GERMANY. 



319 



revolution if the people were deprived of all 

 their rights, and debarred from the possibility 

 of executing their plans by legal means. The 

 act was then adopted by 191 against 94 votes, 

 with some slight modifications, particularly one 

 which protects Social-Democrats who are elect- 

 ed to any of the state Legislatures. 



A bill introduced by the Prussian Govern- 

 ment for granting a subsidy to the German 

 Marine Commercial Company, lately formed 

 on the ruins of the enterprise started by Messrs. 

 Godeffroy, of Hamburg, also called forth on 

 April 21st an animated discussion, as it was 

 regarded as a new attempt of the Imperial 

 Chancellor to inaugurate a colonial policy. The 

 bill empowered the Chancellor to guarantee a 

 maximum sum of 10,000,000 marks to the share- 

 holding company aforesaid, formed in Berlin 

 in January, toward insuring a net annual 

 profit of 4 per cent, of the invested capital, 

 but under the condition that the amount thus 

 to be granted from the Imperial Treasury to- 

 ward the payment of the dividends should not 

 exceed three per cent, of the paid-up capital. 

 Deputy Mosle ardently supported the measure, 

 in the interest of German commerce, naviga- 

 tion, industry, science, missionary enterprise, 

 etc., making copious reference to long personal 

 experience of things in the latitude of Samoa. 

 Herr Meyer, also reposing on his knowledge 

 of the South Seas, essayed to dissuade the House 

 from countenancing the bill, scorning the ap- 

 prehension that the English would seek to oust 

 the Germans from the commercial footing they 

 had already effected on the islands. Prince 

 Hohenlohe, lately German ambassador in Paris, 

 assured the Reichstag that the Government 

 laid great stress on the measure, and would 

 honestly regret its rejection. The numerous 

 firms recently founded in Australia testified to 

 the restless spirit of enterprise among the com- 

 mercial classes of Germany. It was a well- 

 known fact that trade with those South-Sea peo- 

 ples only throve on the savage tribes being im- 

 pressed with the power of the nation with 

 which they had to do. Trustworthy traders 

 who had long lived among them asserted that 

 the South-Sea Islanders had a very fine appre- 

 ciative sense of the might of those countries 

 having intercourse with them. The rejection 

 of the bill would result in the German settle- 

 ments in Samoa passing into other hands set- 

 tlements over which the German flag waved, 

 and which came into life with a certain well- 

 studied, and he might almost say well-justified, 

 aim. This transition into other hands, the 

 hauling down of the German colors, and the 

 hoisting of the English, the American, or any 

 other flag, would decidedly impress the popu- 

 lation with the belief that Germany had suf- 

 fered a defeat. This view might be erroneous, 

 but they could not dispute that unthinking 

 men would receive this impression. Traders 

 averred that this result would again react on 

 all the South-Sea Islands, and even make itself 

 felt in Japan. The approval of the bill would 



materially enhance the prestige of the empire 

 and the commercial flag of Germany. The bill 

 was also supported by Herr Georg von Bun- 

 sen, a National Liberal, and Prince von Ho- 

 henlohe-Langenburg, belonging to the Protes- 

 tant branch of that family, of which the Paris 

 ambassador is the Catholic head. One of the 

 most effective speeches in behalf of the bill 

 was made by Reuleaux, Federal Council Com- 

 missary, who had but lately returned from 

 officially representing Germany at the Sydney 

 Exhibition, and had ample opportunity while 

 in Australia of gathering material on the sub- 

 ject of the South-Sea trade. Professor Reu- 

 leaux essayed to elucidate the commercial re- 

 lations of Germany with Australia, and argued 

 that vessels could only undertake successful 

 voyages thither when, by the establishment 

 and prosperity of the South-Sea Company, the 

 opportunity of getting return freights was af- 

 forded them. Conversely, a firm connection 

 being established with Samoa, German traders 

 would be infinitely better able to compete with 

 English exporters in Australia. On its becom- 

 ing known out there that the Godeffroy firm was 

 tottering, all English houses expressed them- 

 selves more or less loudly to the effect that the 

 time was now come for again snatching from 

 the Germans the trade in Polynesia, but their 

 joy was turned into anger when they heard that 

 the Imperial Government thought of protect- 

 ing and promoting the commercial interests of 

 its subjects in the South Seas. All parliamen- 

 tary proceedings on the subject were wired to 

 Sydney and read with great suspense. After 

 further describing the watchful jealousy of 

 English traders in the South Seas, Professor 

 Reuleaux wound up by saying that the bill, if 

 passed, would stretch a net of commercial re- 

 lations all over the archipelago, and animate 

 their connection with Australia, while enor- 

 mous difficulties in that respect would crop up 

 if the company were not promoted and direct 

 communication with the islands established. 

 The most powerful speech against the Govern- 

 ment bill was made by Dr. Bamberger (Lib- 

 eral), who compared the present project to the 

 notorious South-Sea Company, founded in Lon- 

 don in 1710, and asked the House to reject it, 

 which the House soon thereafter did by 128 

 votes against 112, the majority including the 

 Center, the Progressists, and some of the Na- 

 tional Liberals. 



The revised Elbe Navigation Act, concluded 

 between Germany and Austria on March 7th, 

 led to complicated and angry discussions which 

 involved the constitutional rights of the Fed- 

 eral Council and called forth a long speech 

 from Prince Bismarck. The Government of 

 Prussia had made a motion in the Federal 

 Council to separate Altona and the suburb of 

 St. Pauli from the free-port territory of Ham- 

 burg, and to include them within the Customs 

 Union. The Government of Hamburg regard - 

 ed this as a danger to their free-port posi- 

 tion, but all the efforts on the part of the Ham- 



