The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-03-24
IN THE FATRERLAND
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHAT'S DOING IN OLD HOME

WHAT'S DOING IN OLD HOME
Summary of the Most Important Hap
penings In the Land of the Kaiser
Timely Items for the German
Readers.
The latest phases of the Mexican
problem are subjected to harsh criti-
cism by the German press. The Vos-
sische Zeitung says: president VIII
son and Minister of State Bryan can
not get rid of the spirits that they
but also Carranza is getting the bet
ter Of them The Deutsche Tages-
zeitung: The remarkable weakness
with which the authorities in Washing
ton are handling the Benton case
lends color to the suspicion that they
would let the grass grow on the grave
Of the Englishman before an investi-
cation is started. But England would
hardly permit this" The Tagliche
Rundschau: THE United States has
the choice between compelling amends
for the killing of Benton, and giving
England free hand in Mexico. But
the latter alternative would mean the
collapse of the Monroe doctrine"
The Island of Heligoland, the Ger
man Gibraltar in the North sea, which
does not contain a single Catholic
tnhabitant, is to be blessed with
Catholic church toward which the
government is to contribute $4,000, If
Admiral Won Tirpitz's proposal is
adopted by the reichstag. This may
sound very strange, but the motive
is not difficult to find. Admiral Won
Tirpitz is badly in need of Catholic
votes in the reichstag to pass his
naval bills, and he hopes that the sub
sidizing of a Catholic church, in a
part of Germany where Rome is eager
pope to send out an order command
ing the Catholic party to support the
government.
From Karlsruhe it Is reported that
the second chamber Of the landstande
of Baden passed the budget of ex-
penses for an embassy at Munchen.
The Socialists and the Progressives
voted in the negative. An interesting
discussion preceded the vote. Reb-
mann, a National Liberal, pointed out
that the new king of Bayern is an
aggressive man, and that Munchen is
becoming a political and industrial
center. He further claimed that the
predominance of Prussia has become
a detriment to the development of the
empire, and Baden ought to do some
thing to check this predominance.
"Saber rule" is triumphant The
movement in the reichstag to abolish
it has collapsed. The bill was brought
about by the recent encounters be-
tween the civil and military author
tiles at Zabern. 1t included a series
Of provisions for prohibiting the in
PREVENTION Of the military without
requisition from the civil authorities,
forbidding the use of arms by the
soldiery except in self-defense and
subjecting soldiers to civil jurisdic-
ton. These provisions were referred
to committee, majority Of whom
voted against them.
The Kolnische Zeitung claims that
Russia is accommodating immense guam
titles of materials of war along the
western frontier, and that large
masses of troops are removed system
atically from the east to the west,
and are put in shape for action at an
early date. No war Is to be feared in
the immediate future But there is a
conviction in military circles in st.
Petersburg that the decisive conflict
between German and Slav, which was
barely avoided at the time of the
Balkan war, will come inside of two
years.
Kaiser Wilhelm is going to Vienna
In the latter part Of March, about a
month earlier than he originally in
tended to go. He is to stay with
Kaiser Franz Joseph at Schonbrunn
for two days. The change Of time
and the announcement that the visit
is to be Of an official character has
caused a mild sensation. In connec-
ton with the visit several newspapers
state that the Russian government Is
preparing for war.
While the civil authorities Of Elsass
have been made to suffer for the re-
cent disturbances there, the two mill
tary men whose despotic conduct to-
ward the populace was largely re-
sponsible for them-CoIonel Won Reu-
ter and Lieutenant Won Forstner-
have suffered no more serious conse-
quences than transfer to other regi-
ments, which transfer, especially in
the case of Won Reuter-, amounts to a
promotion with distinction.
The lower house of the Austrian par
lament, whose sessions were suspend
ed on January 80 owing to the violent
obstruction Of the Czech deputies, re-
assembled last week, but again was
brought to an abrupt stop by the tu-
multi raised by the opposition mem