The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-07
CORDIAL WELCOME
 ID BERNSTORFF.
German Ambassador Delivers Address At Milwaukee
GERMAN SOCIAL REFORMS
Ambassador Says That Old Ideals Still Live in Germany and Much Has Been Done for the Work
 nqman.

Milwaukee. May 6.-Count Bernstorff, the German ambassador to the United States, received a most cordial welcome by the German-Americans of Milwaukee upon his arrival in this city today as the guest of the Citizens Business league.
 Count Won Bernstorff was the guest of honor at banquet given by the Citizens Business league at the Hotel Pfister to- night responding to the toast Social Re- forms in Germany"
 Count Bernstorff spoke as follows:
 MT Chairman, Gent1emen:-I beg to express my most heartfelt thanks for the splendid reception have received at MIL waukee and for the kind words addressed to me Long before I ever dreamt of having the honor of officially represent ing my sovereign and the German nation in this great country l had heard that Milwaukee was the town of the United States which included among it's inhabit- ants the largest percentage of citizens of German origin. It was, therefore, very natural that I should have desired to visit Milwaukee as soon as my official duties permitted me to do so. I wished to feel at home in Washington before started on journeys to other cities. l have now been able to visit several of your great cities and everywhere l have been received so kindly that it is difficult for me to give adequate expression to the qualification this has afforded me- l real ize perfectly well that the splendid re- ceptions with which l have been hon- ored were not intended for me personally but were meant as an expression or friendship for a nation which has al- ways been on the very best of terms with the American people. We all wish that this friendship may always increase and as A matter of course this wish finds particularly strong expression in Mlwau- kee.
 Modern Germany.
 In all cities I visited ' found my hosts very willing to let me give them some information about modern Germany which many citizens of Milwaukee left in the days when the name of Germany only lived in verse and song and the nation was granulated into many political units. Unfriendly foreign critics who regret that Germany cannot in our days be bullied like in former centuries are apt to re- proach us of having with our political sleepiness also laid aside our old and true German ideals. This, however, is not at all the case. I believe that no better proof could have been given that idealism is still the chief characteristic of the German soul and that righteous ness is the dominant motive in the will of our nation than by the social legisla- iof, inf fa5 oU liam l. and Prince Bismarck and has been continually developed by the gov ernment of our present sovereign with the assistance of the federal states the imperial parliament and the whole na- ton.
 Workingman's Insurance.
 week ago 1 had the pleasure of speaking at Columbus about the work mems insurance in Germany and of ex- plaining that this institution throws heavy burden on the taxpayer in gen. eral and the employers specially, bur den which they, however, have gladly taken on their shoulders because the leg isation in practically raising their wages secured to our working classes a toler- able standard of life, guaranteed their physical health and so furthered their social moral and intellectual interests
 1 do not wish to engage your attention for any length of time, but I should like. to say a few words about the influence the workmen's insurance laws had on the German cities in giving strong inn petus, which led to the creation of very many useful municipal institutions
 The cities are burdened by the work mems insurance partly in their quality as administrative authorities having to per form a certain quantity of work for the execution of the three branches of in- surance, partly the responsible eX- ecutors of the communal sick insurance which often requires subvention out of the communal funds, and partly employers in the municipal public works, such as gas works water works, electric works, tramways.
 Claim of Benefits.
 Considering that the workman is only entitled to claim the benefits of the insur- ance laws in case of sickness, accident, invalidity and old age, if his position is that of a workman from the legal or statutory point of view, many towns have taken measures to the effect that every healthy workman gets occupation, if pos sible, and remains insured.
 For that purpose labor register offices have been instituted which. under respon- sble direction, form central offices for the labor market and assist the work man in looking for employment. They supply to the unemployed workman quick and gratuitous information about vacan- cies and so reduce the time of involun tary idleness and enable him to earn his living and at the same time to found his legal claim for further assistance. Besides the towns are endeavoring to re- duce involuntary ideness by providing for work viz: by having so-called dis tress work executed. Such kind of work has been undertaken by the cities to a great extent during the last years of economic depression.
 Lastly, some communities have also approached the question of insuring workmen against involuntary idleness and