The Cordova daily times., 1916-07-27
WAR |S MAXIM G CHANGES IN
 GERMANY

BERLIN, July 20. Correspond ence of the Associated Press.) - The Reichstag session just closed was marked by interesting developments in the relations between the government and the various political parties. One result was to bring out more sharply than hitherto the opposition of the Conservatives to Chancellor Bethmann von Hollweg.
 The Conservatives represent the old aristocratic traditions of Prussia, and their social and political influence Is so great that they usually succeeded under previous chancellors in shaping the course of the government. They have ever taken the lead in opposing all Socialist and democratic tenden- cies in the state; and before the war one of their chief lines of policy was war upon the Socialists as an element dangerous to the monarchy and the present order of society. Since the war has been in progress, however. the government has quite changed it's attitude toward the Socialists. The chancellor has steadily acted In the spirit of the emperor's declaration, made just as the war was about to be- gin, that henceforth he knew no par ties but only Germans.
 The loyalty with which the Social ists have stood by the government and helped to fight the eountry's battles has been more than once recognized by Bethmann Hoilweg in his speeches in the Reichstag, and he has clearly admitted this fact must lead to some political readjustments after the war is over. This has never pleased the Conservatives. But the chancellor has gone on his way making friends of the Socialists and inviting their support for government measures. The Conservatives looked on coldly at all this, for they saw that their best ar gument for keeping the government rigidly conservative was being wrest- ed from their hands,
 Resides this, ne Conservatives have taken offense at the govern ment's taxation policy. They are fully committed to the view that the empire must collect It's revenue taxes through indirect taxation, like customs duties, and internal revenue taxes of various kinds. Especially do they urgently insist that direct taxes-income, gen. eral property and inheritance taxes should be reserved for the federal states. The huge problem, however, of raising revenues to pay interest on the war debt, to pay pensions, and meet other expenses growing out of the war, cannot be solved without re- sorting to direct taxation - there are not enough indirect taxes in reach to meet the requirements of the situa- ton. Hence along with the various indirect taxes proposed this spring by the government was a direct tax on war profits. In working out the details of collecting this tax. however, it was found by the budget committee that 1t would be practically impossible to distinguish between profits due to the war and profits not due to It. Hence an all-rOund property tax of one mill on the dollar was proposed by the committee, and accepted by the government. Some of the ConseIva. tives finally voted for the tax; but their two leaders. Count Westarp and von Heyderbrand, voted against 1t to the bitter end. In this, curiously enough, they found themselves alone with the small group of Socialists Who split off from the main body of the Socialists last March.
 In the debates on these tax meas ures and on the press censorship the Conservatives were very severe in their criticisms of the government and of the chancellor. They resent 1t in particular that their newspapers were not permitted to say what they pleased about the United States in the heignt of the submarine controversy between Washington and Berlin; neither ran they forgive the chancellor for having yielded in modifying the form of sub marine warfare.
 Several days ago the chancellor spoke with unusual passion in expos ing the false statements put forth in an anonymous pamphlet written to attack him. pamphlet evidently e:na' hating from Conservative quarters; and he also had some sharp things to