Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-03
FIGHTS BIG ODDS
AND STEPS DOWN
Departure of Herr Dernburg Ends
Ministerial Experiment in
Germany.
RESIGNATION NOT EXPECTED
Strong Opposition of the Center
Party.
OLD STORY OF PLENTY OF ROPE
Southwest African Policy Very I'm
popular.
GERMAN POLITICS IN TURMOIL
Kaiser is Proving to he . De-
cidedly Expensive Proposition
10 Maintnin Year After
Year.
GERMAN POLITICS IN TURMOIL
BY MALCOLM CLARKE.

BY MALCOLM CLARKE
BERLIN, July 2.-(Special Dispatch to
the Bee.)-The, resignation of Colonial
Minister Dernburg was not expected.
The Importance and Significance of
Herr Dernburgs departure far transcend
the limited sphere of German colonial
policy and enterprise. 1t is the end, at
any rate for the present, of about the
most remarkable ministerial experiment in
modern German history, and 1t will ac-
centuate afresh not only party differences,
but the deeper divisions of economic in
terests and social traditions which still
underlie German politics. When Herr
Dernburg was brought to the colonial Of
| flee from the Darmstadter bank, in 1906,
| he was expected not merely to sweep away
| the traces Of unpleasant colonial scandals
| but to put the German colonies on bust
ness basis for the encouragement of the
public and the edifcation of foreign coun-
| tries.
Plans for His Administration.
His appointment was to be the intro
| duction Of the commercial spirit into Ger
man administration, and was to forge a
| link between the government and the inn
| mediate interests of an industrial people
Those who know Germany best have always
| discounted the exaggerated hope of the
| experiment.
| Since Prince Bulow's fall and the re-
newal OF the alliance of the conservative
| and center parties Herr Dernburg has
| had to fight against increasing odds. The
| conservatives are necessarily opposed to
| q primarily commercial colonial policy-not
| least because they fear that colonial i'm
| ports will hurt their agrarian interest
| The conservatives, moreover, include 9
| number of former colonial administrators
| who, resent reversal of the policy which
4 they applied. Tie center party was Herr
| Dernburg's natural enemy. They gave
him plenty of rope" but seized the op
portunity afforded in April by bill deal
ing with the expenditure for suppression
of the risings in German southwest Africa
to inflict upon Herr Dernburg a series OF
humiliations.
| When the bill was carried II was gen
| orally supposed that Herr Dernburg hac
been reprieved. 1t Is now clear that ht
had already recognized that his position
was in the long run 'untenable. The at
tacks at home were supported In the
| colonies themselves, and especially II
| southwest Africa, where there has beer
violent criticism Of Herr Dernburg's &C
| ton in regard to diamond claims ana
other company concessions. Herr Dern
burg complained bitterly of colonial dis
loyalty, and declared in the Reichstag tina
the officials who fought him with public
messages to politicians and the press ough
to be taught a sharp lesson.
These are the circumstances of Herr
Dernburg's resignation. Its causes in
clude an inevitable reaction In popular feel
ing after the exaggeration of colonial pros
poets and possibilities which marked Her
Dernburg's arrival In office.
Herr Dernburg's resignation will prob
ably increase, and certainly will expose, tn
difficulties of the political situation
Rightly or wrongly the public will asl
tomorrow, who will be next?" and
very confident answer will be Forthcoming
The dominant parties will, no doubt, pro
| test that Herr Dernburg's resignation 1
uncalled for and unnecessarily, but in N
quarter will It fail to produce an un
comfortable feeling of insecurity.
This will be increased rather thai
diminished by the appointment Of Her
Won ILndauist as his successor. He is
typical German bureaucrat marrow
opinionated and autocratic.
Cost OF the raiseFs
II is being discovered In Germany tina
the kaiser is an expensive institution t'
keep up. A comparison shows that every
man. woman and child in Prussia con
tributes an average OF 20 cents per year FOL
the upkeep Of the kaiser which Is nearly
=, three times as much as England pays To-
the maintenance Of her royal family fiv'
: times as much as the Russians pay To-
| tbaf fxut much
the Austrians have to provide. Compared
, with these prices republics are dir
cheap" for the president OF France onl!
: costs each Frenchman a trifle over hal
. a cent year, while Americans only pa!
, about l-s5th cent apiece for their president
and expect to get first-class article, toe
During a debate in the Diet on the pro
posal to Increase the kaiser's civil list
otherwise, his income, Herr Hoffman ana
lived the latter, and made out that
E amounted TO SO cents a second To thi
principle, however Herr Hoffman objected
n complaining that the wearer OF the crow
n was often absent and suggesting that III
/ principle of payment by attendance
y should be applied. This idea OF, putin
e the kaiser ION piece" so to speak. is
9 decidedly novel one.
prize for Eighth Child.
: True to his promise to stand as god
father TO the eighth child In any Germa
family. rich or poor, the kaiser, at Berlin
recently attended the christening of IN
eighth boy of a house painter name
Busch, of Bocholt. Herr Busch has re
= celved a sum OF sS5 through the local az
thorities from the kaiser's private purse.
The rate OF increase of the popula ito
of the country has recently diminished
o This was regretted by the kaiser, wh'
like Mr.. Roosevelt, regards large familie
= as a guarantee for the future OF the ma
q ton. 1t was this feeling that led III
= kaiser to offer a signal honor to parent
with eight children.