OCR Text |
Show JUBILEE OF USER SKESlilS Lower Classes Have Many Grievances, but Hesitate to Mar Festival. LOWER TAXES FOR RICH Poor, However, Have to Pay More,' and Officers Prevent Pre-vent Labor Meetings. By FREDERICK WERNER. Special Cable to Tho Tribune. BERLIN". Doc 28. Thero is much antagonism to the budget of 1013 on the part of the Radicals and Socialists, who declare that tho government is hopelessly tied to tho cnuso of the wealthy and powerful minority of tho subjects. Tho chancellor has kept b.is promises of a reduction in taxes, but his choice of reductions has Ijocu made in a way that favors only tho rich, for all the taxes it is proposed to reduce arc those paid by tho wealthy classes, whilo tho tax burdenn of the poor are nctually raised. Tho radical parties continue clamoring for a property tax, of which there is as yet no sign, though promises have not been Jacking. Thero is also among tho working classes a strong feeling against tho mannor in which tho insurance law is being used as a. weapon again3t tho workers, who do nob object to paying thu juouoy required for iusuranco against disease, but who most strongly strong-ly object to tho tactics of tho government govern-ment health inspectors, who declare a district to bo in danger of 'an epidemic whenever it ia proposed to hold n big labor meeting, and thus hamper the workers' organizations. A demand ia also raised that the government should compol all stock I companies which pay moro than 20 per leont interest, on a very often highly inflated in-flated capital to bear tho full cost ot labor insurance. . Altogether tho lower classes m Germany Ger-many feel that they have a good many just causes of complaint against tho government, but on tho whole tho prospects pros-pects for the coming year aro quito satisfactory, and no serious disturbances disturb-ances arc looked for if th0 government shows tho least sign of really preparing prepar-ing a scheme of social reforms ami does not trv to rule in absolute opposition oppo-sition to tho will of tho people. The Germans as a whole aro an exceedingly ex-ceedingly loyal race and have the highost respect for the kaiser, who ih vcrv popular personally as a type or the' true German patriot, .and ovon among the Socialists thero is a strong fcflinir thnt tho year which sees tlio kaiser's jubilco uuist nor. ho marred by unnecessary internal strife. |