The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-13
And Says the Kaiser Sighted the
Reichstag When He Outlined
His Naval Programme.
AN ASSAULT AT THE DOOR
LIEBER STRUCK WHILE ENTERING
THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING.
Features Of the Debate on the Ger
man Budget Estimates-yon
BueIOw's Statement.

BERLIN, Dec. 12.-Dr. Lieber. the Gem
trist leader. on entering the Reichstag to-
day was attacked by a man who was ap-
parently insane. The doctors assailant.
who struck him with a stick. was promptly
arrested. During the debate or the first
reading of the budget estimates DR.. Lieber,
who was apparently not inconvenienced
by his encounter with the supposed ma
MAC, observed that the favorable financial
situation was due to the careful manner
in which the house scrutinized the budget.
This practice. he continued. should be adj
hered to. The "Pussian financial juggler.
DIR. Won MIGUEL" he further remarked.
had based the estimates of permanent OK
penditure Of %iuctuating revenues" This.
according to the speaker. was impolitic.
and a heavy penalty would have to be
of opinion that the governments require
ments could be met without recourse to
fresh taxation. At present he was not pre-
pared to say whether or not he would sup
port the naval bill. The declaration of the
government. the speaker claimed. would
have had great weigh. If 1t had not been
given publicity beforehand. thus sighting
the Reichstag. DR.. Lieber concluded with
saying that past and future events would
prove to the Emperor that he had been ILL
informed when in Hamburg regarding the
feelings OF the German people. During the
first eight years of the Enperor's reign
the Reichstag had by no means persistently
refused to increase the navy.
Prince Hohenlohe. the imperial chancel-
lor, said he sincerely regretted that the
Emperor's speech had been introduced in
the debate. The speech, he added, had
been called forth by the political situa-
ton. 1t was an oppression of solitude
from the monarch for the power and pres
tige of the fatherland. In view of the
eminent position which the King of Prus-
STA occupied as German Emperor his right
to exhort his people to unity in order TO
achieve great ends or give expression to
his wishes could not be contested.
Count Won Ballestrom, president of the
Reichstag, intimated that he had already
ruled that members Of the Reichstag
could not be debarred from discussing in a
suitable manner the speeches of the En-
peror as published in the Reichsanzeiger.
adding: Il should regard myself as trench
ing on the highly important position which
the Emperor occupied in political life if L
did not allow his significant utterances 10
Dt tHtnllOUcQ mere. his must, Oh course.
be done decorously and. in my opinion. the
previous speaker complied with this condi-
ton"
Count Won Limburg-Stirum. Conservative,
declared that the financial situation de-
manded the greatest economy. There
could not be much retrenchment in the
foreign estimates. but while a certain credit
was due TO Count Won Buelow for the Sue
cesses he had achieved, both agriculture
and manufactures were suffering from the
present relations with America. Prince
IL "
situation The speaker said the naval ques-
ton and the relative power of the states
had changed but little during the last
American and Transvaal wars had impelled
the Conservative party 10 concur in the
opinions of the government. The growing
antipathy to England and English policy,
ne asserted, was remarkable, though Mr..
Chamberlain's speech and the speeches OF
British statesmen generally had little more
value than electoral speeches.
The minister of foreign affairs, Count
Won Buelow. replying TO a remark of a
previous speaker, said he did not wish to
discuss the Samoan agreement. He might.
however. say, in the most positive manner.
that the agreement contained no secret
conditions of any kind, either of a political
or economic nature. and entailed no obli-
cations, political or economic, either to-
wards Great Britain or the United States.
Herr Bebel, Socialist, declared that the in
creasing loans were in opposition TO the
rosy exposition Of the budget. The empires
ototr hS = Ntts tlAOA lOAA6-
ly ara did a miserable business
with her colonies. Too much was paid for
the Caroline islands and Kiao-Chou was "A
fever nest. To increase German trade pro-
p~ortionately with a new fleet was a difficult
matter. According 10 the speaker yester-
days speeches seemed better adapted to
the nav league than TO the Reichstag.
With Great Britain's fleet and Germany's
army the two countries could rule the
world.
The secretary of the navy. Admiral Tier
nifZ said that when tho last navy hill UaG
presented he did not know the extent OF
German industries. In a naval war. the
secretary asserted. the workingmen would
be the first sufferers. The house then adj
journed.
The event of the day was DIR. Lieber's
criticism of Emperor Williams speech at
Hamburg. The spectacle OF this cautions
leader of the most important group in the
Reichstag-the section that will decide the
fate of the naval DIl-thus severely blam-
ing the Kaiser. is almost without parallel
in German parliamentary history. 1t was
all the more notable because Count Won
Ballestrom, president of the Reichstag.
upheld the dignity of the hambe and
maintained freedom of speech even against
the imperial chancellor. This evening
parliamentary circles are all agog over the
incident. BY some IL is saiu that Count
Won Ballestrom. who on several previous
occasions stopped similar criticisms. had
in this instance a personal motive for per-
hitting unrestrained comment, because,
as one of the chief opponents OF the canal
bill he became persona non grata with the
Emperor, who banished him from court.
In any event the affair has not improved
the chances of tie navaI bill The evening
papers all refer TO IL. The Centrist Ger
mania says: Count Won Bue-0" 3 speech
amounted 10 a proclamation OF Germany's
welt stellung (world position), which me
Centre disapproves." The National Zeit-
ung. however. wholly approves the naval
plans of the government. :.
The Neueste Nacnrlchten comments IA
vorably upon Prince Hohenlohe's declara-
ton yesterday. alleging that IL has placed
the governments naval plans pack OF a
constitutional basis" The Vossische
Zeitung and the Freisinnige Zeitung con-
denim the chancellor's announcement and
altogether the press comment Il unfavor-
able rather than otherwise.
Cbfua Defyiur IfoIy-