The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-02
REICHSTAG IS DEFUNCT
THE CLOSING SESSION HELD
 YESTERDAY.
Before Won Ballestrom Could Propose Three Hoods for the Kaiser, the Socialists Had Left the
 Hall

Berlin, May 1.-The Reichstag com pleted It's term today with the adopuon of bfIi amending the sick insurance law for laborers and extending the period of insurance from thirteen to twenty-six weeks.
 The speeches developed a political char acter. The President of the Reichstas said the present legislative body had held aoe sittings and was one of the most tm- portant Reichstags in the history of Ger many. Chancellor von Buelow appeared during the closing moments and read Elm peror Williams decree, dated at Buckle burg, yesterday, proroguing the Reich- stag. Before Count won Ballestrom could arise to propose three hochs for the Elm peror the socialists had left the hall.
 During its five years of work the de- funct Reichstag Las placed number of important measures upon the statute books. The general tendencies running through the term have been toward the enlargement of the powers of the Empire at the expense of the States; the increas- ing of the functions of the Government at the expense of the individual citizen; the extending of social reform legislation in behalf of the worxingman: the subject ing of the tariff policy to Agrarian de- mands and otherwise playing into the hands of Agrarian interests. Some of these measures, the tariff law of last De- cember, for instance, have given the coun- try the highest duties ever known, par ticularly agricuiturally. The meat law of 1900, which only now has been placed in operation because of the long delay in working out the practical regulations for the enforcement of the measure, was de- signed by the Government for purely san- itary purposes but the agrarianism ma jority in the Reichstag treated it as a weapon for use against foreign and prin- cipally American competition.
 The fleet bill of 1900 was the most im- portant step ever taken to give Germany strong navy and it corresponds to the Emperors determination to give the Elm pire voice In settling the most import ant questions of world politics.
 The Reichsrath extended imperial leg islation to the mortgage banks introduc- ing uniformity where confusion previous ly had existed. It renewed the charter of the Reichsbank, giving the imperial treasury a much larger proportion of the banks profits and enlarging it's untaxed note contingent in order to increase the elasticity of the curl ency. Nevertheless, the Reichstag's financial legislation has shown traces of the American anti-capi- talist spirit. An example of this is found in the heavy increase of Boerse taxes upon stock sales and iistings. which re- suited in driving much German business to foreign exchanges.
 The Reichstag extended social reform legislation by increasing old age and in- valid pensions for workingmen: the sick insurance law which was passed today is a step in this same direction. Other measures of the term just ended were the adoption of secret ballot system, the abolition of sugar bounties in accordance with the Brussels sugar convention. and | the abolition of private postal compa- nies.
 During this term of the Reichstag there were more frequent discussions of Amer ican relations than m the course oe any previous term. Such discussion was gen. orally in the form of attacks upon the | commercial policy of the United States, l complaints of the treatment received at | the hands of the American customs, com plaints of the enormous preponderance of the imports from the United States into Germany over Germany's exports to America and criticism of the government for lack of energy in handling questions relating to Standardization trade rela- tions.