The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-20
WAR SERVES TO BRING OUT CONSERVATIVES ATTITUDE
 TOWARD GERMAN CHANCELLOR
Political Element Is Strong ly Antagonistic to Won Bethmann Hollweg-Dis- putes Over Tax Measures Increase Opposition.

| Berlin, July 20-The Reichstag ses-
 sion just closed was marked by inter-
 esting developments in the relations | between the government and the va rious political parties. One result was 1 to bring out more sharply than h1th- i erto the opposition of the Conserva- ! tiyes to Chancellor Bethmann Holl- weG.
 i The Conservatives represent the old | aristocratic traditions of Prussia, and i their social and political influence is so great that they usually succeeded un- der 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 at titude toward the Socialists. The Chancellor has steadily acted in the spirit of the Emperor's declaration, made just as the war was about to begin, that henceforth he knew no parties, but only Germans.
 The loyalty with which the Socialists have stood by the government and helped to fight the cOuntry's battles has been more than once recognized by Bethmann Hol1weg in his speeches in the Reichstag, and he has clearly admitted this fact must lead to some political establishments 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-
 from their hands.
 Besides this the Conservatives have taken offense at the governments tax ation policy. They are fully com mitted to the view that the Empire must collect it's revenue taxes through indirect taxation, like customs duties, aud internal revenue taxes of various kinds. Especially do they urgently insist that direct taxes-income, gen. eraI property, and inheritance taxes shou1G 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. car not be solved without resort ing to direct taxation-there are not enough indirect taxes in reach to meet the requirements of the situation Hence along with the various indirect taxes proposed this spring by the government was a direct tax on war nrofits 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 var and profits not due to it. Hence an all re und property tax of one mill ( the dollar was proposed by the com mittee and accepted by the govern ment. Some Of the Conservatives fin ally voted for the tax: but their two leaders, Count Westarp and von Hey debrand, voted against it 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 measures and on the press censorship the Con- servatives were very severe in their criticisms of the government and of the Chancellor. They resent it in par ticuiar that their newspapers were not permitted to say what they pleased about the United States in the height of the submarine controversy between Washington and Berlin; neither can they forgive the Chancellor for hav- ing yielded in modifying the form of submarine warfare.
 Several days ago the Chancellor spoke with unusual passion, in expos ing the false statements put forth in an anonymous pamphlet written to at- tack him, a pamphlet evidently eman- ating from Conservative quarters; and he also had some sharp things to say in replying to another pamphlet by Herr Kapp, an influential conserva- tive politician. These pamphlets made the impression upon the coun- try that the Conservatives were be- ginning a systematic. camaign for the overthrow of Bethmann Holweg. Some of the National Liberals are also dissatisfied with the chancellor and are known to sympathize with these attacks upon him. In proportion, how ever, as the ultra national elements turn away from the Chancellor he is finding all the warmer support from the other parties in the Reichstag, in- cluding the old Socialist party. It was curious unwonted spectacle, du- ring the Chancellor's speech of June 6, to see the Conservatives listening with mute dissent, along with the seeding
 
 in the house applauded him to the echo. .tf