The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-16


these internal difficulties placed the affairs OF Germs
nv as altogether secondary, in the rear and laid IN
basis To the European pentarchy, IN which Austri
and Prussia entered as European powers, to the ex
clnson Of eighteen millions OF GerInans who hav
since been united by the act Of the Germanic Con
federation. What the principles OF that coniedera
ton were to be, no one bad the time 10 reflect upon
when all at once, the news reached Vienna that Ma
poleon had quilted Elba and landed in France.
! A sense OF the common danger showed TO IN,
members Of the Congress the fatlity Of their diplo
matte negotiations. Napoleon did more 10 bring par
ties TO terms than another year OF peaceful and az
tute deliberations could have accomplished. Russia.
claims TO the duehy Of Warsaw were now prompt,
acknow lodged. Prussia obtained Posen, AustriI
that part of Galca which she had lost al the peac,
OF 1909; and more than half Of Saxony, as l obser
we'd above, was united with Prussia. The king o.
Saxony was politely forced TO acquiesce in this spo
latoD, and Prussia was, in addition, charged with
the GermaHzation Of the Rhenish provinces. Ia IN.
hurry and dread Of the moment, the articles Of the
Germanic Confederation were signed, (which the
most important il the stsrsrih, whish prevents
any member from negotiating with the Enemy afie,
the confederation has declared war, and frsa
concluding separate truce or peace.
Napoleon lost the battle Of Waterloo; but the sec.
ond peace Of Paris was only signed by the four
great powers: the princes Of the Gernanic Confed.
Grafton had ceased TO exist European potentates
After the peace the German States examined for the
nTst Time, the act OF the CONFEDERATION.
The 18th article says, "ln all states Of the con
federation there shall be introduced constitutions
form Of government" This was the only concea
sion made to the German people, in return for thei
thousand acts of loyalty and self-sacri6ce. But
the people acquired rights by this article
for, it was for the respective princes Ia de-
termine, of their own free will and pleasure
what kind Of a constitution they were willing to
give TO their people In this manner the smaller
states Of Germany obtained constitutions, the slip
ulations OF which have all since been broken or in
frInged upon a hundred times, without the people
having the smallest hope of seeing their grew
ances redressed, or their liberties secured further
than suits the convenience Of their soyereigns
Nay, where the latter were truly liberal or at leas
had the appearance Of adherng to their charters,
Prussia and Austria interfered; and in some in
stances the troops Of these powers were marched
into their territories. Thus the liberty Of the press
which is guaranteed conStltuuonaly by the consti.
tutions of Wurtemburg, Baden, SAKE Weimar, &c.
was abolished by an act Of the confederation, IN
consequence Of joined note from Austria and
Prussia, and an odious censorship introduced which
destroys the soul of all liberal governments. IL has
also been stipulated by act Of the same confede-
ration lin consequence always Of a diplomatic note
from Austria and Prusss) that the chambers in the
different states shall have the right TO refuse
vote taxes, and that the troops ofthe confederation
that is, Austrian and Prussan troops-shall in case
Of need, be marched into the refractory states "a
bring them TO reason. In addition TO the censor
ship established throughout Germany, journals
which pursue dangerously liberal tendenc y-dan-
gerous in the opinion Of Prussia or Auslria-may be
wholly abolished and suppressed by act Of the
federation; and the introduction Of foreign journals
as for instance those printed in the United States
he prohibited. All these things have been repeated.
ly done-nay, are still doing; and il is not more
than two years ago that the king Of Prussia en-
deavored even to suppress the Augsburg Journal
ha laaHin nfft Ia,
appeared 10 him too ti-Prussian-perhaps snt-
Russian; but Prince Metternch, who employs that
paper as his organ in Germany, declined politely to
crafty the "riend-neighbory request of the north
em cabinet.
IT, in return, the question is asked, what protec.
people In their possbie difficulties with thcirprinces
echo answers "what" When the duke OF Cum
berland abolished the constitution Of Hanover
granted by William Nv, the people Of Hanover in
vain cried for protection at the doors Of the German
ic confederation at Frankfort-on- the Maine. The
members of that confederation had no ears for
the cries of the people. The previous remon-
strances of the people against the elector oil
Hessc Cassel were treated with the same contempt,
so that the practice Of seeking redress there has
been gradually abolished. The Germanic Confed.
Grafton is a mere society Of princes for the mutual
maintenance Of their rights and privileges But
why did the Congress of Vienna-why did the 18th
article of the act Of confederation itselfoblge the
Germanc princes TO give their people the sem6snce
of liberal governments The answer to this is easy
enough. Because, by so doing, the disunion OF
Germany was rendered still morScomplete, and the
smaller princes being continually harassed by do
este conflicts with their subjects, have less means
OF resisting the pretensons of the European powers
Of Austria and Prussia. The act Of the Germanic
Confederation was division of Germany similar to
that of Poland. If there were no inherent power
IN the German people no natural cohesion. and
similarity of inerests-then the next war would di.
vide the confederation among the States of Austria
Prussia, Englend, France and Holland But, very
fortunately, the Zoll Verein has since united Ger
many by the strong power Of material interests, and
atoned for the errors Of German diplomacy and the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of Prussia and Austria.
The Gemanic Confederation consists of thirty
eight members, among whom are the four free cities
Hamburg, Bremen, Lubbock, and Frankfort-on-
the-Maine. Of Prussia and Austria only the Ger
man provinces belong to the confederation. At the
time Of its formation in 1914, it comprised terri
tory of ll,l3l German square miles, with a
population of 29,476, 800; but we may safely sup
pose that its present population falls very little short
of 40 millions. A German square mile is a little
more than Is English. The following was the divi-
sion in 1915:
Square miles. Inhabitants
Austrian provinces $3.50 100000