SHORTCOMINGS OF OUR AGRICULTURE 27 



New uses were every day found for co-operative organisation. 

 Farmers were busier still in Denmark and in the Nether- 

 lands. And that naturally reacted upon Germany as a 

 further stimulus. Thus the movement sped on, conquering 

 and to conquer. 



A great change came over the entire situation in 1894, 

 Emperor William had just had an ugly reminder that one- 

 sided Protection is not all the " beer and skittles " for 

 which Bismarck and his junker following — insisting that 

 Germany should be absolute " mistress in her own house " 

 — had represented it. Bismarck had shot his protectionist 

 bolt, and Russia had retaliated by stopping her own 

 exportation of rye, upon which Germany was in a great 

 measure dependent. There was general dismay. Famine 

 seemed to stare the people in the face. Count Caprivi, 

 the new Chancellor — very characteristically nominated 

 on the advice, not of responsible statesmen, but of " generals 

 commanding the several army corps," whom the Emperor 

 had hastily summoned to a conference to advise him — had 

 saved the situation by a bold stroke which the Emperor 

 himself with a sigh of relief publicly spoke of as " the saving 

 deed." That staved off famine, but it got the back up 

 fiercely of the junkers, who forthwith leagued themselves 

 together in an anti-governmental " Bund der Landwirthe " 

 (Federation of Agriculturists— really of Landowners), which 

 was to fight the Government and insist upon the restoration 

 of extreme Protection, and which came to exercise an enor- 

 mous power and has practically held the political helm 

 ever since. Now the Emperor was well aware that, if he 

 was to remain emperor and king on his own terms, he could 

 afford to quarrel with any one except the junkers, whose 

 motto has ever been : 



" Unser Konig absolut, 

 Wenn er unsern Willen thut." 



(Our king shall be absolute ruler, so long as he carries out 

 our wishes.) He might dismiss Chancellors at a moment's 

 notice, take up and drop again at his pleasure National- 

 Liberals, Ultramontanes — during the war even Socialists. 



