Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-14
Big Fleet Imposes Burden Which is
Resented.
BUILT WITH BORROWED MONEY
Socialism Presents a Problem for
Protestants.
CROWN PRINCE IN A MOTOR RACE
Dashes over One Hundred-MiIe sD.cs
In Two Hours In wild Effort
to OvertRke Fast Ex-
press Train.
BY MALCOLM CLARKE

BERLIN, Aug. 1S.-(Specal to The Res)
There is good reason to believe that even
official Germany is feeling the strain OF
the race for battleships. There Is no
ground for doubt that so far as the great
mass Of the people are concerned. they
are heartily tired OF the ever increasing
burden of taxation because of the frenzy
for dreadnoughts.
indications now are that II some
plan could be devised by which an agree
ment to stop the racing rivalry between the
great naval nations 1t would not be hard to
Interest Germany.
1t Is coming to be realized that the race
leads VIII soon be put an ending to. Ger
many's great rivals, England and the
United States, show no disposition to per-
init the great naval balance to be dis
turbed no matter how many battleships
Germany may build. The initial cost of
these fighting machines is not only enor-
nous, but their upkeep today is an inn
portant part of the annual budget.
Hence the bigger the navy the greater
the burden and II Germany's relative posi-
ton is not to be improved 1t is not diff
cult to. understand the growth of popular
feeling against any further increase in the
navy.
Policy IL Resented by People.
AS a matter of fact, the political discon-
tent from which Germany is at the present
moment suffering very badly is largely
the result of the policy of building battle
ships with borrowed money. The conclu-
sive reason why there win be no fresh
naval bill for a year or two is that there
is not the .remotest possibility of getting
one passed IL it was introduced.
Germany is at the present. and for q year
at least, viii continue to be. far too deeply
preoccupied with her own internal troubles
to have much time left over for dreams
OF ''weltpolltik." The center, which, keeps
In close touch with the Catholic masses.
has already realized the nature OF the sit
uation, and it's leader, Baron Won Hertling,
declared only the other day that the Ger
man nation could bear no new taxes" and
that not a farthing must be spent that
could not be met out of current revenue.
As for the Protestant masses, the great
problem of the present day is how to pre-
vent socialism, to which they have been
vowed for a long time past, from getting
anything like It's due numerical representa-
ton in the next Relchstag, and so bring
ing the legislative machine to a standstill
There is every probability that the fortieth
anniversary of the foundation of the empire
will find It on the eve of the acutest crisis
it has ever passed through.
Chasing an Express.
A motor race of 100 miles in two hours
was the crown princes little excitement
recently, when he missed the 1890 Silesan
express and babe his chauffeur to catch
up AS the crown princes motor dashed
up to Gorlitz station in Berlin the train
was steaming out The prince shouted.
Catch it, somehow" and the race began
through the crowded outskirts of Berlin.
then on cross country roads, made rotten
by the heavy rain. The crown prince kept
urging the chauffeur not to slacken the
pace and the reckless dash continued.
The trains first stopping place was
Konigs Wusterhausen. but the prince knew
that it was impossible for him to catch
1t there and so dashed on, tearing into
Luben, a distance of sixty miles, at 1850,
Just as the train departed, Ten minutes
later the motor reached Lubbenau, the
entire of the Spree forest. The road was
lined with children and their nurses in
huge multi-colored skirts, who watched the
motor fly past to the station, which was
reached by the others just as the train
left.
The crown prince promptly demanded by
telegraph that the train should be stopped
at Cottbus. the next station. He then
jumped into the motor ano the rush began
again through a canal-intersected country
Cottbus was finally reached at l13l, one
minute after the train had left spe-
clal however, was in readiness on the sid
ing and. flinging himself into the single
carriage the prince was whirled by a huge
express engine over the next fifty-elght
miles to Gorlltz, where the express was
being held up for him.
Another AirShiO Experiment..
The Prussian Ministry of War has de-
cided to spend a large sum on building
and experimenting with a new type OF
dirlgibe airshlp to be employed in dropping
shells.
The new type is known as the Zorn sys-
tenn OF dirigibles The ship will be about
$50 feet long and OF three parts. each so
complete in itself that 1t can be dlscon-
nected while In the air.
The balloon is being manufactured at
Creteld Its structural parts are plnewood.
nam n nEAGT nIINlN Annual