Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-23

| leOn own plans. OeEIaiu IL 10 tA7e Ii
position of armed neutrality after Sol
ferino p,ecipitated the imperfect and IN
satisfactory termination of the Italian
question. and his subsequent splendid
triumphs at KonigsgratZ and Sadowa
were a humiliating couuterpoise t.
the imperial blunders in Mexico
while at home the consolidation
of Prussian supremacy has been a pain
full contrast to the concessions of impe
] rialism to liberal institutions for the sake
of assuring itself an extended lease OF
power. Bismarck's predictions, both
personal and ancestral, led him to identify
himself with the cause of kingly rule il
Prussia He identified the veal of the
nation with.the personal government by a
King. He is mOnarchical by instinct,
and each concession made to liberalism
has been wrung from him as a departure
from the true principles of all government,
and as an attack upon the peoples own
happiness. The theory of his foreign
policy was that Austrian preponderance
was inimical to the welfare of Germany,
and that the general interest of the leu
tonic race would be promoted by the
elevation of Prussia TO the first place in
German councils. His antipathy to
democracy was increased by the events of
lS4S, and in 1851 he became member of
the Prussian Parliament where his speeches
on the new constitution and his aristo-
cratic loyalism attracted the attention of
the Court. While on his wedding tour he
accidentally encountered the King at
Venice, and personal intercourse so con-
firmed the impression he had created that
very soon afterwards he was appointed
Prussian representative at the Frankfort
Diet. There is, perhaps, no man in Eu-
rope of whom better stories are told than
of Bismarck. Among others one is told
of this particular epoch, showing his
sense of his own dignity, and of the re-
spect due to him asrepresentative of Prus-
STA. The young minister paid a ceremonial
visit to Count Thun, the Austrian Minis
ter and President of the Diet. Count
Thun did not ask him to take seat, but
continued smoking. Bismarck, nothing
disconnected, took out his cigar case, and
drawing chair forward, asked the Presi-
dent for light, and fairly smoked him
into civility. In 1859 he was recalled
from Frankfort and sent Ambassador
to Petersburg. In 1862 he was
placed in charge of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. THE whole course of
Prussian politics was at this time a con-
slant protest at every point by the liber-
ais and the democratic party against the
crown and its authority. The opposition
to every ministerial plan was virulent,
and no success at home or abroad modi-
fed the hostility of the opposition. Even
| Prussian successes in the Schleswig- Hol-
stein affair brought no peace to the coun-
ellis of the nation. The general tenden-
cies of Europe were towards an eXpan-
sion of liberalism. Bismarck and the
King believed that the national welfare
lay in the consolidation of The royal
power, in the control of the press, and in
the increase of the standing army. The
dispute with Austria sprang out of the in
creasing preponderance of Prussia in all
questions touching the common
interests of Germany. The Ger
man municipalities were being rap
idly mediatized into Prusssian dependen-
cies. The question of ornaments was
a new jealousy, and the alliance, offensive
and defensive, between Prussia and the
new Kingdom of Italy, led to the warlike
movements by Austria for the purpose of
defending her Venetian dependencies,
which led to Napoleon's appearance on
the scene, and to the expulsion of Austria
from Italian soil. The sudden close of
the Italian campaign at Solferino, leaving
Victor Emmanuel's position only half as
sured, and transferring Savoy to France,
was hardly satisfactory to Prussia. 1t is
generally believed that, in interviews
which Bismarck had at Biarritz with Ma
pOleon about this time, the Prussian ia
vOred the NapOleOnic claims to a Rhine
frontier as a set-off to Prussia's longings
for Schleswig- Holstein and Baltic ports.
Austria now expressed her disapproval of
Prussia's aggrandizing views on the
Duchies; but to these protests Bismarck
paid no attention, and the battles of
SadOwa and Konigsgratz affirmed Prus-
sian rights and silenced Austrian re-
monstrance. After the Austrian defeats
Prussia consolidated the North German
States, and brought them all under her
control, substituting their princes and
granting them pensions and allowances in
place of their Independent revenues. Ar
rangements were also made with Southern
German States by which they retained
their nominal independence, but Prussia
was made cOmmander-in-chief of the
joint army and head of the Customs
Union, and the line of the territorial de-
marcation completely excluded Austria
from all participation In the Bund. The
Luxembourg affair, it will be remembered, j
originated from an attempt by Prussia to
get possession from Holland of that for |
tress by purchase. This was objection |
able 10 France, and the fortress was
eventually dismantled and the territory |
At this moment, owing to |
the consolidation of Germanic powers, to |
the supremacy of Prussia and to the |
powers granted Won Bismarck as Chan |
cellOr of the Federated States he is the |
most powerful minister in Europe, having !
personal influence and weight more analo-
gous to that of Richelieu or Kannitz than |
to that of any modern minister.
In person, Won Bismarck is tall, well |
formed, fair haired, blue eyed, and of /
great vigor. He is as heavy and joyous
as he is energetic and determined. His
tastes are simple and popular, as a. proof |
of which the national beer, both white, |
book, and lager in great silver tankards
and foaming gOblets, is feature of his
He has been once shot |
at, but though slightly wounded, arrested |
the assassin with his own strong hand, |
and the offender subsequently killed him
self in prison.
of his personal views, NJ. de Vii
bort, Partisan journalist reports an in
teryiew in which these words were uttered
by Bismarck.
Sixteen years ago was living as
country gentleman, when the King ap-
pointed me Envoy of Prussia at the
Frankfort Diet 1 had been brought up
in the admiration, l might almost say the
worship, of the Austrian policy. Much
time, however, was not needed to dispel
my youthful illusions. The humiliation
of my country, Germany, sacrificed to
the interests of q foreign nation, crafty
and perfidious line of policy, these were
not things calculated to give me satisfac-
ton. l conceived the idea of
Germany from Austrian oppres-
sion-at least that part of Germany whose
tone of thought, religion, manners, and
identify her destinies with Prus-