Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-02-18
nited Germany and its New Emperor

King William of Prussia, so the cable
informs us, complies with the invitation
of the soVereigus of the petty German
States, and assumes the title Of 'Enper-
or OF Germany" He is the first William.
we believe, who has received that title.
So is gathered the first fruit of the pres
ent war, and so steps Prussia to the SUI
premacY to which she has been so long
on the way, and which Austria has SO
stoutly contested for many year.
Not quite thousand years ago, Ohio
|. received from the Pope his crown as
fhc first Emperor of the true Germany
OF history. Six centuries later. and
Prussia, then a dukedom merely, declared
its independence of Poland, while at
very nearly the same ime a permanent
German Diet assembled at Ratisbon.
Half a century more, and Frederic ILL.,,
Elector Of Brandenbury, crowned him
self "Frederic L., King of Prussia" In
another hundred years the disintegration
OF the German Empire was we'll under.
way. In 1889 the Brabaut provinces
declared their independence, and in 1905
and The shrewd hand OF Napoleon III.
erected Bavaria, Wurtemburg and Wes-
phalia, into independent kingdoms. Then
followed the Confederation of the Rhin
tributary to France, and the practic;
dissolution Of the German Empire, after
Il checkered existence of more than 500
years. With the overthrow of Napol-
con, came the new Germanic Contedera-
ton, OH Il broader aud iirmer basis than
the old one Of the Rhine, aud this, sub
stantially is that OF which the "Emperor'
William becomes the head to-day. The |
history OF Germany during all these
years is the history of large number of
prlncipalllles; some as snail as cities. |
others as large as kingdoms now asso-
ciated, and then at swords points rent
by dissensions at one time, banded to- |
gether tor mutual defense against COM
mon foe at another; the majority ex-
posed to the contention OF the few for a |
controlling power; a history of jealous
les, and chickering's, and wars. United |
Germany 1t has hitherto been but
dream
The federal constitution now practi-
cal accepted by the Southern States,
Bavaria, Wurtemburg, Baden, Hesse,
Darmstadt, (SoUth) and Li,chtenstein,
whose total population is 8,Gll, ,532, Is
that of the North German Confederation, /
Prussia, Saxony, aud twenty smaller
States, whose population is 29,91o,377,
was drawn up and ratified bv a
popular vote in 1867. The new German
Empire of William l., which is more
truly confederation, takes its place on
the map of Europe with an area of 204,-
776 square miles, which is about four
6tths that OF Texas, and population
closely approximating that of the Unit
ed States.
To have effected this result, even,
Prussia will feel is not to have fought in
vain, while for the tall measure of her
prize she still waits at the gates OF Paris.
INSIDE CnlAA.-Admiral Rodgers, who
attended Mr.. Seward to Pekin, has sent
to the Secretary OF the Navy a commu.
nicatlon in regard to China, in which he
predicts the collapse of the country.
The governing class are hostile to in
novations, and they see in foreign i'm
prOyemeuts only dangers TO themselves
and TO the repose of the Empire. The
actual government is thus between two |
fires, between the uncertainty of moving
on created by treaties and contact with
Western nations, and the danger of
progress as tending TO revelation, The
Admiral points to the marks of decay in
China. The canals are filled with mud.
The once perfect highways are impass:-
BILE, having had NO repairs for centuries.
The person OF the future Emperor is too
sacred for audience with forcign En-.
bassadors, lie is brought up in palace,
secluded, surrounded by women and
slaves, and while knowing nothing Of
the world outside the walls of his in
closure, has yet the duty OF regulating
all the affairs of China. On the other
hand while the government is without