The sitting of the Reichstag on Thursday was signalised by
an amusing duel between Herr Bebel, the Socialist leader, and the Imperial Chancellor. Taking the new Finance Reform Bill as his text, Herr Bebel attacked the Imperial policy on three grounds,—it was inspired by extravagant ideas of militarism and expansion ; it did nothing to check the aggressive policy of Russia ; and, being based on indirect taxation, it imposed disproportionate burdens upon the poorer classes. Count von Billow in an exceedingly clever debating speech pointed out that military retrenchment was inconsistent with the crusading and interfering policy which Herr Bebel apparently wished Germany to adopt towards Russia in the Far East. As Imperial Chancellor, be declined to start a policy in Manchuria, with which Germany bad nothing to do. He then proceeded in a very able and merci- less passage to expose the foibles of the Social Democrats,— their tyranny and intolerance, their lack of logic and common- sense. "Bismarck once said that if there were three dozen of them in the Reichstag he would ask them to propose a practical scheme of policy. That was twenty years ago, and though there were now more than six dozen of them in the House, they had not yet formulated an intelligible pro- gramme of their ideal State." As an answer to Herr Bebel the Imperial Chancellor's speech is irrefutable ; but we ques- tion if it will improve his position. However bad a particular Socialist argument may be, there is the fact to be remembered that the party speaks for three million electors wha feel the evil effect of German's financial policy, and are out of sym- pathy with Germany's Imperial ambitions. Where there is so much smoke, there must be a great deal of fire.
