Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-06-01
aion and AmeritaM
FRIDAY, JUNE !. 1866.
p .usTRO-PRUSsTAN QUARREL

D. sTRO-PRUSsTAN QUARREL
a the Mobile Register and Advertiser.l
he war cloud that has long been hang
over Europe grows darker. Late ad-
= are unfavorable, and the signs Of an
reaching storm are thickening.
/ is n difficult thing for stranger 10 IN
stand the causes OF the difficulty. The
CT German politics is so complicated
II is hard 10 trace the threads. We do
profess 10 have a very thorough COM
hension Of the subject, but shall do the
we can TO explain one of its main
nts.
lie Germanic confederation consists Of
thirty-ive Independent States Of vari-
forms Of Government-an empire Aus
.IS), Eve Kingdoms. Prussia, Bavaria, Sax
ony, Hanover and Wurtemburg,) one cleo
torate, (EIesse-C asset various grand duch-
IS, duchies, and principalities, and four
free eities," or commercial republics. These
lifier very widely from each other in ex
ent, power and population, ranging from
Austria, with her seventy thousand square
niles of German territory and thirteen mil
ions Of German inhabitants, down to the
title principality of Liechtenstein, with on
ly fifty two square milI and about seven
thousand inhabitants. They are all repre-
sented in the General Assembly, or full Diet,
in which every State has at least one vote
Austri and the five Kingdoms having each
four, and some Of the other States three and
two each, in proportion to population.
The Germanic system is complicated,
however, by the large possessions Of the
" chief powers outside of Germany.
81 -. Al.
npire il German. The other two-thirds,
uiough united under the same sovereign
s3d, are not German, either ethnically or
ilticaly. IL is this one-third alone that
represented in the Diet, and this is still
icent to render Austria the leading
erman power-a distinction which Prussia
v long been striving TO win from her.
russia, in like manner, is only about two
irds German, being nearly equal to Aus
la in the extent and population Of her
crman territory, but much inferior to her
q extra-Teutonic possessions.
But the system is still further complica-
d. The reigning families in Austria and
russia are both German, and the German
the controlling clement in both. Some Of
smaller German States, however, are
officially associated with monarchies that
achy of Luxemburg with Limburg) is
te Of the German States but is at the same
ne part of the Kingdom Of Holland. The
ing of Holland. as such, has nothing to do
ia the internal affairs of Germany; but
Grand Duke Of Luxemburg he has
hrough his representative three votes in
e German Diet. So in the case of llol-
stein. The Duchy of Holstein (or to speak
strictly accurate, of lIolstein and Lauenburg
unitedD. is a German State, but subject TO
the King Of Denmark. That monarch, as
Duke Of Ilostein and Lauenburg, is entitled
to three votes i'm the Diet, although as King
of Denmrk hc is n foreign power to that
body.
Just here we meet another and more pc
culiar complication. The duchy of Schles-
wig adioins the duchv Of Holstein. l1olstein,
as we have seen, is German, and SchleswIg
is not, but they have long been united one
ducal government In other words, the
King of Denmark is also Duke Of Schles-
Sig and Holstein. Schleswig Is virtually /
hanish, and Holstcin is German, but their
lion with each other is more intimate than
lat OF Schlcswig with Denmark, or OF
olstein with Germany.
The original cause of the long standing
fliculiy about "the Duchies' was ques-
IN Of succession. The kings of Denmark
some centuries have been dukes of
hcswig and IIolstcin. The rules of sue
s5ion differ, however, with regard TO the
rone of Denmark and the ducal authority
iSchleswig and Holstein. In the latter
sc females are excluded from the success
D.; ia the former they are not. About
tnty wears ago, when II became probable
ID the male line of the royal family wonld
IN become extinct, the old king, Christian
Eighth, issued an edict declaringthe two
ritages inseparable, and applying the
nish principle of succession TO the
lchics. This was dstasteful TO the Duchies,
/ especially 30 the Augestenburg family,
b would have been the presumptive heirs
the ducal crown, and whose prospects
rc cut or bv the decree of the King. On
death Of Christian, in 1913, the Duches,
ling advantage of the revolutionary feel
then prevailing, declared the indepen-
nee of Denmark
The question has been unsettled ever
re, although there have been several inei-
taal efforts 10 settle it, both by the bayo-
aud by diplomacy. Prussia took part
h the Duchcs at first and the Danes
e defeated England and Russia then
ufcred Prussia withdrew, and after
als, in concert with Austria, took part IN
Dr. of Denmark Two OF three unsatis-
Dry treaties have been made, and fresh
icultics have broken out rs often.
lur information as 10 the foreign affairs,
ing the last five years, is very imperfect,
we will not undertake to state what
ses the question has assumed during that
iod. At present, however, il appears that
ssia is aiming at obtaining the entire
troll of the Duchies Austria reSists, and
poses 10 refer the whole question TO the
:. Prussia refuses TO accept this propo-
on, hut makes counter-propostlon to
le il 10y vote of Germany, based upon
principle Of universal suffrage. This Is
nlpahy da coptundtm, that 1t appears to
q elected universal derision.
feantimc, we do not knowprecisely what
tudc the Danish Government sustains to-
lis the question, nor do we see any men,
made of the Duke of Augustonburg,
legal heir-cxpectant TO the Scleswig-
lstein dukedom. Indeed, the ostensiblc
stion of The Duchies' appears TO have
bme only an occasion for bringing into
on the old rivalry between Austria and
lssia, and Prussia seems to be the aggres-