5 JANUARY 1907, Page 9

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

PRINCE BULOW has published his electoral manifesto, and has taken the somewhat unusual step of addressing it to Lieutenant-General von Liebert, the president of the "Iinperial,Association for Combating the Social Democracy," and a prominent member of the Pan-Germanic and Navy Leagues. The Chancellor is obviously seeking the alliance of the straitest sect of the Imperialists. He declares in his manifesto that hitherto it has been impossible to transact business in the Reichstag without the assistance of the Centre, who have held the balance of power. But if the Centre choose to ally them- selves with the Social Democr'ats and reject certain necessary colonial measures, then the Centre must be taught a lesson. He appeals to the Conservatives, the National Liberals, and the Radicals,'who, he hopes, will form a majority which may take the place of the Centre. He professes to find in the Left a genuine Imperial interest, and he is very flattering in his .remarks about them, so long as they are not Socialist. The .difficulty is in the proposed alliance with the Conservatives. The Radicals may dislike the Clericals more than the Con- 'servatives, but it is almost certain that the Conservatives would rather be governed by a Clerical than by a Liberal majority. Judging from the utterances of the Radical Press, the Left are not to be tempted to dance to the Chancellor's piping.