Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-06-29
UNION NOMINATIONS.
For Sheriff,
SAMUEL ALLEN.
For Coroner,
BENJAMIN T. BELLEW.
CAUSES OF THE GERMAN WAR.

The quarrel which calls 100000 armed
man into the field has not arisen out of any
great principle, but it will make civil war,
as much as If New Jersey and Pennsylvania
were to appeal to arms on a question of in
ternal policy. Time was when Germany
was almost wholly under the sovereignty OF
n single ruler, who nonAnally was the sue
cessor of the Caesars, who governed the
Western Cor Roman) Empire Francis, of
Hapsburg, Iather-in-aw of the First Napo-
leon. was the last Emperor of Germany, but
succeeded to barren dignity, which he had
to relinqush in 1904, when the French EN-
miro was established, thenceiorth being ac-
cepted as hereditary Emperor of Austria
The German Empire has decayed, in fact,
ever since the Reformation, which largely
succeeded in what is known by the title of
Germany. 1t consists now of thirty five
confederated States and tree cities, each
having its own sovereign. This Confedera-
ton, based upon the Constitution of the old
German Empire, was established by an act
of the Congress of Vienna in 1914, confirm
ed by further act in 1921. So indissouble
is this Federal Union, like our own, that no
single State can retire from it at its own
pleasure Its executive and legislative pow
ers are represented by Federal Diet, com
posed of delegates from all the Confederate
States, chosen not by y'the people but by the
various governments. Austria presides at
all meetings of the Diet, having a casting
vote in cases. of equality AS u collective
body, the Diet has the right of concluding
peace and alliances, and of declaring war.
Every State must submit 10 this body the
consideration of all differences between itself
and other powers; and that the German
Confederation may have the means of put
ting its decision in force, it has an army
(503, 900 in time of peace, and $4,000 on
war.footng) composed of contingents fur
nished by the different States according to
their respective populations-Austria and
Prussia supplying more than one-half of this
number
If two small kingdoms-such as Hanover
and Saxony-or two small States-such as
Hiechtenstein and Hesse--were to quarrel
with each other, the supreme confederated
Government of Germany could readily ad-
just matters, but it is not strong enough to
enforce its authority against two such great
States as Austria and Prussia. If the Con-
federation worked eiiectually, Austria and
Prussia need not have quarreled and the
destination of Holstein and Schleswig would
readily have been adjusted The actual,
open point in dispute is: who shall govern
these Elbe Duchies, which Austria and Prus-
sia lorcibly wrested from Denmark, contrary
to law, right and the will of the inhabitants.
With the German. Federal Diet legally rests
the right Of deciding this question There
was an agreement, signed by the Emperor
of Austria and the King of Prussia, that the
former should occupy Holstein and the latter
schleswig until the Diet or Bund determined
to what Prince belonged the right of sue
cessien in them. But Prussian army has
been sent into Holstein to drive out the Aus
trians, because the King of Prussia has re-
solved not to submit the question to the Diet,
but to annex both Duchies to his own do
minions When the war for the Duchies
ragged in 1854, the King of Denmark was
amenable to the Diet as Duke of Holstein,
and the German Confederation should have
defended him, should not have allowed him
to be attacked But Denmark, being weak,
had to go to the wall, Prussia and Austria
following their own bad devices
By attacking the small Austrian army of
occupation in Holstein, Prussia has COM
menced the war and rendered itself liable to
punishment from the rest of Germany repre-
sented in the Confederation, one of whose
purposes is to keep peace in all its States,
Here is a charming theory, but it does not
work. If the German Confederation had
power, 1t is possible that this quarrel between
Austria and Prussia would have ended long
ago; for though Austria would not yield to
Prussia, nor Prussia 10 Austria, both would
accept the decision of the Bund.
We have endeavored to put this matter
plainly before our readers The open quar-
rel is about the Elbe Duchies, but there were
discordant elements in agitation, which, it
seems to us, must inevitably have resolved
themselves into a war between Prussia and
Austria Wash. Chronicle.