The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-02-13
GERMANS !. / I !
In Garb Of Hunters, I,
Seek Trade -. i.
Batked by the Kaiser and Powerful
They Are Making Bids
J iorN A BILE Concessions I'm \,
=, r .'tH [tt NJ N Abyssinia. T..

sinaan imports ttefa that the interests
of Great BritainS france, the United
States and Itafya have outstripped all
others. An attack upon these inter.
ests, therefore, has A. peculiar mean.
Ing for these countries ,ahd particulars,
ly for the manufacture Of American
textiles. - &..M - 49,. -.
A few weeks ago the German press
gave considerable space to the story OF
hunting party that had been organ
lied by Arnold Holtz, for shooting ii.
-ens the empire Of the Negue. Be-
sides Herr, Holtz the party consisted
OF Count Rudolph lm-Refferscheldt,
Count Adolph> Erbech- -Furstenau, Cap
tain, Heyne,George Taufert, two chauf
feurs and several attendants. At Ma
pies the party embarked on the Ham
burg-Amerika Company's steamer Rhe-
mania, and finally reached Jibutil by
way Of Alden. ,
l. now learn on the best autfferity
that this party, masuerading in the
disguise Of lion hunters, Is in reality
mission OF, the utmost international
Importance, which, although unofficial,
bears a personal letter~ from the Ger
man kaiser B the Emperor ~Menelek,
and is destined. before long TO turn
Adds Abeba into q center Of political
intrigue rivaling Teheran and it's DOS
sibilihes for German commercial and
territorial expansion.
For a Trade Conquest. ,
Herr Holtz, who has paid several
visits to Abyssinia, and is personally
acquainted with the Negus, visited the
imperial chancellor at Nordeny and OBJ
tanned PRINCE Buelow's support for his
scheme Of an industrial conquest or
Abyssinia. Through the. aid of Prince
Buelo~ and Prince Max Egon Of Fur
stenberg, he had the matter brought
to the attention Of rth e kaiser, who la
ter expressed himself as pleased with
Herr Holtz's patriotic exertions, to pro
mote German ttnteregtg IN TAAfby sgtnia,
and promised, yinfthe event of~the mis-,
sion beipg organized, 10 intrust it
with a letter, to the NeguS.
Prince Fpstenberg offered to sub
scribe capital for the enterprise, and
through his Influence interested GER
tain well,known> firms. Ehrhardt. &
Co., of Dusseldorf; the well-known
manufacturers Of arms, are foremost
among them, and their representative
in AEyssinia will cooperate with, Herr
Holtz after his arrival at the. capital.
Alarge proportion Of the expenses Of
the mission has been subscribeA by
the German-African Company, aud 9TH
er firms interested in the venture are
the Germa1'Overseas Trading Compa-
ny, the German-Aby yssinian Mining
Company and the Thomann Sandstone
Company. The National Bank of Ger
many holds large proportion of the
shares in the German-Abyssinlan Min
ing Company, so that there are power
full financiers in the background. Cap
tain Heyne, one OF the members of
Thomanr1 Sandstone Company, and he
is also CLOSELY connected with another
firm which has subscribed money to
ward the expenses of the journey.
: Backed by the Kaiser.
1t may reasonably be surmised that
q. mission which has taken so much
trouble to disguise Itself as party of
sportsmen which surrounded it's de-
parture with so much secrecy, and
which has such signal political and
financial backing, has important OBJ,
jects in view which If successfully OBJ
taned will have the support of the
German .I1uperial government.
Herr Holtz will first ask for permis-
sion to establish a service of motor
cars between Adds Abeba and Dire
Dawa, the present terminus of the rail
way from Jibutil. The distance be-
mately, 800, miles, and a new road
would have ;,tos be constructed for the
greater part az thseway
The idea Of ,th$ promoters Of this
scheme is that, the road can be con
@structed long before the railway is ex
tended to, the oandtal, and that regu
lar motor |cary service for passengers
and freight could produce substantial
profits In the second place, Herr
Holtz proposes to ask for concession
granting a monopoly In spirits.
Ten per cent. Of the annual profits
are to be offered to Emperor Menelek
as an inducement to him to grant this
concession, Thirdly, Herr Holtz in
tends, to apply for concession to es
tablsh q German bank at Adds Abe
ba, which could become the, nucleus
for German commercial enterprises OF
all kninds in all parts of Abyssinia
Fourthly, orders for arms and ammu.
milton for Bhrhardt &, Co. will be
sought, and it is thought that great
opportunities exist for profitable sales
of rifles and other weapons.