Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-11-02
WANTS BIGGER NAVY
EMPEROR WILHELM HAS AN
ELABORATE PROJECT.
TIC BUILD lO8 NEW SHIPS
Of These 81 Are to Be Battleships-
German Press Continues Hostile to
Great Britain and Sneers at British
Victories-Friendship Shown Amer
lea.
copyrighted by Associated Press. }


Berlin, Oct. 29.-Emepror William is
looking for another cabinet but has not
yet found material for it. One of the
potent reasons why he desires new men
is that he wishes the navy greatly in
creased and he deems the existing cab
met too yielding to efficiently push
these wishes before the reichstag
Admiral Won Tirpitz secretary of the
navy, has received his majesty's sane
ton to project an enormous increase of
the navy, giving it 81 battleships, Is
large and SO small cruisers, making it
equal in size and efficiency to any other
navy, great Britain's excepted. This
would involve the expenditure of
l, zoo, 900, 900 marks and make the naval
budget 212,500,000 marks annually. 1t
is learned from absolutely reliable
source that Prince Hohenlohe has
agreed to follow the new naval pro-
gram to the reichstag between 1901 and
1908. Instead of one ship, three are to
be built annually until 1916. From
these vessels a new third squadron is
to be formed and also reserve squad
rons in place of the Siegfried class
The number of cruisers in foreign wa
tiers will be increased by six large YES
sells.
War news arrives here in contradic-
tory shape. The comments of most OF
the papers, irrespective of party, is an
ti-British and often cOuched in a sa-
tirical, haunting tone. The belief is
general that Great Britain thus far has
got the worst of the fight but that news
is suppressed by cable censorship, the
result of which, it is argued, demon
strates that it is necessary that Ger
many should construct and operate ca
bles, for, in the present state of things
with Great Britain's owning all cables
Germany in the event of war would
be entirely in the power of Great Brit
ain as regards news. Hence many
papers advocate the laying of a num-
Der of German cables. From the
enormous percentage of loss of British
officers in south Africa papers here ar
| que that the beers have not lost their
craftsmanship during the long term Of
peace, and also acknowledge superior
| bravery of the officers. Newspaper
strategists have proved over and over
again that every reported British sue
cess is really defeat or retreat. This
| is conspicuously displayed in head
lines. A high official of the foreign
office says: This violent and anti
British campaign on the part of the
press, notably the pan-German organs
even going to the length of threaten
| ing counter demonstrations in case
the emperor goes to England, may
| have the opposite effect on the Of
fetal attitude from the one intended
Great Britain is not isolated. She has
the United States as a close friend, as
has been again demonstrated recently
when he Venezuela decision was rem
dered and the American press found
no fault with the verdict though the
matter, not SO long ago, was almost
made a casus belli by the United
States. Great Britain has Japan rs
another friend and may even count on
Russias support in many instances.
Germany mas no 1Qea Oh interfering
with Great Britain in south Africa
now or later. All appeals to the en-
peror and the government, by meet
ings and urgent letters from Africa
will have no effect on the German pol
icy. During the whole duration OF
war Germany will be strictly neutral
Samoa continues to exercise the press
which INDUCES in the widest surmises
1t seems the desire of the German gov
eminent to remove all ground for fric-
ton with the United States. A deli
cate compliment was paid to the Unit
ed States on the occasion of ex-Presi-
dent Benjamin Harrison's visit to the
new palace at Potsdam, when the stars
and stripes were hoisted on the palace
This was the first time they ever float
ed over the royal Prussian or imperial
palace. Another attention was shown
Gen. Harrison when the personnel OF
the United States embassy was enter
tanned at dinner by Prince Hohenlohe
and the latter and all the German Off
Gals present did not wear their deco
rations, as a delicate compliment to
the American guests.