Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-30
Other Lands than Ours.

new German schedule will be a
duplication Of thar OF 1900. 1t provides
for thirty-eight battleshps and a pro-
portionate number of cruisers, which
will add to the kaiser's navy no less
than s"venty-six battleships and tn
proper ratio of smaller vessels The
German secretary of the navy Is now
drafting the plan for financing the
measure. 1t is reported that the ship
| building yards of Germany are able 10
| take care of this great increase of work
| without any Inconvenience. II is alS1
stated that the last ships completed 70.
Germany have not proved satisfactory.
II is found that in order to keep pace
with naval progress by the improve
| ment of arm1r, guns and torpedOeS the
battleshps must be newly designed
| each year. The original scheme was to
draft out plan for fleet of battle
ships. building a certain number each
year for a period Of six or eight years.
| The march of progress in the develop
| ment of new features in warships
| makes this plan unsatisfactory. in
| Germany it seems to be the policy to
lay down five battleships each year and
complete one in two years. 1t takes
| i'ul s'stiS W iilllSiI al piN'iN''A'i -
country while in Germany the work
has been done in three years.
| Several gross miscarriages of justice
which have occurred in Italy recently
have directed public attention once
more to the scandalous conditions
existing in the criminal courts. A
parliamentary committee. which has
| ~, h. a
ton. recommends some radical reforms.
but, according to the writer of long
| letter in one of the London news
! papers, does not go to the real root OF
| the matter, which is the incompetence"
| or worse of the Judges. He admits
| that very often the president OF an
assze court is a worthy and we'll
meaning Off, ial: but neither tn !,
| cmOluments nor the preStg" OF the
post can attract q man of much ability.
and few of the judges have knowledge
| of law or strength of character
sufficient to control the courts over
which they preside. A judge. he adds.
is hamrered by many considerations
some of them political, az the judica-
| ture is not yet really free from
| dependence on the government BUT,
| chiefly, he is at the mercy of the
advocates who practice before him.
These. very often, are men of far
greater influence and Importance than
himself-sometimes deputies capable of
promoting or retarding his advance
| ment. He can neither check the in
| terminable length of their speeches nor
| prevent their introduction of purely
| irrelevant evidence. nor in some cases.
resent the complete contempt they dis
| play for his ruling.
The death of Prince Herbert Bis
marcF will not in any way affect
politics in Germany. for he had been
out of public life for some time.
Prince Herbert was man who always
| exhibited respectable talent, but who
never gave any evidence of genius.
He owed his conspicuity in national
affairs almost entirely to his fathers
| influence, which kept him in various
| diplomatic stations Of Importance ana
eventually put him at the head OF the
Foreign office. He was good private
soldier in the Franco-Prussian war. an
| efficient subaltern, an expert cueilst.
| y most accomplished bee drlnker anu
! a gallant to whom the contemplation or
| one episode at least must have been
continually a source of shame. 1t Is
difficult to say whether or not Herbert
| Bismarck might have developed INTO
| something bigger had he not been the
son of a man with an overshadowing
reputation. Few great men have LETT
| great sons. Even where nature trans
| mits the capacity to rise above mehl-
ocrity the second generation is apt to
neglect it's opportunities because th@
spur to endeavor is somewhat dulled by
the fact that the first generation mas
made the family rame sufficiently
| illustrious.
There is no government in the world
| that has not its secret service looking
after the conduct of public attairs-and
| private affairs also where there is any
possible bearing on national interests
but only i'm the case of Russia has IL
| happened that 4 government mas bee'
detected in pItting in responsible
embas sadorial position one of its secret
police. The Russian government Eas
Just ordered the recall of one Manuiloff.
from Paris where he was attached to
the embassy from St. Petersburg. be.
cause it had been discovered that re
was simply police agent to spot Rus
sian revOlutiOniStS. He has 4 record in
Italy. where he was for several years
principal member of the ears diplo-
matte representation, and the expulsion
of many Russians and Poles, and their
surrender to Russian OfficerS-reSulting
in their imprisonment in Russia or
their transportation to Siberia. have
been traced to the agency Of Manuiloff.
These revelations have caused no little
excitement in Italy, where spies are not
regarded as on the same level as dipiO-
mats. 1t is said that this is the first
known instance of the sort. but very
likely many such police agents have
masqueTaded as attaches of legation.
Russia's refusal to lend countenance |
to the coronation of King Peter of Ser |
via looks we'll on the face of it. for the !
circumstances of his arrival at the |
throne We're certainly about as bad as
they could be, but, unfortunately for
Russia, there is something distinctly
ludiCrOus in the idea that its diplomacy