The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-12-29
finds BERLIN
MUCH CHANGED
CITY Transformed Since Kaiser
Lost His Throne.
WRITER GIVES pen PICTURE

-.
Great Houses In WilheImstrasse Are
Occupied by Civil Servants and Hum
With the Tap Of Typewriters -
Legend Of Kalserism Not only Lost,
but Degraded by the lgnoble End
Of the kaisers Reign.
Berlin, says Noel Buxton, writing
In The Manchester Guardian, is much
different from the Berlin of thirty
years ago. sa
"At my first visit, in 1899, Bismarck
had just fallen and the hopes of the
wilder spirits were set upon the young
man whose white plume flashed past
down the Linden and whose restless
personality was already attracting the
reverence of the less reflective sec
tions of German royalty" he says.
THE hopes Of the warlike and the
autocrat were to find themselves only
too well fulfilled in this apt instru-i
ment of their schemes. Six years
later the Jameson Raid furnished the
first opportunity to make Europe un-
easy.
From the Kruger telegram to AL
gerciras and Agadir the emperor sup,
piled periodical food to the militarists'
OF every country, till at last the mill
tary machine which had been fashioned
was set in motion to devastation
of Europe and the jeopardizing of its
civilization. And now the whole of
this episode Is closed, and no one can
visit Berlin without experiencing the
pleasant sensation of seeing the head
quarters of militarism cleared of it's
evil genius. The reality, indeed, sur
passes the expectation.
Consider how far militarism had
developed from its status at the be-
ginning of the episode of 1896 till ii
reached its elimination in 1914. The
doctrine of divine right had taken firm
hold in spite of the growth of modern
thought and the movements of labor.
The very burgomasters were not re-
sponsible to the people Of their towns
but to the autocracy. The reichstag
itself was powerless The sole cur
tailnlent Of Junker domination was
represented by diminutive tax on
land, which was only conceded in order
to bargain for great Increase of the
army. 4,s@
h. Change Is DesoIating.
'From the conservative point Of
view how desolating is the change
The police and the soldiers with shin
ing helmets are no longer to be seen.
The safety police on rare occasions
are seen slouching along in pairs. The
walls of the chief buildings are spat-
tered with bullet marks, and the Pal
act-from which in 1890 the emperor
had with a field glass successfully de-
tected the unfastened button of SEN
try Of the guardroom 300 yards away
has it's doors in ruin, while the in
terror has been pillaged by rabble.
1.-THE great houses In the Wilhelm
strasse, formerly the seats of the
mighty, are now occupied by civil
servants and hum with the tap of the
The Palace, with lovely
gardens stretching out to the Thier-
garten, formerly the abode Of the chief
of the emperor's household, now CON
tains Ebert, the ex-harness makey,
the lnassuming and cheerful friend of |
la,or delegates at international con-
ferences. Here, with the leaders Of |
II Y Majority Socialist party, we en-
tt'4d from the garden door, unchal-
leh"ed by any sentry from the guard
hose, and enjoyed the charming hos
pi'a'ty of the saddler and his WIFE
whose dignity as hostess no empress
OF he past has exceeded. At an |
alfie.co tea we discussed with So
ciaist members of the Reichstag Tin |
Gliding women members concerned |
with relief work for the hungry chill
drpn) the immediate problems Of So
cia 81 Germany.
IN another of the palaces of Berlin,
the residence of the president Of the
Re rlstag, we dined with the new |
Loebe, who is so well known |
In british labor quarters. The shades
of former arist0cratic presidents must
have experienced horror as they wit
ne, led the party of Socialist NJ. P.'s
takjng Familiarity with the walters, |
some Of whom were delighted to show
off 10 English guests the English
whrh they learned in London hotels
Women In Reichstag.
"A visit to the reichstag reveals
aliorler revolution, displayed In the
presence of great numbers Of women
nei.ihers, forming considerable per-
.entage Of the whole chamber--women
who in Germany were until yesterday
held in subservience, and who now
,ata'n from the electors a degree of
confidence which Is not yet the portion
If women in England.
Titles and privileges mean nothing. |
Me churches are disestablished, with
he happy result that even in the
russian Lutheran church genuine
lovements sympathetic with labor are
rowing up. The rich have to pay a
capital levy, and In the
martest restaurants princes who two