The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-12-28
OLD COUNTRY NEWS
BRIEF SUMMARY OF HAPPENINGS
FROM LAND OF THE
KAISER.
NOTES FROM GERMAN EMPIRE
Items About People and Affairs From
Across the Sea That VIII Prove Of
Great Interest to Many Of Our Read.
ers.

ef0.
Imperial Councillor Won Bethmann-
Hollweg, in his historic speech before
the reichstag few days ago, uttered
the following plain statement: "As
long as in the countries of our enemies
guilt and ignorance of statesmen are
entangled with confusion of public
opinion, it would be folly for Germany
to make peace proposals, which would
not shorten but lengthen the duration
of the war If our enemies
make peace proposals compatible with
Germany's dignity and safety, then
we shall always be ready to discuss
them" At the close of the speech the
nonsocialist parties made joint dec
laration approving the chancellor's
utterances and indorsing the view
that in the conditions of peace made
after the war there must be guaran-
ties for Germany's safety and even
If this implies annexation Of territory
The next day the socialist members of
the reichstag decided in party caucus
that the reply of Chancellor Won Beth
mann-Hollweg to peace queries was en-
tirely satisfactory. They voted that
therefore there was no reason for
hostility toward the government,
whose enemies have been continually
stating that it favored annexation"
This resolution, it is understood,
passed the caucus by large majority,
a few radicals, including Doctor
Liebknecht dissenting The German
press voiced practically unanimous
approval of Chancellor Won Bethmann-
Hollweg's statements on peace. The
same Endorsement came from business
men, professional men and men of all
classes in Berlin. They agreed that
the chancellor made an admirable
statement of Germany's position, and
that he showed conclusively that re-
sponsibility for continuance of the
war must rest with Germany's enc
mics. The Kreuz Zeitung and Boer-
sen Zeitung commented: "The chan
cellor said what all good Germans
thought" The Lokal Anzeiger de-
clared that the world must now real
ize that Germany fights not to con-
quer, but for her own protection, and
added: "The chancellor expressed
clearly the desires of Germany, peace
able now as before the war. He no.
titles the world that Germany Is will
ing for peace-the sooner the better
If it brings what we absolutely want"
nf hn Ifd Of fhn T,tt.1y fSI1
alliance with Germany is that a begin
ming has been made by the Turks in
taking over some of the features of
the German educational system. Dis
patches from Constantinople tell of
the erection there of continuation
schools, based on the German model,
with curriculum which includes,
among other studies, bookkeeping,
arithmetic, geography, commercial sci
ence, commercial correspondence and
German. The Constantinople Associa-
tion of Manufacturers and Dealers has
published a notice calling attention to
the new schools and urging the mas
tiers of various trades to see that their
apprentices attend regularly. The
school has made German an obligatory
schools are free. The "teffejjuz"
study. The newspaper Tanin, in an
article concerning the continuation of
schools, pays high praise to the Ger
man system. 1t points out that the
Germans, so far from slackening their
educational work during the war, not
only maintain it fully, but have also
maintained schools in enemy coun-
tries, using military men as instruc-
tors. .s,,y 3, 4<.ss l. 1,A,serl - -
A sensation has been caused by
the arrest of a number of young
Swiss post office employees from the
Frenc1-speaking cantons. These Off
Gals are accused of stealing and de-
stroying many money orders, pack
ages and letters addressed to Ger
man and Austrian soldiers, relief So
cieties and private citizens. of the
central empires.
The federal council has authorized
municipalities to issue butter and fat
cards similar to the bread cards to
regulate the consumption of these ar
ticles. The ordinance making this pro-
vision, which becomes effective Janu-
airy /, also contains regulations I'M
der which it will be possible to re-
serve the cheaper butter and fats for
the poor.
The sale OF imported pork, which
the government has authorized at
higher prices than the maximum for
inland pork, is finding ready disposal
at 60 cents a pound. Butcher shops
handling the imported meat are crowd
ed with customers.
Vigorous and unrestrained discus
sion of the problem of food regulation
continues in the budget committee of
the reichstag. Reports of the de-
bate appearing in the newspapers in
dictate that one aspect of the discus
sion consists of controversial attempts
to lay the blame of various alleged fail
ings on the shoulders of producers,
dealers or consumers, or representa-
tives of different ministries. Both
the minister of the interior, Clemens
Delbrueck, and the Prussian minister
of agriculture, Baron Won Schorlemer,
have come under fire.