Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-07-05

four classes of burghers citizens, each class en-
titled TO particular privileges, higher or lower than
the Others and then these congomerates OF differ
emily qualified citzenhips had their subjects in the
villages. The nobility consisted OF two classes,
| immediate and mediate. The first had the right |
OF represention in the Diet--they owed allegiance |
merely to the Emperor. The latter class owed al
iegiance to the FIRST ard their vassals. OF
those not belonging to the nobility, there were the
patricians, the governing class in the cities; the
plebans, or commons; and tne village population
or serfs; the latter bound down to the soil with
which they were transferred. Everything was as
absolute as it could be found in a country whose
only law was but six centuries ago, the right of
the fist or OF might.
Wars between the different s)vereignties and
subugntion and enlargement of their estates by
such mean: were the order OF the day. As the
constitutional membership of the Empire was con-
ditioned by the possession Of suzerain portions of
German soil, foreign princes became finally Ger
man princes, governing at the same time their
estates outside the confederation and German prin
ces acquiring foreign countries nevertheless re-
tanned their positions in the national councils by
reason Of their German est, ties So it happened
that Germany. as a whole or partitions of it,
constantly involved in the wars Of other nations
or other nations intorfered in the domestic afflrs
of Germany; and all this upon the ground of State
sovereignty. We hao the Swedes masters of
POmerana, and the Spanisrds and Hung,rians az
subjects OF tie Emperor GerNany nau 10 Dlee0
for the benefit Of the lillian family estates OF the
Emperors. LaFontaine, the French poet, il his IA
bic of the OK and the frog, gives good picture
of the spirit then animating the suzerains OF Ger
many. frog saw an OK and was ambitious to
be as large. lie inflted himself till finally he
burst So, says Iafontaine, is it with the pru :es.
Each one wants to be larger than his neig hbor;
each one must have an army aud ambassadors.
The reformation and the subsequent wars, the
ambition Of Drandenburg to be a kingdom and
Prussia, the seven years war, the brutal selfish
meas Of the Hapsburgs knowing but their own fam
lily, not the nations interests, sacrificing Alsare
and Lorraine for Italian possessions, tie ambition
of the house of Oldenburg 10 possess tho crown
of Denmark and bringing Holstein into foreign
interests. the ascension of the house OF Hanover
, to the throne of England, making north western
Germany an English province, prepared the way
: to final decomposition OF the German Empire in
the year 1901, when Napoleon |. founded the
Rhineish CONFEDERATION as a French satrapy. BY
transforming the suzeraiptes into sovereignties.
by giving higher titles, by enarging the estates.
he could spill the blood Of the Germans in the
interests of France. Willing were they, and even
gloriied, to fight against each other and in dis
tant countries. Francis III. laid down the crown
of the German Emparo.s, seeias it TO be but an
empty bauble.
In 1915 Germany was reconstructed, not as an
, Empire, but as confederacy Of Princes. Each
Prince guaranteed the others possessions. Tho
compensation of the people, for their sacrifices in
lSl4, was by the federal act only held in pro spect.
Each State sovereign IN itself, each sent to
. and received ambassadors from foreign courts
, each could make and made treaties with foreign
governments, and Prince MetternIch WAS right
when he said, "Germany is bu. geographical
idea"
The national spirit that saved the country in
1914 woke up again in lo4S. A German Parlia-
. ment figured for little while, and il called Fred
i or;cL Wiiiar, If tn tba
I hrone. But he would not accept il. He had
grown up as an absolute feudalist, and accepting
the German crown would have been paramount
to deposins the whole fraternity OF German prince
traitors in favor of national sovereignty. What
nc, IN common with other Germ IN despoilers, DO.
sessed, he claimed to have received directly from
God, and he could not accept anything from the
hauds of the people. And so continues Germany
to this day. Austria, but partially German. fol
3 lowing up non Germn interests, and sacrificing
e German blood for Italian possessions. Prussia
for the greater par, German, but for reasons Of
East and Test Prussia and Posen, outside the con
federation. Holland and Dsnm,rk, the latter till
lately, both foreign governments, members of the
Diet in right OF German soil which they possessed
. Alsace and Lorraine entirely aleHated, and the
Princes, knowing nothing bat their own family
prospects, more or less involved by marriage ties
priding themseves rather to be members OF the
: Bonsparte or English or Russian ROYAL families and
, in their interests than to be Germans
And what the merits Of the German question
now? The spirit that prompted Germ4n Princes
TO become traitors TO their country also prompt.
ed Branlenburg to bee )me the kingdom of Prussia
Prussia is too great state 10 be a member of a
German confederIcy on equal terms with the other
members; on the other hand. her geographical pc
sition and her irregular extent make her n very
, weak European power Her ambition is not to be
2 strong German state but to be strong European
Prussia She must eat up her smaller neighbors
= l.. al, aaIiy consolidated
III 1913 the crow of Germany was offered
Had the King accepted it, Germany would be unit
now. But. as stated, the King had not then the
moral courage to accept power from the hands OF
the people, aud his successor risen in the same
school at absolutism the school OF governing by
, divine right, the school that knows TO German
nationality but the sentence of Louis XIV,
Lieut. e'estm oi," seeing his miserable weakness
in European aspect, his European Prussia but a
gtterng pretence, again for the principle OF State
Rights, nsugurates civil war, declares the German
confederation dissolved, and not alone this, but,
like Austria in former times as regards Alsace aud
Lorraine will give the Rhine land. as bribery for
the consent OF mighty neighbor, the French. -
So again then, the spectacle of treason for the sake
OF personal agrandiZement.
J Victor Emanuel ceeded Savoy 10 France, but
Savoy was inhabited by people OF French nation
atty.
five ask, has this condition Of things always
been, or is it the fault OF the Princes alonel BY
no means. The same spirit that makes it interest
ing to the American public to read in the newspa
pers the accounts OF the weddings of English Prin
ces and Prncesses and of their domestic affairs or
that feels highly Uttered to dance with the Prince
OF Wales but would not go to a Firemen's ball, or
that would prompt rich American rather to give
his daughter to bankrupt Duke or Count for the
sake OF title than to poor but worthy American,
or that would know the Southron asa gentleman
because he is STAKEHOLDER. The same spirit. that
of servility on the part of the German people. is
the real cause.
The intelligence of Germany is for the most part
either bribed by privileges OF birth dependant
for support upon Government service, or it can lind
qualification only in circles not popularity dis
posed. Most OF the young men only study to get
an appointment and livelihood from the State.
They are therefore dependant, especially ii they
are married, or for Of social Intercourse
Their vanity aud ambition is fattered by decora-
tons or official titles, in which latter their wives
most scrupulousiy participate. The personal am
biton OF the official is filtered by his dependence
upon an absolute will, that Of the sovereign him
self and not that of the people, whom no also
haughtily governs This constitutes the so called
bureaucracy, class ofpersons considering them
selves distinct from the governed people for reas
ons OF their official Independence and higher intel
, ligence.
The military caste is another class. The SOW
ereign OF the little land ia their head. He appoints