Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1848-07-19
From the Examiner.
A German Eln pirc.

tended this way; and when sovereigns did
but fulfil the mission of their age when
they destroyed local independence, and
forced the heterogeneous elements of a
great empire into something like harmony
and compactness. But the epoch for this
lgreat operation seems to have completely
passed by. Disseverance and dissolution,
/ or, at least, decentralization, forms the
order and tendency of the time. There
seems to reign centrifugal force in every
province; and instead Of each wishing to
be master over others, each seems desir-
Gus to be master at home.
Perhaps all this arises from the chief
impulse in past times coming from kings,
and statesmen, and privileged classes, all
lraught with ambition, and more eager to
grasp than to keep. Whereas now the
people form the great wheels of opinion
and policy. And the masses want the he
roic and individualized virtue of ambition,
whilst they feel very strongly the more
domestic one of local independence. n
! At all events, there are half dozen
centres in Germany, each struggling to
remain so. There is Prussia, whose king
hoisted the imperial colors the other day,
and who has played the emperor by march
ing TO enforce German-imperial rights
over Schleswig. There is Austria, which
declares most decidedly that, since Rhen-
ish Germany will not obey Austian rule,
Austria will not stoopto Rhenish Germa-
ny. Frankfort rises between them; and
a kind Of improvised constituent assembly
in its old Roener has fabricated very
pretty and comprehensive constitution,
which puts a Frankfort emperor over the
head of all German princes, and which
distributes privileges and ponderates pow
ers in a style that looks imposing upon
paper.
But German democracy, so irresistible
in its first awakening and impulses, has
cooled considerably. It's extreme repub-
licans have taken the field in the Black
Forest, and been severely beaten. Its COM
munists have been depressed in Berlin,
and at Vienna the Bo,wgeoissie is quite
victorious. Democracy, therefore, is no
longer at that incandescent heat, which
znelts ever SO large mass Of Heterogeneous
mater into one, as was done at the great
French Revolutions. 1t has stopped short
of that great smelling; and the old ele-
ments Of separation subsist. The stron-
gest symptoms of separation are shown by
the Sclavonic element. Every motive Of
interest, every bond of prudence, at the
present moment, should have prompted
the Pole to have made common cause with
German. 1t is his only chance of regen-
Grafton. But no-the Pole will not ANAL
gamate; the Sclavon must separate from
the Teuton. And he does this even before
he has re-founded or re-conquered coun-
try; for country the Sclavon has none -
The behavior of the Poles in Posen has
been little short of madness. As Celts
never have got, and never will get, the
civilizing and liberalizing leaven of poll
ty and social life except from the Saxons,
so the Pole can never receive freedom or
any Of its concomitants except from the
German. Yet Oh the very eve of the Ger
mans doing this for him, the Poe turns
round to cut the Germans throat, precise
ly as Young Celtic Land has striven to
strangle Old England.
1t is serious weakening Of Germany
that Posen and Bohemia, and even the
half-Sclavonized Austria, should reject the
old Fatherland. In fact, Germany can
never be one without Bohemia. For b.
hernia, independent, advances westward
SO far as to cut Germany in two. 1t makes
a South Germany and North Germany,
and forbids their perfect blending. The
possession Of Prague is thus sine qua non
Of German unity and empire, just as the
possession of Dublin is Indispensable to
the existence of such thing as British
empire.
Yet there is one chance for German uni
ty, and that consists in German and Scla-
vonian, and their common freedom, being
attacked by powerful enemy like Rus
STA. France is indebted for much of her
unity to foreign attacks. But for that, her
moderate school Of republicans might have
federated their land. The German aris-
tocracy will infallibly keep Germany fed
erative, unless the nation is attacked, and
tliCICUy Cdilcut
Russia, however, appears too cunning
and too wary to give the Germans and
Poles any such advantage. Nicholas
seems to guard strictly defensive and in
offensive attitude, biding his time, and al
lowing full opportunity for all the dissol
vents to work in Germany, and Bohemia,
and Hungary, and Italy, to do their work.
Russia will be we'll able to manage a d.
vided Germany or divided Europe
If liberalism does not unite foes against the
Colossus Of the North, the Colossus stands
safe; nay, may one day take gigantic and
a fearful stride westward.
IT. Gerrit Smith, of Peterboro, N. Y,
has been nominated by the industrial con-
gress for the next presidency, and Will
liam S. Wait, of Illinois, for the vice pre-
sidency. ....... -.
I7=Capt. VIM. II. TAYLOR, the inven-
tor of the Sub Marine Armor, expert
ments with which in our navy have excl
ted SO much attention lately, we regret to