New-York tribune., 1909-05-15

centre ana TO W1JhQrdW from JndI government
bloc" of which for more than two years they
| had formed the principal factor From that
moment men of all parties began TO talk of either
the resignation of the Chancellor or the dissolu-
ton of the Rechstag as inevitable. At the same
time, while il refused to grant the increase or
taxation necessary for the balancing of the bud
get. the Reichstag unanimously voted TO increase
the burden of the treasury TO the amount OF
$6250000 a year by a general increase of Off
cial salaries. One effect of that action was seen
when a S200O00O00 loan was issued. and in
stead of being subscribed ten or twenty times
over, as other national loans elsewhere have
been, was subscribed less than twice over
Resignation or dissolution was promptly re
garded as inevitable because of the strong feel
ing which has been recently developed that the
Chancellor must at all times command a ma
jority of theRcchstag This feeling has arisen
chiefly since the formation of the bloc, more
than two years ago, and has been greatly pro-
NOTED by various utterances of Prince Bulow
himself Indeed, he at one time. year ago,
reported as explicitly declaring that a new era
had been established in Germany and that
thenceforth the Chancellor and his ministers
would be fully responsible TO the Reichstag and
dependent upon its approval for their tenure of
office 1t is conceivable that such things were
said in the hope OF thus promoting the stable
conference of the bloc" If so, that hope was
not well founded. The bloc was originally
formed TO protect the government and the en-
pire against what called the BLACK ana
Red peril" to wit, an alleged alliance Of the
ClericaIs and the Socialists. Such an alliance
would have been most incOngruOus. and probably
never existed. But it served as "a good enough
Morgan until after election and the result of
the election was the division of the Reichstag
between government "bE0c' and an Opposition,
the "bl0c'' comprising 66 Conservatives, 81 Ma
tiOnal Liberals. 53 Radicals 26 Imperialists and
20 Anti-Semites a total of 219, and the Oppos1-
tion comprising 135 CiericalS and their allies
and 43 Socialists, total of 1TS
1t was obvious that, with "bIOc' majority Of
only Al over the Opposition. the detection of any
of the three major factions would be fatal
Probably the hope of permanently welding all
five into single party was entertained by some
If so. it was vain from the beginning. Between
the Conservatives and the Radicals there were
perfectly irreconcilable differences and, indeed,
antagonisms These might lie dormant for Il
time Iut they were sure TO be aroused eventu-
ally. as they soon as the question OF
fiscal reform brOached. The Radicals re
fused to support the bill unless certain things
included. and the Conservatives as posi-
lively refused to support it unless those same
things were excluded. And steadily and surely
the Conservatives inclined toward resumption of
relations with the Clercals with whom. on the
whole, they have far more in common than with
any other party or faction. There is, of course
much reluctance to order Il dissolution and
new election, for several reasons. conspicuous
among them being the confessed fear that the
Socialists. who now number forty-three. might
return 10 the Rechstag one hundred strong.
Moreover, q government campaign against the
Conservatives would be startling novelty, espe-
cially in the presence of the growing menace of
Socialism. Yet it is TO the Conservatives that
the government owes its embarrassment and the
defeat of its legislation, and against them, there
fore. It's appeal 10 the country should logically
be directed.