but these meas
ures will come up after the holidays in
the order named.
Before adjourning the reichstag had
most exciting discussion on the sub
ject of army gambling. Herr Bebel,
the socialist leader, reiterated his
charge that there was a large percent
age of the army officers in the notorious
Harmlosen club, adding that similar
state of things prevailed at the Turf
club where heavy play is the main
feature. Herr Bebel further asserted
that many officers played there regu-
larly in spite of the army regulations
forbidding gambling. He added that
among those who frequented the club
were three princes of a reigning Ger
man house.
The socialist leader then asked why
the minister of war, General Won Goss-
Ter, usually quick in preventing papers
from speaking disrespectfully of the
army, had not proceeded against the
Tageblatt, which had given details in
connection with the clubs, severely re-
f1ecting on army officers. To this query
the minister made an evasive reply.
Herr Bebel, continuing, said that the
extent to which gambling nourished
IN the Turf club was proved by the
fact that the club last year received
$4,000 marks from card money
An investigation by the correspond
ent here of the associated press has
more than corroborated the above
statements 1t seems that so per cent
of the membership of the club consisted
Of officers belonging to the active and
reserve forces of the army and that the
frequenters of the club until recently
included Emperor Williams brother-in-
law, Duke Ernst Gunther of Schleswig-
Holstein. three Baden princes, Wur-
temburg prince, prince of Thurn and
Taxls and number Of the members of
the Prussan herrenhaus, diet and
reichstag. Any number of scandals
have occurred in the club recently.
One member, Prussian officer named
Won Bredow, was caught cheating after
winning 100000 marks and was forced
to resign from the club and the army
and to emigrate to America, but was
not punished legally. In the Prussian
herrenhaus there was a hot debate in
troduced by two Yenkers for the pur-
pose of forbidding persons OF both
sexes under IS years of age from visit
ing dramshops or leaving their native
place without permission and reintrc-
ducing punishment by whipping. This
feature of the bill has been referred to
a committee and will probably pass.
1t is claimed that most of those who
We're consulted as to the advisability
of reintroducing whipping had agreed
that it was necessary and added that
it seemed in most cases to be moro
humane and more wholesome than i'm
prisonment.
The German newspapers, in discuss
ing the commercial relations between
Germany and the United States, COM
plain more or less bitterly of the al
legged fact that while here everything
is being done ito bring about an i'm
provement, Germany being willing to
sacrifice something to that end, no
reciprocity has been shown by the
United States where, it is asserted
even the calm and moderate part of
the press does not recommend any
steps in that direction. A score of
articles written in this tenor have APP
peared in many of the papers. 1t is
believed that they We're inspired by the
plain spoken article was published in
the Cologne Volks Zeitung, which said
that the Americans We're greatly mis-
taken if they imagined that all the
yielding in the efforts to arrange q
treaty would be done by GERMANY