The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-14
CHARL E S TON
SATURDAY MORNING, DECEMBER II, 1857.
Austria and Prussia.

"Success is virtue, failure crime" CARLYLE
is not the only hero-worshipper. The only
difference between him and the many who have
read with virtuous indignation his apotheosis OF
the CRoMwELLs snd the FREDERIcKs is, that
he is honest enough to give utterance TO MS
convictions n plain and forcible. if somewhat
exaggerated language, while they willingly
and deliberately, deceive themselves. success
commands admiration, and full and unquali-
fed belief in the righteousness Of the cause
Il is the business, therefore, of the majority oil
mankind TO find reasons for that which they
have already made up their minds to believe
A striking instance of this, one OF the latest
presented by the worlds history, is the esti-
mate in which Aus ria and Prussia have peen
respectively held since the battle OF Sadowa'
nv the mass of outsiders, dazzled by the glare
of victory, and too indolent to look beneath tie
surface Of things. "Austria," it Is said' re
presents spotism, Prussia liberty. Austria
is the stronghold OF feudalism, ultra-montanlsm'
intolerance, and everything that Is TO De ao-
norred; while Prussia is the apostle OF liberty
the friend of progress" etc., etc.
| Now what are the facts The anteoeoen's
of the two dynasties are in many respects not
| dissimilar. Austria is one of the oldest OF the
.bsolute monarchies of Europe. Prussia Is
absolute also, though not as old. Her con-
quests have been more recent, and the manner
in which her territorial acquisitions were made'
is, perhaps, more open to a just and enlighteh-
ed criticism than in the case of her rival. ootn
powers hold in subjection discontented nation
alities. Both have yielded much to the spirit
of the age; but it is mistake to consider
Prussia free country in the sense In which
we sneak Of liberty in England, and Austria a
despotism Both these monarchles are now
limited. and il is Austria, and not Prussia, that
has made, within the last two years, the great
est strides toward public reform.
The liberty of the press, it is KNOWN Is an
institution as yet unknown in Prussia. They
have representative government, KIND Of
parliament, it is true, but liberty of debate Is
| not one of the privileges guaranteed to these
selectmen of the people. They are called to-
yether to advise the King, to assist him IN
governing his subjects, but they must take
heed 70 their words or suffer the conse-
ouences. What England effected by her revo-
| luton of 1858 remains still to be accomplished
in Prussia. This subject has recently been
under discussion in the House of Deputies IN
Berlin, and after long and stormy debate, 1t
was decided by one hundred and eighty-one to
one hundred and sixty votes, that the Prussian
Constitution guarantees liberty Of speech to the
deputies. This privilege, therefore, guaran-
| ,eed though it be by the constitution, hangs
on q very slender thread; twenty-one votes
form but o small majority in an assembly OF
three hundred and forty-one legislators. What
strange ideas of liberty and representative
government those one hundred and sixty men
must have who think that deputy ought TO
be sent to prison for words spoken in debate.
France, England, Spain, and even Egypt re-
cognize the sanctity and inviolability of this
privilege. Small hopes for great, united and
free Fatherand upon this model.
The Austrian Minister, Baron Won BEUsT,
ever since his accession to office, has been in
defatigable in his efforts to throw new life into
the old and, to great degree, effete elements
Of the respectable monarchy. The great mill
tary and political defeat which Austria suffered
last year, seems to have facilitated the efforts
of The Minister to o very striking degree. Re-
forms and improvements are noticeable in every
department of the government; in her domestic
and in her foreign relations, in commerce and
finances, in education, and even in the
church establishment. The greatest achiev-
mert of all, however, is doubtless the greatly
improved temper now obtaining in the relations
Of the archduchy and the outlying dependen-
cies. Hungary, for more than half century
the apple of discord to every successive impe-
rial government, seems now ut last content; and
coincident with the attainment Of this satstac-
ory state of her political relations, Hungary
as this year been blessed with most abun-
liant harvest With corn and wine in plenty,
the country is favorably situated to work out
the problem OF her new national salvation.