Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-03-01
What Germany Remembers.

1t seems to be favorite theory of
those American newspapers which,
during the Franco-Prussian war have
been persistently on the side of France,
that III their proposals for peace, Bis
marck and Kaiser William are carving
things with a very high hand Among
others, the Cincinnati Enquirer believes
that Bismarck's terms to Favre are
more absolute and humiliating than
those imposed upon France in 1914,
when she succumbed to the combined
armies of Europe. Others maintain
that the First Napoleon in his grandest
days was modest and forbearing com
pared with the Prussian Premier. Let
us see. In December, 1905, the victory
of Austerlitz placed the empire of Ger
many as absolutely at the feet of Napo-
leon as France is now PROSTATE before
the Emperor William. The Corsican
conquoror took Hesse Brunswick and
Westphalia, and out of them made a
kingdom for his younger brother. He
parceled out the German States among
his marshals, converted the Batavian
republic into monarchy, placed his
brother Louis on the throne of Hol-
land, and made the Rhine Confedera
ton an appendage to France.
To Prussia, as the price of her neu-
trality, he threw Hanover, and when at
last Prussia, no longer able to serve
his purposes, abandoned her neutra-
lily, he poured his legions across her
frontiers, and at jena and Auerstadt
completed the conquest of the king
dom. From the 25th of October,
1906, when Napoleon entered Berlin,
there was no longer any limit to his
absolute sway. He neither consulted nor
condescended to make terms Like an
other Caesar, he knew no law but his
own will. He admitted no negotia-
tions, listened to no appeals, recogniz-
ed no authority, permitted no elections.
"He granted no armistice, but by the
mere force of his own order, took from
Prussia nearly three fourths of her
territory, transferred her people to
other and foreign crowns, all bearing
feudal service to imperial France. Sit
ting in the palace of the great Fred
erick at Berlin, and holding Prussia as
conquered province, he issued his
famous Berlin decree, declaring Great
Britain i'll state of blockade, and for
bidding all nations to trade with her,
declaring all articles produced in Eng
land to be contraband, and the proper
ty of all British subjects on the Sc as
lawful prise of war
1t is with the remem orance of all
this in mind that King William and
Bismarck are asking for their millions
of francs and the border provinces of
Alsace and Lorraine. Judged by all
ordinary standards, their demands
are exorbitant and cruel they only be
come merciful and modest when COM
pared with that which was taken with
out asking by the French Emperor
sixty-tive years ago. Since the mo-
ment that Paris showed signs of yield
ing, the Germans have done nothing to
needlessly deepen the humility of their
enemies. Not Prussian regiment has
marched into Paris. Even the victor
King has refrained from riding into
the city he has conquered, and but for the
illness of Bismarck would have hur-
ried away to Berlin, like Grant from
Richmond, without pausing to see the
capitol which he has humbled Ger
many in arms has faults which connot
be overlooked, but wanton cruelty to a
defeated enemy is not one of them.