The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-21
THE DOCTRINE OF NAT1oNALIT1Es.

friends.
THE DOCTRINE OF NATIONALITIES.
What is Pangermanism and what is Pan
slayism? These are questions we hear asked
continually. If we have failed to fur
nish an answer to the first question, it has not
been for want of honest and repeated endea-
vor to bring the matter to the comprehension
of even the humblest understanding. The
difficulty however, lies elsewhere. 1t is that
our people are SO absorbed with their private
affairs, and with the political aspects of our
own country that questions of foreign politics
affect them but slightly, and excite merely a
transitory interest. A few there are, how
ever, of inquiring minds, desirous of keeping
abreast of their kind, and watching the march
of events. They feel that they are men, and
have concern in all that is human.
The 'sstruggle for life" among nations is in
reality what DARWIN, in his theory Of the
"Origin of Species" represents it to be in
every part of the animal and vegetable king
DOM It's not our purpose, however, to con-
slider the rise and fall of nations and of king
odoms, and of empires; but certain it is that no
nation is ever entirely at rest They have no
permanent boundaries. Development by selec-
ton is constantly in progress. Complex causes
are at work in this direction, and to them we
attribute not only the popular agitation that
has disturbed Europe during the last ten or
fifteen years, but nearly all the wars of history:
As long as the divine right of kings was
blindly acknowledged; as long as, provinces
and peoples were bought and sold, and given
in dowry, and were subject to the caprices Of
irresponsible rulers, there could Of course be
no question of ''nstionalities." Because q
daughter of the "drivelling" JAMES married a
nomadio German prince England, century
afterwards, is claimed by another princey
German. In like manner the German kingdom
Of Hanover was compelled to receive King at
the hands of England; the people in neither
instance being consulted. This will probably
not be the case soon again. The people have
awakened to sense Of :aeir rights. Slowly
they have asserted them. They may often
have failed in obtaining their object, but their
cause has progressed. Look at Ireland in
1898, and Ireland in 1857; Hungary in ls49,
and Hungary in 1867; France in ls48, and
France in 1867; Italy in l848, and Italy in
1867 and these examples might be multiplied
to any extent. The remarkable progress made
in England by the cause Of popular rights, as
shown by the recent passage of the Reform
Bill, is striking instance in point.
The treaties of 1916, which mapped out al
of Europe, and assigned definite boundaries to
every realm, and a princely owner to every
acre of ground, were the last fruits of the old
school of kingcraft aad of diplomacy, and all
the wars in Europe, Of the past twelve or if-
teen years, have been efforts to undo the work
of those treaties. The independence Of Greece
was the first signal infraction Of that
compact which, singular to say, its au-
thors aattered themselves would be permanent.
The French Revolution of, 1848 had no direct
influence upon the work of the Congress at
Vienna, save to seat upon the French throne
sovereign who finds it to his interest to chime
in with the popular cry in favor of the doc
trine of nationality 1t was upon this plea he
espoused the cause of Italy against Austria; ;
and for this same reason he remained neutral
during the German war of last year.
Italy has become one. The dream Of her
patriots has been fulfilled. What the Italians
will do with their newly formed kingdom re-
mains to be seen. Germany has commenced
the work of political regeneration in a very
short time, we think, they have done much,
and the accomplishment of the remainder is
mere matter of time.
The work which the Italians have just COM
pleted, and the Germans are still engaged in,
was commenced in England centuries ago; it
was continued in the annexation of Scotland,
and completed by the union with Ireland.
France finished her metamorphosis some two
hundred years ago, and Lorraine, Navarro,
Burgundy, Normandy and Brittany, are
now no more. There is Ia Belle France, AMI
the people of all these former petty sovereign
ties are proud to be called Frenchmen. Spain,
too became one homogeneous political or
g.nizaton over three hundred years ago. Rus
sin has been engaged in this process more
actively, perhaps and during a longer period
than any of the nations Of Europe, yet without
exciting much attention, because her operations
have been confined to provinces far in the in
terror, and enjoying but limited degree of
civilization. The Crimean war was one of the
results of this effort of Russia at Panslavism,
i. e., to unite all the Slavic races under the
Russian sceptre; just as Prussia is endeavoring
to bring all the German-speaking people under
her sway and influence.
As matter of course, these new, family
drawn, indeed all but imaginary boundary
lines, are very often found on other peoples
lands Thus Pangermanism trenches on
''vested rights" in several directions, on Den
mark, in Schleswig Holstein; on Austria in
the Southeast (Tyrol, Carinthia, the original
archduchy, Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary, etc.,
etc, and even on France in Alsace and Lorraine,
if they should have the folly of casting their
coyetous eyes thither; on Switzerland in the
German cantons on Holland and Belgium in
the West and on PanslaYism, her sister revolu-
tionary propagandist of the new nationality
gospel, in Prussian and Austrian Poland.
So will Prussia, in her efforts at Panslavism,
fall foul of Prussia, Austria, and especially Tur-
key and therefore of all the great powers of
Europe, pledged to uphold the independence
and preserve the integrity of these States.
These obstacles, however, are not sufficient to