The arrest of Count Arnim has called out remarks in
the German Parliament. The Government has recently imprisoned three " Socialist " Members of Parliament, and is prosecuting Editors on all sides, generally for translating articles from foreign papers, and, as Herr Windhorst put it, the area of arrest has been widened, until it may some day include a National Liberal. Herr Laaker, chief of that party, though deprecating allusion to a case under trial, still lamented the want of a preliminary public inquiry as a blot on the German criminal system ; but the majority appear to have been little moved, though the Members imprisoned were being punished for speeches within the Reichstag. As for Prince Bismarck, he declared that the only cause of the multiplication of arrests was the growing irreverence for law, especially among the classes which ought to show it most respect. He was not afraid of the discus- sion. It is clear from the attitude of the German Parliament that he need not be, even if he arrests and imprisons half the Members and all the Editors in Germany. The Liberals will bear anything rather than vote against a man who has given them military ascendancy in Europe, and hold liberty, even for them- selves, unimportant, compared with State prestige. Imagine the House of Commons afraid to inquire why Mr. Disraeli had prose- cuted Mr. Peter Taylor for words spoken in the House, and we have the situation.
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