Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-07
unifed Germany.

a unity of purpose, of government, of re-
ligion, of trade, and tariff and postal ar
rangements, instead of & conglomerate
mass of unassimilate1 countries, unequal
and unlike, divided in allegiance between
two great nations, each of which was strug-
Cling to supersede the other. Il was be-
cause this would be the result Of the war
especially of Prussian success-that
thinking and patriotic Germans have
hailed its events. Mostof them do not care
a fig whether the house of Hohenzollern
or the house of Hapsburg were successful
in their struggle, bat all were glad to see
the cause of Prussia, which inevitably
became, as events progressed, the cause of
German unity, successful. All rejoieed
to see the Germanic Confederation, ere
ated by monarchy and used to repress
popular movements, done away with, and
all will hail the new order of things
which the treaties of Prague are about to
usher in upon Europe.
The old order of things. now done away
with, was created by the treaties of 1915,
made at Vienna, after Napoleon was over
thrown and banished. Before ii, Ger
many had been in a chaotic condition
since the ancient empire had been over
thrown. The Holy Alliance, after dispos-
ing of the comet-like Napoleon, who by
mis- cratic career threatened TO disturb all
balances of power, established the Ger
manic Confederation as a sort Of ballast
for all Europe. Placed in the center of
Europe, a vast nation of fifty millions of
~nhabitants, it was the key to the political
situation; and yet, split up into diverse
governments, loosely bound together,
without a representative in other courts,
it was without power to disturb the peace
OF the continent. While thus providing
for the balance of power in Europe by the
creation of the Germanic Confederation,
thew provided for the balance of power in
Germany by the admission of Austria and
Prussia, the two new German powers into
tho Confederation upon equal terms.
Under the Constitution of tho German
ie Confederation, signed at Vienna, June
9Th, 1915, and now happily abolished by
the events of war, the German legislative
power is vestedin the Federal Diet, which
sits in permanence in the city of Frank
fort-on-the-Msin. In all questions con-
corning the organization or fundamental
form of the Confederation it sits as a Gen
eral Assembly, with 90 votes, of which
Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Han
over and Wurtemburg each cast four, and
Baden, Hesse asset, Hesse Darmstadt, Lux
emburg and Holstein each three, the re-
maindsr being divided among tho smaller
States. The ordinary Business of the
Diet is transacted by the Committee of
the Confederation, which has seventeen
votes, divided in nelrly the same ratio as
above. The representatives of the various
nations in this union are representatives
of the sovereignA not Of the people. They
are appointed by the monarch, not elected
by the people. Consequently the whole
power ofthe Federal Diet has been exert
ed to repress popular movements, and
nothing has been so hated by the German
Liberals rs it. An illustration Of the ten
denotes of the Diet is found in its most
recent action in siding with Austria, while
the sympathies of the German people were
overwhelmingly for Prussia. Wherever
through German territory the Prussian
forces have gone, the monarchs have fed
before them, but the peoole have welcom-
ed them cordially. The Diet was tae
creature of the monarchs, and voted as
they directed. Therefore it sided with
Austria.
The success of Prussia has established
the old Confederation, and gives to the
world a new Germany. The latest news
Of the terms of peace between the con
powers give these among them
the exclusion Of Austria from the Confed-
and the formation Of two German
%lnions, one of the states north of the
river Main, the other of those south of it.
The southern union comprises only the
OF Bavaria and Wurtemberg,
and the Duchy of Baden, as that part Of
Darmstadt lying south of the Main
will probably go with its northern por-
lion, and the duchy of Hohenzollern be-
to Prussia. 1t will have apopuls-
lion of nearly eight millions, according to
-he census of 1851, over six millions of
whom are Catholic. Its area is 1000
aquare miles. !
The Northern Confederation is by.far
he most important. 1t comprises the
Protestant and progressive part of Ger
many, with thirty out of her thirty-four I
States, and two-thirds of her population
md military resources. 1t comprises the
States of Prussia, Saxony, Hanover, Hol- :
toin, the Duehies of SAKE, Westphalis,
Luxembourg, Hesse Cassel, Hesse Darn
tadt, and a number of smaller principal .
ties. It loses Austrian Germany, but '
Schleswig from Denmark. L has c
population of about twenty-eight mill 5
ons, Of which nearly twenty millions is y
Russian. of course Prussia will be the I
ruler in the new Confederation. 7
t will have, what Germany has not had T
for fifty years, diplomatic repre- :
entatives in foreign courts, and it is :
lrobable that its government viii adopt G
postal, telegraph and tariff laws, $
bus rendering useless the German Zoll-
lerein. !
Not only is German unity thus greatly a
dvaneed, but popular government pro- e
resses. It will be remembered that just d
efore the breaking up of the Federal
bet, Count Bismarck submitted a plan of
reform, which embraced among
Their features a German Parliament, one .
ouse of which was to be chosen by uni !,
ersal manhood suffrage. Should this g
Ian be carried out, the German people,as Z
people, would for the first time be ad- :
to a voice in the government of the o
nation. I
The war has thus united and Iberalized "
ne two most progressive countries of a,
Europe-Itsly by giving it st
-enetia and leaving it free 10 attack the
'apal states-Germany by freeing her f
'om Austrian control and making her e