The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-22
The New German Empire.

The New German Empire.
From the Independent.
The instincts of men and nations are too strong
to be crushed out by any treaties or political
arrangements which kings and emperors may
make. The treaties of 1916 were as detestable
to Germany as they were to France, and they
are of no more power to restrain her, when she
is ready to put forth her strength, than we're the
green witles to bind the might of Samson. The
hearts desire and prayer to God of the Germans
has ever been for United Germany which
should present formidable front to the world,
and give her her due weight in its affairs. And
the half of her prayer is already granted, and it
will not be long before she will receive all she
asks. In the plan of 1916 Tor the everlasting
settlement of the balance OF power IN Europe,
the wise men who liusted the weights main
tained the small States, and encouraged their
federatiye union as a countefbalance to the
power the larger ones. These smaller powers
were as a general thing nests of tyranny and
oppression. II was like the despotism OF the
plantation, in slave times, compared with that OF
a kingdom or an empire. All Germany lopged
TO be united into one great European power
with institutions modified by the advancing
spirit of constitutional liberty. In lS4s it was
hoped the time had come; but 1t was not yet.
The hour has now struck. .
Perhaps ii was necessary that this interval OF
two generations from the doWniall OF the Ola
German empire in 1906 should occur before the
Inauguration of the new. Sixty years is but
briet time in the life of o nation, and may not
be more than Its education into a new life de-
mauded. The last sixty years have certainly
been full of teachings to kings and peoples, II
they will but lay them to heart In 1906 the
German empire, established by Charlmagne in
S00 died after an existence OF more than thou
sand years. The son of a Corsican lawyer smote
il with the edge OF the sword, and it crumbled
into It's first elements. The House of Austria,
which had possessed that throne for about three
hundred and seventy years, was obliged to fall
back upon its hereditary dominions and take
the style and tile OF Austria instead OF Ger
many. From l437 to 1906 the house OF Haps-
burg bad worn the imperial crown, which its
founder Rodolph, had achieved century and
a half before, nominally by election, virtually
by descent. The only exception, we think, was
that of Charles VII, when
"The bod Bavarian, in lucBless hour,
Trod the dread SUBMITS OF C@sarian power"
aud held them for a few years, till Maria
Theresa,
"Ihe queen the beauty, set the world in arms"
and, prevailing against him, the unhappy prince
died of a broken heart.
"His foes derision and his subjects blame,
He stole to death from anguish and flom shame"
What could seem more steadfast than the impe-
rial throne Of Germany In the days OF the
Empress Queen, liJtle century ago, and what
more fixed than the power and pre-eminence of
the House OF Austria? And in a quarter of
century the throne had crumbled into dust,
and now the House of Austria, defeated, bank
rupt, desplsed, is only waiting for the rescrpt
of fate, sure to come, which is 10 doom its poll
tiCal extinction
% That Prussia is soon to be the mistress of all
GerMany is a fact which needs no gilt of pro-
pheoy TO predict. 1t is by the force of political
and moral gravitatlon that ITS scattered parts
will come toRether into one body, and not by
mechanical compulsion. Tho north of Germany
already acknowledges the sway of the King OF
Prussia, and the south will not remain long
behind. The growth of Prussia, though stained
by crimes, has been mainly by reason of moral
and intellectual power, and it is by these forces
that she will retain and augment her present
strength. AT the time of the death OF William,
the first King, The savage favorite of Carlyle,
the domnions of Prussia contained about two
thousand square miles, and less than two mil
lions and half inhabitants. His son, Frede-
rick the Great, by his military genius and un-
scrupulous policy, added fifteen hundred square
miles 10 the domains and more than doubled
The uumber OF the subjects. ... r..
Now the number of square miles under the
PrussIan sceptre amounts TO more than six
thousand, and that of the population to twenty
three millions and q half. Such nucleus as
this cannot help attracting to itself the political
PARTICLES within its sphere, with attnitieS which
require mechanical compulsion to keep them
from flying to their natural centre. The conduct
of Prussia has not been blameess on the
highest moral principles bit her success
cannot be unsatisfactory in its results to the
lovers OF constitutional liberty throughout the
world. 1t was not Bismark that has inspired
1t was this that taught them the wise modrra-
ton which kept them quiet under the uucon-
sttutonal action of the Prime Minister 1t was
not the needle-gun that won the field of Sadowa
and reduced Austria to the rank OF a second-rate
power.
1t was the mind that was behind it, drilled
and disciplined more in the common schools OF
Prussia than in the camp, that aimed it and
gave it its deadly effect. And this cultivated in.
tellgence is already, without bloody reyolu-
ton compelling return 70 constitutional gov
ernment, and will compel its enlargement. 1t is
a subject of congratulation to all lovers OF
liberty, civil and religious, that the ruling
power of the Teutonic race is to be Protestant
and constitutional. 1t is education that has
done this; and when the King OF Prussia be-
comes Emperor of Germany, as he is sure to dc
if he live but a few years, it will be the school
master that will have set the imperial "rounC
and top of sovereignty" upon his brow, rather
than the statesman OF the soldier.
Mr.. POmerOy's Proposition 10 Make Ma.
tiOnal Bank Currency Legal-Tcnders,
From the Herald.