of the Confederation Générale du Travail objections advanced by German exporters. (General Confederation of Labor). After Certain reductions, also, are made upon heated debate the chamber expressed confi- goods imported from Germany as permitted dence in the government by a vote of 343 to under the provisions of the Dingley tariff act. 210. M. Clémenceau's vigorous and fair- In German home politics the passage of the minded attitude has received the support of Colonial Ministry bill, early in May, was moderate people throughout the republic. one of the chief happenings of interest. The While the sympathies of his ministry are with attitude of the empire on the advisability of the labor movement in general,-as testified discussing at the Hague Conference the quesby the presence in his cabinet of Ministers tion of disarmament continues to provide a Briand and Viviani, the latter an out-and-out subject for discussion in the European press. Socialist, the moderate ground invariably taken by him in the suppression of disorder has won him the confidence, not only of his own countrymen, but of Europe in general. Economic and Germany. By the approval in the Reichstag, Industrial early last month, of the tariff modus vivendi between Germany and the United States, the trade interests of both countries have their relations fixed for another year at least and probably for an indefinite period in the future. This "Project of Commercial Agreement," as it is termed, extends to this country the benefit of the most-favored-nation clauses of the German tariff, in return for which certain concessions in the method of levying duties are made by the United States customs authorities to meet BELGIUM TO HER KING. Leopold: My Congo!" Belgium: "No, not your Congo. My handmaid she shall be." From the Amsterdammer (Amsterdam). The formal utterances of the Kaiser's representatives at the Dutch capital will be looked forward to with interest and concern by the entire world. It is a rather significant fact that, during the past few months, according to a statement made by Count von Posadowsky-Wehner, Secretary of the Interior, emigration from Germany has practically ceased. The Minister is reported to have said: Germany has definitely ceased to be an exporter of men. She has become an importer and on an increasingly large scale. Not only our manufacturers, but also our farmers, are now wrestling with the problem of where to find sufforeign labor is obtainable, Russian, Polish, Hunficient hands. They are compelled to hire what garian, and Italian, while we have lately witnessed the strange spectacle of even England being drawn upon to ameliorate the abnormal conditions in our dock, arms, and ammunition trades. Political Move Important elections under new ments in franchise laws occurred in May Central Europe. throughout the Austrian Empire which will result in a Reichsrath of many widely different groups. Especially noteworthy has been the gains of the Socialists. In the last Parliament they had eleven seats; in the next one they will control more than seventy. The new Swedish Franchise Reform bill, which is now before the King for his signature, will largely extend the suffrage. It will also make a reduction of the property qualification for eligibility to election to the upper house. In Belgium the disagreement continues between the Parliament and the King over labor questions and the future of the Congo. The Smet de Naeyer ministry, after being in power for eight years, was forced out of office early in April because of the Premier's inability to reconcile the interests of the King and Parliament. It would appear that a crisis in the affairs of the Congo were near, and the world will await with interest the decision of the Belgian people as represented in their Parliament regarding the future administration of this great Central African domain. Birth of the Spanish A general election in Heir. Spain is of no importance whatsoever compared with the birth of an heir to the Spanish throne. The youthful Spanish monarchs have, by their independence and the human interest attaching to their real romance, won a place for themselves in the affections of the entire world. King Alfonso defied century-old etiquette in his search for a bride, and interested the whole world last year in his courtship. On May 31, 1906, it will be remembered, he married the lady of his choice, Princess Ena of Battenberg, niece of King Edward of England. As far as the outside world can know, it has been an unusually happy royal marriage and has received its culminating joy in the birth of an heir, on the 10th of last month. All the ceremony required by Spanish royal etiquette was rigorously adhered to upon this great occasion. To the company of royalists, grandees, ambassadors, and high officials assembled in an adjoining room of the palace, the young King presented the royal infant on a golden tray, exclaiming in the traditional formula: "Gentlemen, I present to you my beloved son, Prince of the Asturias, successor to the throne of Spain, to whom my dear wife, her Majesty the Queen, has just given birth." All the solemn dignitaries assembled then forgot their etiquette and cheered heartily. To celebrate the occasion King Alfonso distributed a large sum of money among the poor of his capital, proclaimed a three-days holiday throughout the kingdom, and decreed the pardon of thousands of prisoners. The child is reported to be a healthy, robust lad. He will have an English governess, as well THE LATEST PORTRAIT OF THE SPANISH An AngloSpanish ROYAL PAIR. The elections, which were held on April 21, resulted in a subUnderstanding. stantial government majority and a Socialist loss, the new Cortes beginning its sessions on May 13. No governmental event, however, could serve to unite political Spain so much as the birth of an heir. Even the Carlists and the Republicans appear to have succumbed to the grace, beauty, and democratic character of the popular young Queen. Spain is a country particularly exposed to anti-dynastic movements, but these will all receive a