Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-12-03
Behind the Scenes.

LONDON, October 20-There is a
great deal of news here in regard to
peace negotiations and affairs in
France aud Germany generally.
which, for some occult reason best
known to themselves, the publishers
Of the London papers neglect to give
to their readers. One of the centres
.whre this intelligence Is obtained is
the Foreign Office in Downing street;
another is the editorial rooms of La
Situation, the little French journal
inspired from Wilhelmshohe and
Mons; another is Camden House !;
and a fourth is a club. house on Pail
Mall, where British exclusiveness has
given way 10 eosmopolital freedom.
For instance, it Is very we'll known
in these circles that the divergence
of opinions between Count Bismarck
and the Grown Prince in regard. to
the further prolongation of the war
has ripcned into a quarrel, and that
the latter makes very little secret of
his opinion that Bismarck, whose
influence over the King increases
every day, is leading Prussia into
rerils from which escape will be very
difficult. There is strong peace
party iu Germany, and the Crown
Prince, openly to some extent, and
secretly to a much greater extent,
encourages and favors its members.
This Grown Prince, by the way, is a
very queer fellow. lie talks very
freely about himself his father, his
wife, his mother, and the future of
Germany. i" I do not make any pre-
tentions to WISDOM" said he the 9TH
er day; 81 know am not wise or
prudent; Heaven never cut me out
for a great man, and I shall always
be dependent OH wiser men than my
self. But there are q few things l
can see for myself. I can see plainly
enough how deplorable is the inf1u-
ence which Count Bismarck exerts
over the King. 1t was always So
the King has always heen under the
thumb Of a minister and a woman ;
he gets tired Of the woman and chan.
ges her pretty often but Bismarck
fascinates him, and he cannot shake
him off," The truth is that the con-
duct of King William, never very
exemplary, has been positively shock
ing since he went to the wars, and
the unctious hypocrisy with which
he for a while paraded the name of
God as his "pall" was inexpressibly
ludicrous to those who knew the
manner of his daily walk and CONVEX
sation. Queen Augusta and his Ma
jesty had scarcely spoken to each
other for months until the breaking
out of the war, and when, after war
was declared, the royal couple was
seen riding under the lindeus togeth-
er, the people Of Berlin could scarce
believe their eyes. During the cam
paign his Majesty has given daily
proof of the truth that Glove rules
the camp, the court, the grovo;" and
the stories about the pretty girls who
have enjoyed his intimacy at every
place where headquarters have been
set up even for week would make
the fortune of any sensation writer
who had the good luck to get hold
of them. The Crown Prince him.
self, though by no means an ascetic,
has been Q model of virtue compared
to his papa. But I must not run on
with this gossip. The point / SET
out to make was that in the opinion
of the Grown Prince and his party
which is numerous in the army as
we'll as at home-Bismarck made 9
fatal mistake in failing to conclude
peace either Immediately after Sedan
or at Ferrierss. And Bismarck him.
self seems to share this opinion, as
the Following incident tends to show
"The other day at a dinner party
given by Bismarck, he was compli
mented by some of his guests upor
the great fame he had already secur
ed, aud upon the certainty that h,
would be immortal as the first states
man of this century. Bismarck re
ceived these congratulations with thu
greatest gravity, and thus replied
II am by no means certain Of wha
you say; I have too long yet to live
Were I as old as Molkte, now, !.
should have no fears> He is SO olt
that he must soon die, and it is no
at all probable that in the short lif'
he has left to him he will make an.
blunders that will rob him Of. hi
fame. But I am still young, and th'
chances are nincty-nine to hundred
that before I die I shall mako such {
fool Of myself that all the good thing
l have done win be forgotten. I an
not sure, in fact, that the blunder ,ha
/; not been already made "
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