The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-17
German Diplomats Preparing to
Spend the Holidays in
Peace.
PEOPLE SEE NEED u: REFORM
Starvation Staring Large Mum
bers OF Russia's Rural Popu-
lation in Face.
BIZ FREDERICK WERNER.

mas approaching. tho Morocco cues
zion practically settled. and the for
eign policy Of Great Britain clearly
defined by Sir Edward Grey, the poll
tical sky now looks brighter than It
mas done for many months and diplo-
mats are preparing TO enjoy the holt
Jays in peace. Not SO. however, tn use
| VINO govern Germany, for with the cleo
! tlon drawing nearer II becomes plainly
evident that the statements made by
Sir Edward Grey, in tho English House
OF Commons. some three weeks ago,
have given tho German voters much
food tor rclection.
| Inc teeiinS Is gaining ground even
among the moro Conservative clement
! that the fact that Germany Is not now
| engaged in war, which nigh. cast
~ be disastrous to nor prestige, is duo
mainly to the firm and disnilied politics.
of England.
The people of Germany have learn
cd TO see ii they are to ne allowed TO
| continue their evolution In peace they
| must first of all put their own house
; in order The danger of a great cat.
astrophe, such as threat, led Germa ny
curing the whole summer and fall, has
aroused. in the people. an earnest de-
termination to prcrera u similar con
dillon from occurring again
No longer will the voters be salts
| hed with promises and minor reforms
! they demand 4 thorough and wide
! spread reform Of the official press and
| they realize that the greatest danger
| lies In the fact that ministers are
| chosen without the cooperation of the
people. that they run the country with
out consulting he people or their rep
resentatives, and that they remain in
once not as long as the people want
| tncm but as long as their politics
please the Kaiser
The inttlSete relations between gov
crnment and people, which is absolute
| ~ necessary to the healthy evolution
OF the German empire. arc to be
brought about only by powerful and
| democratic Reichstag, and there is
every indication that tho one now to
| be elected will represent tho German
people better than any of its prede-
| cessors. .
| While the general International
situation has momentarily improved,
warning voices are not lacking against
over confidence in the future, for the
! many realize that crises like the one
just passed are likely to occur again
| The interests " the great powers,
nowadays. practically take In the
whole world. and II Is next TO impos-
| sihle to avoid clash somewhere. a
germ OF danger exists In the question
colony OF Rio NUM- and OF Fernando
! Pc on which Germany holds an option
| French newspapers are even now as
sorting that England will veto the
| transfer OF the coast Of Spanish Guinea
and Fernando Pc to Germany. though
this is Al present denied In England
The question OF the Portuguese col
onies in Africa is bound to become
acute some day. and the final disposal
| Stuf &c a1e so T.,
| to give rose to complications some time
| in the future
There are explosive enough stored in
Africa. but II the people are to be al
lowed I" have voice in foreign poll
Tics all these troublesome problems
VIII be solved without any breach Of
peace.
| \ power like Germany today. with
| its immense commercial expansion.
| with its rapidly increasing population
canno: go back and once more be-
| come merely commercial and agri-
cultural state. 1t mus, develop it's OK
ports open up new markets. acquire
| new colonies. but the whole nation is
| firmly determined that this must be
| done without bIoodshed or war.
The Russian Duma. the public. and
| the press were very much concerned
| 10 find out that the much talked Of
partial failure OF the crops this yea. is
not merely 4 failure of the crops. hut
a downright famine Of very serious
kind The Russian Bureaucracy has
| always tried to hide a real famine
under the name of a partial failure OF
| the crops. and the mistake has gen
| orally been discovered only after much
suffering on that part OF the popula-
ton remote from the great centres
| In the present ease. the accounts of
J the terrible state OF Affairs given by
| Duma deputies and members OF the
clergy has quite swept away all mod
crate views. The premier recently
| made long speech to show that by
| assigning i20,000.00O roubles out of
the overlooking Exchequer and order
ing relief work. everything necessary
and possible was being done This has
been the subject of heated debate and
severe criticism in the Duma for sew
cral days past. and evidence proves
that Russian administrative business.
| in sritc OF the constitutional reform is
still being run on tho old lines One
Duma orator proposes the dismissal of
all the Governors of the affected pro
vInces for not having forewarned the
central authorities of the extent OF the
calamity.
With starvation staring large mum
hers OF the rural population in the face.
official Journalism interferes every
where with private Initiative. Local
officials still go on suppressins all tho
combined efforts Of public charity.
which are not iirst sanctioned BY the
government. for fear of political pro
paganda- While the Moscow papers
. were allowed TO collect about. 80 600
ronbles this month for the bankrun,
and famished peasartry. the local press
organs Of Perm. In the East. and Arch.
angel, IN the North, have ;,een for5id
den to continue the subscription lists
already opened In their columns
NJ. Puriahkevitch. one Of the men,
!: hers OF the Duma, has proposed that
all deputies should forego half their
salaries for. this month for the sake