GERMANY. 



415 



The Legislature in most of the states does 

 not meet annually, and the budgets are made 

 out for periods of two or three years. In the 

 two Mecklenburgs the expenses of Govern- 

 ment are defrayed from the grand-ducal reve- 

 nues and no accounts are published. The great- 

 er part of the debt in all the states was con- 

 tracted for railroads. Most of them have pro- 

 ductive property nearly or quite equal in value 

 to the capital of the debt. 



Colonial Possessions. During 1.884 and 1885 a 

 number of territories on the coast of Africa 

 and in the South Sea were taken under Ger- 

 man protection. On the west coast of Africa 

 were annexed Angra Pequefia and Hiideritz- 

 land, with a protectorate over the Nama and 

 Damara tribes ; Cameroons and Bimbia and all 

 the coast between the British oil-river terri- 

 tory and the French colony of Gaboon (see 

 CAMEROONS) ; and Togo and Bagida on the 

 Slave Coast. On the east coast a protectorate 

 was assumed over a district bordering on Zan- 

 zibar (see ZANZIBAR). In the Pacific Ocean 

 the German flag was raised over a part of the 

 coast of Papua (see PAPUA), the Admiralty Isl- 

 ands, the Duke of York group, a part of New 

 Britain and adjacent islands, and various small 

 islands in Micronesia. 



In the various controversies with Great Brit- 

 ain the clear purposes of the German Chancel- 

 lor enabled him to score diplomatic triumphs 

 over the British ministry, distracted by con- 

 flicting colonial and foreign interests (see CAME- 

 ROONS and CAPE COLONY). In the Angra Pe- 

 quefia dispute the English authorities were de- 

 terred from claiming prior sovereign rights, in 

 compliance with the desire of Cape Colony, by 

 the consideration of the fact that the port was 

 used as a coaling-station by one of the English- 

 built privateers that preyed upon American com- 

 merce during the war of secession. Though 

 constrained to abandon its claims to the Caro- 

 line and Pelew groups (see CAROLINE ISLANDS), 

 the German Government subsequently estab- 

 lished a protectorate over the Marshall and 

 Gilbert Islands. Germany and France sup- 

 ported each other in their colonial aims, but 

 the alliance was weakened by the failure of 

 France at the Congo Conference to second the 

 German proposals respecting the Niger, and 

 her assertion, in combination with Portugal, of 

 sovereign rights over a large part of the terri- 

 tory claimed by the Congo Association (see 

 CONGO FREE STATE). Soon after, the German 

 flag was hoisted on the Dubrecka river, in the 

 midst of the French possessions in Senegambia. 

 The extent of the German annexations in the 

 South Sea made in the latter part of 1884 and 

 the beginning of 1885 were estimated as fol- 

 lows : Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, or German New 

 Guinea, 52,000 square miles ; New Ireland, 

 3,400 square miles ; Bismarck Archipelago, 

 15,000 square miles ; New Britain, 9,350 square 

 miles. 



Political Parties. In 1879 the National Lib- 

 eral party that had formed the ministerial ma- 



jority for twelve years, split on the question of 

 protection. The Secessionists, who opposed the 

 economic plans of the Chancellor, afterward 

 united with the Liberalists to form the Liberal 

 Union, and in the spring of 1884 the Liberal 

 Union and the Progressists combined with the 

 German Liberal party. The Chancellor, by 

 making concessions to the Clericals, and by fa- 

 voring the interests of the land-owners, ob- 

 tained an unstable majority composed of the 

 Center, the Conservatives, and a remnant of 

 the old National Liberal party. The German 

 Liberals lost ground by opposing Prince Bis- 

 marck's protectionist, socialistic, and colonial 

 schemes, yet the Government failed to obtain, 

 as the result of the election of 1884, a major- 

 ity made up of the middle parties that would 

 enable it to dispense with the support of the 

 Clericals. The seats in the Reichstag are dis- 

 tributed among the various factions as fol- 

 lows : Center, 100 ; Conservatives, 75 ; Free 

 Conservatives, 80 ; National Liberals, 52 ; Ger- 

 man Liberals, 66 ; People's party, 7 ; Social 

 Democrats, 24 ; Poles, 16 ; Alsatians, 15 ; 

 Guelphs, 8 ; Danes, 1 ; Independent, 3. 



Session of the Reichstag. The speech from the 

 throne with which the Emperor opened the 

 Reichstag on Nov. 20, 1884, dwelt more than 

 usual on foreign and colonial affairs. On a 

 question of procedure, and again on a resolu- 

 tion in favor of paying deputies, the Chancel- 

 lor found a majority of 199 to 157 arrayed 

 against him. In favor of Windthorst's motion 

 to repeal exceptional laws there was a major- 

 ity of 217 to 93. Prince Bismarck spoke dis- 

 dainfully of the renewal of these motions, al- 

 ready denied by the Federal Council.' The 

 increase of 41,000,000 marks in the contribu- 

 tions from the states laid the Government open 

 to attacks directed against its economic policy, 

 against the military system, and against recent 

 expenditures for military and other purposes. 

 On Dec. 15 the Reichstag refused to vote 20,- 

 000 marks for another assistant in the Foreign 

 Office, an action which Prince Bismarck treat- 

 ed as an affront, and which embittered his rela- 

 tions with his Progressist opponents and was 

 condemned even by the constituents of the lat- 

 ter. The Progressist leaders changed with the 

 popular current, and on the 10th of January 

 voted for establishing a governor at Came- 

 roons and providing him with a steamer. On 

 March 4 the Liberalists, under the lead of Rick- 

 ert, changed their vote of Dec. 15, and the 

 grant for a new director in the foreign office 

 was carried. On March 16 a remarkable de- 

 bate, in which Prince Bismarck reiterated his 

 complaints of the factious pursuit of party ends 

 that threatened to destroy u the glorious work 

 of peace created and solidified with blood and 

 iron," ended with a vote of 4,000,000 marks 

 to subsidize a steamship line to Australia and 

 Asia and a branch line from Trieste to Egypt. 

 A grant for a West African line was refused. 

 In various other particulars the opposition to 

 Bismarck's colonial policy broke down, and 



