STRIFE IN ENEMY LANDS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 115, 20 May 1918, Page 3

STRIFE IN ENEMY LANDS.

! GERMAN. FRANCHISE DISPUTE. ! ADJOURNMENT OF AUSTRIAN | REIOHRATIL i LONDON, May 3. 1 The rejection by the Prussian Lower House of Parliament of the Equal Suffrage Bill, which was promised by the Kaiser, and strongly supported by the Government, has provoked angry comment by the German Radical and Socialist newspaers, which declare that the disappointment of the great mass oi Prussian people is so profound that it constitutes a, danger which should not he under-estimated. These papers insist that the Government showed deplorable v.-eakues* bv not- immediately dissolving Parliament," which is so conservative that the proposed reform seems scarcely attainable* except with nullifying qualifications. The possibility exists that there will be some compromise before the third reading, but supporters ol the reform are not sanguine. The correspondent of The Times at The Hague states that a reliable authority, who has returned; from Germany, gives a remarkable description of the authorities' intense anxiety to keep up the people's spirits and prevent agitation by "the workers. They visited the people's homes and urged them to hold on. Disseminators of rumours of terrific army losses are sternly punished, and «v>ies are employed to hunt down pes-

simi-ste. Another informant declares that tiie •cenes in the German military hospitals hetrgar description. Men bleed to death owing to the lack of bandages and tourniquets. The doctors, grown callous, are seen stepping over the bodies lying in ivoolp of blood on the hospital floors. The Times comments :—"We have never believed in the sudden collapse <>i the patient German people, from internal pressure, 'but undoubtedly the diminution of rations, is affecting their morale. There is great bitterness in \u-tria, where the food situation is the worst in the world. There is bitterness against Germany and Hungary, which .-•re supposed to be withholding food, and the bitterness between the Germans, Slavs. and Czechs is chronic Ministerial crises prevail in Vienna and P.uda Pesth. Karl seeks Premiers m vain. On all hands the cry goes up that the great victory in Russia has proved a delusion. Left to themselves, the great minority of the Austro-Hun-rarians would make peace to-morrow, hut above all this Central Empire welter site Berlin's military caste, gripping sti'l the unbroken military machine. Router's correspondent at Amsterdam tsates that Vienna messages indi«at that Emoeror Karl hag empowered the Austrian" Premier, Dr von Seidler, to adjourn the Reichrath. The official v.urnal explains that this measure is due to the inabilty of Parliament to find thf stable policy which is necessary in a decisive phase of the war The resumption of the sittings of the Reichrath will only sharpen political antagonists and endanger the fulfilment of the food supply problem, to enable the nations to" bold out, and on tins everything depends. The Berliner Tageblatfs Vienna corre.suondent says that the adjournment is chiefly due to the desire of the 'Crown to avoid debates on the Emperors letto-, and on the members of the .House of Parma, who were concerned in the

affair. , „. The Weser Zeitung s Vienna correspondent savs that the Governments int<mtWvi to partition Bohemia, which incensed the Czech population, is largely rc--'V)ns=ible for the crisis. The Premier, Dr von Seidler, in addressinc the Eeichrath admitted that the entire military and political po'ition had reached a climax. Economic, and ospeciallv, food. conditions were ,-erv serious.' Dr von Seidler, apparentIv 'alluding to the offensive against Jtalv. eaid that' the next lew months would bvinjr big decisions. It was nc-cesiu-v that the Government should not he hampered bv Parliamentary troubles. He. therefore, recommended that iailiameut should not resume its sittings for the present. . Or Gross. President of the Reich rath, refused further to postpone the sittings, while even a section of the _ German party was not keen on the elimination ol Parliament. „ . , -i-» Dr Adler, leader of the Social Democrats, and also other party leaders, including the leader of the Poles, warned the Premier against the postponement of the sittings. . , Further developments are awaited with the greatest • interest.