New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-28


more energetic aud comprehensive action of
power in the old Empire was advocated by Leb-
nitz But lie did it principally with ~arlke. de-
fenfi,e and offensive aim "a view ot an imaginary
danger of the invasion and utter destruction Of
Germany Leipnitzs political conceptions eoinc-
ded with bis philosophy. lis metaph, sics did not
comprehend that coordination constitutes main
element OF harmony; IN politics therefore, he could
not comprehend the value of federation. The dog
| matisn of Leibnitz has long since been exploded.
Kant, whom Iieine calls the Robespierre Of meta
physics destroyed II. Before the mipd of LebnItz,
| as before that of Macchavei and of many others
more or less elevated, fOated the Roman Uni-
iy, Republican as well as Imperial, as the highest
conception Of State. To them the fullest maui
ftstauon of vitality IN a nation was its material,
| its brute force Tor oGense. To them Unity
was a remedy against harshly opposing pOlItl-
| cal mdiyiduatties; and 90 they had conception
Of federation, it had for them semblance OF pro
eress III national psltics. Ilege Eeaeer the truth
when he asserts that federation alone gives security
10 the small and curb on the violence OF the pow
eIiul.
| The inexhaustible and all-penetrating Germsn
mind will finally fnd the true solution for lie do
mestc, social, aud political difficulties. The reme-
| dies hitherto applied sesm to possess little 'r-
tue Great are the complaints Of internal dsor
| ganizaton. Whatever IT. degree may nc atpresent,
cannot be compared with the disorganzation Of the
18th century, when feudaLty foundered with all its
compounds and went down. At that epoch no or
| gauic conception pointed out new political cement.
| Frederic III. was one of the most lmpassibe Em-
peroTs of Germany; no hegemoDy existed. lhe
chaos as then reneded by the various States act
ing together in a rude federation. And the chaos of
the 18th century was succeeded by the Refor-
! nation
The old ethnic and historic elements still have vIg-
| Orous life in the German people, and III them are
| rooted many present rvalnes and antagonisIns.
| But these rvalIies have lost much, very much OF
their acerbity Federation alone, aud not central-
zation or heeemony, can cOncliate them. lu loiS
Capitalization was proposed by Radicals and by
Rel Iublicans, while a hegemeny under Prussia was
advocated by ADgo-Gennan parliamentarians.
Both faied Various were the causes of failure,
but perhaps the man cause was that the peoples,
averse alike TO Capitalization and to hegenlOny, fell
back again upon their princes as representatives OF
the old national ndividuaLties. They felt, without
clear CONSCIOUSNESS that Capitalization was utterly
abLOrmal, and that supremacy or hegemony, under
one State or dynasty might, In the course of tlme
bee, NE Unity destructive OF many mborn and dear
CHARACTERISTICS and even liberties The history of
some other nat obs similar conditions shows that
such has been the march Of events. Under the he
gemoDy Of the rOya house Of Ca.tille and Arragon,
tie Basque province lost their constitutional lber
ties. UDdcr the hrgemony of England disappeared
Scotch nationality Whatever might have been the n-
pulses or presentlmens of the populations in lSio,
the princes, for time Frustrated, found III the
populations strong support in opposing the pro-
ject,d and even partially executed hegemony under
Prussia. No foreign aid, no troops but native Ger
mans accomplished the restoration.
The Bupd, as instituted by the Congress of Vien-
na in 1915, survived the tempest vi IS4e. Ii is
very me--probably because the leadership is d.
vded between Austria and Prussia. Very likely
if no such leadership were recognized, but equality
pe,ai,et among the members of the Bund, its
workings would be less clumsy aud unnatural.
During this year The advocates of Prussian he
gemosy have again raised their VOICE. This pro
ect has devoted partisans and ardent opponents. 1t
psrtnans assert that since u hegemODy is vital ne
cessity tor Germany, the supremacy of Prussia
gives tie greatest safeguards for the Standing and
the greatest promises Tor a normal aad liberal de-
,elol nent OF the political he of Germany. But
such supremacy at once neutralzes Austria, II 1t
does not exclude ber altogether. So thls combna-
ton is said by It's opponents 10 constitute Little
Germany With Austria aud the llapsburgs side
the Roman Cathouc populations and the small and
fmsller sOyeIeigns and sciOns OF arstocracles.
Aud, finally, the German nation at large Is iavora-
bly, impre,sed by the historical fact, now trans
formed into kind Of common Law, OF the recogn-
ton of the llapsbmgs ss having for centuries been
yerched at the top OF the German tree. Fer these
and VARIOUS otLer reusoDs, Austria has still stroag
hold on part OF Germany. II does not se-ln that
the German spirit, as whole, considers that the
PIuts an hegemoDy constitutes a real progress. The
patty which advocates Prussian supremacy goes by
the cane Of Gotta, from having held its last par
of The great National Assembly OF Frankfort in
lS49 The Gothaers do. not now seem to be
tanned BY the masses. TIE seeond-rate States, es-
pecielly some OF the smaller ones, are now more in
awe OF Prussia than of Austria. They fsIebose fu.
sion absorption, central zation. So the soV-regns
and The statesmen OF Saxony, Bavaria, wdrtem-
berg Hanover BadeD, and Darmstadt are endeay-
orlg TO constitute q party which may hold the
scales between Austria and Prussia aud these at