A COMPROMISE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 28

A COMPROMISE.

BERLIN", January 17. rb& Prussian Diet, by 198 vofes to 119, adopted a modified bill limiting tbe expropriations in West Prussia and Posen to 173,000 acres. Prince Bulow, in an earlier speech accepting tbe compromise, said be relied onfcbe majority supporting tbe Government, upholding Germany's idea, and overcoming the resistance still offered by the indissoluble minor eastern provinces to union with the Empire. la his speech before the Diet (says the Tribune correspondent) Prince yon. Bulowr explained to -a. crowded House that the present settlement system in Prussian Poland, despite, its. enormous, cost, had not. achieved a success commensurate with the efforts made. The Settlement Commission was established under Bismarck's regime to buy up such landed property in Prussian Poland as comes, into tiie market, in order to parcel it out amongst German colonists, •and thus to Germanise Poland. But the Poles havo very largely counteracted the work of this commission by arranging commissions of their owq, which receive funds and employ them to outbid the German Commission in the land maTket. The Tesult is that property in Poland has reached an absurd value, and the commission is practie ally unable to obtain land at any priceThe Prussian Government now proposes to acquire by force what it cannot secure in the ordinary way of trade. In certain specified districts the Settlement Commission is to be empowered to purchase land at its own estimated value and by compulsory purchase. In the words of Prince yon. Bulow : "We intend hereby that the Polish landed proprietors shall be compelled in the national .interest to place their land at the disposal of the State." In other words, because the Poles have met craft by craft and have neutralised the •lavish Prussian expenditure by a. most astonishing self-sacrifice; because Prussia, ihas failed to attract the sympathy of her Polish subjects; -because, in short. Prussia cannot assimilate, therefore_ she will take measures to abolish Prussian Poland, as such. It was scarcely surprising that Prince Ton Billow's words were drowned again and again by contemptuous laughter from 4he. Centre and the Poles, and by enraged shouts from deputies; who are supposed to represent in the Diet those very people whom the new bill is intended to dispossess. One left the Prussian House of Parliament with the confession of total inability to tyinpathise with any save the unhappy 'oies, and with very sincere regret that Mich a bill -should be introduced by the Same man who. in the spendid building on She Koenigs Platz, will in a few days refer 3|a pleasant tones to the sojourn of his imperial master in a country where such proposal as he supported would be

rejected by an overwhelming majority of | the people's chosen repxesentativeb.