The New York herald., 1870-09-22
A German Republic ON the Horl.en.

| that c0untry-nrSt, Tor complete national
unity, and, next, for democratic liberty-so
long foretold by us and rendered doubly GER
tain by the present gigantic war with France
actually is advancing with rapid strides.
From Berlin, under yesterdays date, we learn
that caucus of leading politicians from all
parts of Germany is assembled at Berlin to con-
slider the best means of reforming, or, rather,
| of remodelling, the old Germanic Confedera-
| ton, with view evidently to the closer iden-
tification of the South German States with
| ance. Herr Delbruck-a man of ability and
| experience and President Of the North Ger
| manic Confederate Oouncil-has even been
summoned to the ministerial headquar-
ters for conference, and, meanwhile,
the North German Cabinet is working with
fsverish activity in Fastening it's negotiations
with the Cabinets of the South German States.
At the same time Herr Lasker, political
orator of the liberal II. e., really democratic)
stripe, is about to agitate on the effective
American system of popular ''stump" speeches
in behalf Of the newly proposed plan of
federative unity. In fact, that such unity will
positively be brought about, official assurances
are given at the Prussian capital.
The original Confedera ton, which was the
offspring of the Congress of Vienna and dated
from the act passed by that body June 8, 1915,
and confirmed by . common statute of the
Powers interested on the 18th of May, 1920,
was really compact for the closer super
vision Of the people under the pretext Of
mutual defence and the preservation Of claw
and order" Yet, after all, the very meeting
of a Congress" was step toward German
union and an indication of tendency to
initiate one grand point of the American
system, even although the delegates present at
the convooatlon were crowned heads or their
immediate agents. r 4.
This Bund or confederation was really
strong body, with an army of six hundred
thousand men, made up of proportional con-
tingents from all the States composing it, to
back its pretensions when the latter were not
menacing or aggressive to outside States; and
it was one of the modern glories Of Frankfort
to have been the seat OF the Bundestag or
Confederate Diet, if we can justly term it
'.glory" to have been identified with machine
that was directed mainly against all attempts
at popular movement in the liberal sense. No
outside efficiency existed, and Austria, when
sorely beset by France and Italy, in 1859,
having claimed the assistance of the Bund,
found her appeal in vain. On this same plea
Prussia, when preparing the way for her war
with Austria, in the beginning Of 1866, on
account of the disagreement Of the two
Powers as to their joint administration of the
Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, claimed
federal help. She was refused it by the
minor States, who referred her to article
eleven of the federal pact, requiring oil
members of the Diet to bring their dis
putes before it for adjudication. Tho
| Diet would then mediate or pronounce
| what was termed an ''Austragal judgment, ="
| to which the contestants were bound to sub
NIT without appeal. This did not suit Prus-
sia, who announced her determination to take
counsel with those of the minor States that
| favored her, and Count Bismarck at the same
| time pronounced the words ''Civil and mill
| tary reform" in reference to the Confederation
| itself
The events that followed are history. Prus-
| sia crushed the power of Austria, her only
| great rival in the old Bnnd. A new North Ger
man alliance sprang up with Prussia at its
head, and now the attack so recently made
by France providentially, or Bismarck-icaly.
seconding the general plan Of an entire Ger
man Union, the former Bund embracing every
part of Germany, is to be revived in new
form, and Frankfort Getty and districD is to be
neutralized as convenient central place Of
session for it's parliament.
This is evidently the first step toward the
formation of the ''United States of Germany"
| to which Austria must consent or be dis
membered by the loss of her nine million
Germans, who long to be one with
ing the Austro- Germans just mentioned,
would number fifty million souls, controllable
by Prussia only on condition that she should
fully represent popular opinion. That opinion
sustained her grandly in her war of defence
against the Napoleonic empire; it begins evi-
dently to stand aloof from her now that she
wars upon the republic and the people OF
France. The democrats of Munich (the Bava-
rian capitaD have met and passed resolutions
against any forcible annexation of French ter
ritory, and Johann Jacoby, the fearless and
eloquent leader of the Prussian democracy,
was yesterday arrested at Berlin and sent to
the fortress of Konigsberg for having called
meeting with similar intent.
It's clear, then, to the sentinel on the watch
tower by the Rhine, who sends his CHEEKY
message to the West, that the people Of Ger
many are earnestly, steadily and surely m ov-
ing. King William must hasten to garner the
good that he has done and fortify it for his
hopes of future empire. There is no time tc