setback by the birth of a prince royal. The little boy was christened on the 18th, with Pope Pius, King Edward, and Emperor William as sponsors, receiving the names Alfonso Pio Christino Eduardo Fran tion had been made out and all but signed. The Constitutional Democrats and their moderate allies in the Duma had managed to so conciliate the administration as to bring about the enactment of some necessary legislation. Several of the Radical groups, however, realizing the impossibility of conducting their deliberations in Russia, left the country to hold a secret congress abroad. They were not permitted to assemble in Finland or Sweden, but finally succeeded in holding their meetings in London. It was realized by the British authorities and by the delegates themselves that upon their conduct largely depended the fate of the Russian Parliament at St. Petersburg. The result of their deliberations has not been made public, but it is reported to have been a declaration for armed resistance. At the same time, good authority has it that the British King and his ministers intimated to the Russian Ambassador at London that the pending AngloRussian treaty, so much desired in Russia for political as well as financial reasons, would not be negotiated if the Russian Government broke its promise to the Russian people by dissolving the Duma. According to an article in the dignified and well-informed Journal de Genève, no British cabinet whose existence depended on the Mother of 66 THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL PAIR ON THEIR YACHT IN Parliaments could afford to sign a treaty THE BALTIC. nando Antonio. He is, moreover, Prince of the Asturias, a title given to the first-born son of a King of Spain. This title resembles that of the Prince of Wales in England, since both Wales and the Asturias are principalities, the refuge of aboriginal inhabitants who have long remained unconquered. It is reported that, on his recent visit to the Spanish Kingdom, King Edward succeeded in bringing about an understanding amounting to a friendly alliance between the two countries. This understanding will be made clearer and the tie drawn closer by the advent of the new baby, who is a great-grandson of Queen Victoria of England. It was a strange turn of the England and the Russian wheel of fortune which virtually Duma. put into the hands of the British Government and the British people, during April and May, the fate of representative government in Russia. During the last days of April a number of violent speeches by Radicals and Socialists in the Duma had so angered the Czar and his Premier that it was confidently asserted that a decree of dissolu with a government which almost immediately after accepting the principle of parliamentary representation should give the lie to its professions and openly flout a system to which it had not given. a fair trial." Therefore, the Duma was not dissolved. The Triumph of the Finnish Women. While the rest of the empire is still convulsed by the revolutionary movement, Finland has recently accomplished a triumph of peace and order. By the provisions of its new constitution (already referred to more than once in these pages) the Finnish women have not only voted but have been elected to serve as legislators on equal terms with men. The exact results of the elections held on March 15 are now known, and it is found that nineteen women have been returned to sit in the Finnish Landdag, the entire membership of which is 200. It is also stated that a larger proportion of the registered women than of the registered men actually went to the ballot boxes. In the capital, Helsingfors, 16,900 women voted, as against 12,600 men. Those actually elected to Parliament included a minister's wife, several professional suffragists, a peasant's wife, and several seamstresses, teachers, and factory workingwomen. Of the nineteen, nine are Social Democrats. On election day perfect order prevailed, many of the married people going together to the polls to cast their vote. One of the best known of the women elected, the Baroness Alexandra Grippenburg, conducted a campaign with a male candidate of her party. They traveled together, dividing the work between them. The woman spoke on temperance, social purity, and the woman question, and the man discussed the other planks in the party platform. Eminent The visit of several eminent JapaJapanese nese personalities to this country Visitors. during the month of May gave evidence of the earnest desire of the Tokio government to show its friendliness to the United States and the American people. This friendly feeling was not, we are assured, even interrupted by the unfortunate incident of the San Francisco school-board resolution in October last. Secretary Root, in an address delivered at the meeting of the Society of International law in April (we quote on another page from this address as printed in the American Journal of International Law), assures us that the attitude of both governments was absolutely correct. And now come General Baron Kuroki, the victorious FRAU MINNA LILLAMPA, LEADER OF THE WOMEN VICE-ADMIRAL IJUIN. Who commanded the Japanese squadron visiting the Jamestown Exposition last month. veteran of the war with Russia, and ViceAdmiral Ijuin, with a squadron of warships, to visit the Jamestown Exposition; while Baron Ozawa, member of the House of Peers, vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society, and special representative of the Emperor, visits Washington to express the thanks of his Imperial Majesty for aid given by Americans to the Japanese famine sufferers. Incidentally, the Baron was commissioned to ascertain the existence of any anti-Japanese feeling in this country. General Kuroki, with his staff (excellent portraits of whom we reproduce on another page), visited Washington, the Jamestown Fair, and our Military Academy at West. Point, besides being entertained right royally by the city of New York and the Japanese resident in our metropolis. GENERAL BARON KUROKI, WITH HIS STAFF AND THEIR HOSTS, IN WASHINGTON. |