

GERMANY. 



319 



gratefully and gracefully declined this offer. 

 Early in January, 1894, Emperor Wilhelm sent 

 his aid-de-camp to Friedrichsruh to invite 

 Prince Bismarck to pay him a visit at Berlin, 

 and the old Chancellor fixed the 20th day of 

 January for that purpose. Immense crowds 

 greeted' the prince on his arrival in Berlin, 

 where he was received at the station by Prince 

 Heinrich of Prussia in the name of his imperial 

 brother. The meeting between the young Em- 

 peror and his old Chancellor was very cordial, 

 the Kaiser kissing the prince several times, and 

 embracing him in full view of the public. The 

 prince stayed in Berlin as the guest of the Kai- 

 ser until the evening, when he went back to 

 Friedrichsruh, the Emperor accompanying him 

 to the station and at parting promising to visit 

 the prince at his home. The return visit by the 

 Emperor was paid on Feb. 19, 1894, and the 

 whole German people celebrated the reconcilia- 

 tion as an important historical event. 



Emperor Wilhelm's Speech. For nearly 

 two years Germany's Emperor had been ex- 

 tremely conservative in his public utterances, 

 but in the fall of 1894 he laid caution aside and 

 delivered a speech in which he warned the nobil- 

 ity not to go too far in their opposition to the 

 Government. A large number of the nobility 

 are members of the Agrarian League, and the 

 Agrarian League was the principal opponent of 

 the Russian commercial treaty. The speech was 

 delivered on Sept. 6, 1894, at a state banquet of 

 East Prussia in Konigsberg, the old historical 

 capital of the province and the center of the old 

 landed gentry. The Emperor, after thanking 

 those present at the banquet for the reception 

 accorded to him and the Empress while in East 

 Prussia, called attention to the fact that the 

 province was chiefly dependent on agriculture, 

 and had, above all, to maintain an energetic 

 peasantry, to be the pillar and stay of the Prus- 

 sian monarchy. Then, after alluding to the un- 

 satisfactory condition of 'agriculture for the past 

 four years, the Emperor continued : 



It seems to me as if under the influence of the hard 

 times doubts had arisen as to whether promises 

 which had been made would be fulfilled. Yes, to 

 my sorrow, I have noticed that in the circles of the 

 nobility which stand nearest my throne my best in- 

 tentions have been misconstrued and sometimes even 

 combated. The word "opposition" lias come to my 

 ears. Gentlemen, opposition of Prussian nobles to 

 their King is a monstrous thing. Opposition is only 

 justifiable when the King himself stands at its head. 

 So much the history of my house can teach us. How 

 often have my ancestors been compelled to withstand 

 the misguided members of a single class for the good 

 of the whole community ! The successor of him who 

 of his own right became the Sovereign Duke of Prus- 

 sia will tread in the footsteps of his great forefather. 

 Even as once the first King of Prussia said, " Ex me 

 mea nata corona" and as his son molded the royal 

 authority into a rocker de bronze, so -do I, like my 



ful intercourse with your Sovereign. My door 

 is ever open for every one of my subjects, and to 

 every one I lend a willing ear. Turn your steps 

 thither, and I will let bygones be bygones." 



Recalling the unveiling of the statue of Em- 

 peror Wilhelm I, the Emperor concluded : 



Kaiser Wilhelm I stands before us holding in his 

 right hand the imperial sword, the symbol of justice 

 and order. It reminds us all of other duties, of the 

 serious battle which has to be fought against those 

 whose attacks threaten the very foundations of the 

 state and of society. Now, gentlemen, my summons 

 goes forth to you : Up and fight for religion, for mo- 

 rality, and for order against the parties of revolution. 

 As the ivy twines itself round the gnarled stem of the 

 oak, adorning it with its foliage and protecting it 

 when storms roar through its branches, so must the 

 ranks of the Prussian nobility close up round my 

 house. May it, and with it the whole nobility of 

 German stock, be a shining example for those 'sec- 

 tions of the people which still hang back. Let it be 

 so; let us march together to this struggle. Forward, 

 with the help of God, and lost to honor be he who 

 deserts his King ! In the hope that East Prussia will 

 be the first province in the line of battle I raise my 

 glass and drink to the prosperity of the province and 

 its inhabitants. 



This remarkable speech created a storm in 

 the German press. The Conservatives, however, 

 against whom this warning was principally di- 

 rected, tried to hide their embarrassment arid to 

 excuse their opposition to the commercial policy 

 of Count von Caprivi, but. on the whole, only 

 succeeded in showing repentance and submis- 

 siveness to the orders of their King ; while 

 the Liberal press prophesied coercive measures 

 against free thought and speech, which events 

 proved to be not without foundation. 



Count yon Capriyi's Resignation. Ever 

 since the Emperor's speech at Konigsberg ru- 

 mors had been rife throughout the empire that 

 measures were under consideration tending to 

 repress the spreading doctrines of socialism. 

 Under Prince Bismarck repressive legislation 

 against the Socialists had been adopted, but in 

 spite of it socialism had gained ground through- 

 out Germany, and it was considered wise to re- 

 peal those laws and deal openly with the revolu- 

 tionary party. The growing feeling of unrest 

 and dissatisfaction in the German Empire, the 

 constant gains of the Socialists at the polls, the 

 misdeeds of the anarchists in foreign countries, 

 and the formation of the Agrarian League and 

 its opposition to the Government reminded the 

 Emperor of the dangers ahead, and it was de- 

 cided to formulate laws that could effectually 

 check the progress of government by the people. 

 It was known that Count von Caprivi, the Ger- 

 man Chancellor, was not in favor of repressive 

 laws, such as were demanded by the Emperor, 

 but in this, as in many other important ques- 

 tions of state, he bowed down to his master and 

 accepted his views. Early in October a^confer- 



imperial grandfather, represent the monarchy by ence of the Bundesrath was called, and Chancel- 

 right divine. Inr vnn flfl.rvrivi snhmittfH his nronosfirl legislation 



rig. 



After reminding the guests that he was the 

 largest landowner in the state, and as such 

 participated in the burdens, and was well aware 

 of the hard times, the Emperor called on the 

 nobility to assist him in his exertions " not by 

 clamor and not by the means employed by the 

 professional Opposition parties which you "have 

 so often and so rightly combated, but 'by trust- 



lor von Caprivi submitted his proposed legislation 

 to that body. The Bundesrath was, however, 

 by no means unanimously in favor of repressive 

 laws, and the representatives of several of the 

 states insisted that their local laws were suffi- 

 cient to deal with the disturbing elements. 

 Count von Caprivi was by no means in an envia- 

 ble position ; on the one hand was the Emperor 

 urgent for the most repressive laws, on the other 



