New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-03-03
The New German Empire.
From the St. Louis Republican.

The New German Empire.
From the st. Louis Republican,
The new German empire became an ac-
complished fact when the King OF Prussia
formally accepted the imperial dignity; but
that empire will really begin its political
existence when the treaty Of peace IS
signed. and the vast armies which have
borne the Gerlnanic standards to the great
est victories OF modern times, are discussed
to their homes and resume those avocations
by which alone a nation may consolidate
and perpetuatc its power, and secure those
other and brighter victories mo less re
nowncd than war" The present, therefore,
is fitting tine to glance at the dimensions
and resources of the German empire, which
has so recently assumed colossal dimensions
upon the map of Europe, and whose grand
mission, to all human appearances, is not
even yet fully contaminated.
In order to give our readers an intelligent
view OF the subject, we must revert briefly
to the status of Prussia prior 10 lSo6, when
she began her advance TO the leadership of
the continent At the beginning OF tie
struggle between Austria and Prussia. the
latter embraced Il territorial area OF los. l3o
| square miles, equivalent to that OF New
| York. PENNSYLVANIA, New Jersey and Mary
| land. The population, according to the
| enumeration OF 1864, was l9.3o4.S)3; or
! about half that now i'll the United States.
Its chietest source of weakness at this period
| lay in the fact that it was completely di-
vitlei by the kingdom of Hanover and the
| electorate OF Hcssc, which interviewed be-
tween the eastern or old Prlssian provinces.
| and what are termed the Rhine provinces.
The latter being thus isolated from tue
main body of the nation, also differed from
it in religious faith, and were naturally
drawn strongly i'll the direction of South
Germany and France by the combined in
| fluences of Catholicism and commercial adj
vantage. Tie campaign of Stdcwa and its
! tremendous results changed AL this. and
paved the way for greater things thereafter.
The power of Austria in Germany was
| broken down forever, and from amid the
ruins Prussia grasped the sccptre OF sover-
| eighty She placed herself i'll the front as
! the chosen representative OF ile !ue.! oi
| German unity: she absorbed the territory
| which she needed most; she gave 70 The
kingdom tue compactncss which it La Id.
! hitherto lacked, anu what perhaps. IL view
| OF subsequent events, was more important
! than all else, she was enabled TO extend her
matchless military system over all OF North
| Germany. IN this momentous year Oh lSo6,
| Prussia acquired by annexation the king
dom OF Hanover, with its li,siS square
miles and ,g23, 1872 population; the elector-
| ate Of Hesse, with its 1878 square miles
! and 737 .s.,3 population; the duchy Of Mas
] sati. Will It's StudlC uiH 1S'''it
populations; Frankfort with IFS 81 square
miles and s9,S3 populations: sclcswlg
Holstein, with its GS0S square miles and &c.,
| 9S6 population. besides several small tracts
from Bavaria and the grand duchy OF
Hesse, amounting to 637 square miles and
| l0S,07S population.
Thus, through the diplomacy of Bismarck
and the genius of Moltke. coupled with Ger
man valor and Austrian blrnderings il cab
met and camp. Prussia, within twelve
| months, increased her domain - $40 square
niles, and her population 4,2SJ.tG0 people.
This acquisition will be better understood
when we say that the area OF the new pos
sessions is more than that OF Massachusetts,
Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island,
and the population double what il is how i'll
these States. Prussia, when the accounts ~
1866 were balanced. had :tlmos. "a much
territory as New York and all tie Middle
States combined, and her inhabitants Mum
hcred but little short Of 24.060, 0G0. or aboHt
that OF cur Northern States When the rebel
lion OF 1861 commenced.
| In addition to these immense advantages,
she had control Of some OF the leading COM
mcrcial and monetary centres. held posi-
| ton on the North Sea, and enjoyed unOb-
structed navigation of the Elbc and Neser
But that incompatible statesman, whose
achievements have no counterpart IN his
tory did not suffer himself to reYose upon
Las lui.icAS anu itpSc lntO !oGS Itit-
ness, satisfied with the past and present.
and indifferent to the future. Bismarck.
with lsGu as stepping stone, marched
straight on. North Germany was reorgan-
lied into q bund. with Prussia at the head,
and this position virtually made the other
: States tributary to her, SO far as least as
| military resources were concerned.
The largest of these States, SaNony, has
, an area OF SIG square miles, and I, popula-
ton OF about 2,425,000 The remaining
! twenty smaller States have together II, $50
, square miles and 1913. people. SO when
, Napoleon Ill declared war seven months
ago, he pitted France, not against Prussia
with her 70, 900 population, but against
united Northern Germany, numbering
l scarcely less than 81 200, 900 souls. But the
t thunder OF the first French cannon on the
t banks Of the Rhine brought another rein
forcement which neither Napoleon nor the
| French people seem to have calculated upon
S The South German States joined hands with
e North Germany, and together they moved
G | to meet the common enemy. These States
a Bavaria, Nurtemberg, Baden, Southern
t Hesse and Lichtenstein, have a united ter
e ritory amounting to A. 5lS square miles, anG
d population OF S,6lO,25t.
+ South Germany is now blended with tn.
t empire and that empire has an area cqua
}. to all OF New England and Middle States
south to the Potomac and west to the Wa
oasn, anu populatlOn VI a' ie"sl io'ooo'
0OC-which is 4,000,O 900 more than Austri;
= contains, and is surpassed only by Russia
! Ii to this we add Alsace and Lorraine, thel
" the dominions of Emperor William will b.
enlarged by 1880 square miles, and hi
a subjects increased by nearly 1880, $50 PEG
9 pie.
= The commercial and industrial wealth o
q united Germany we have not the means o
% accurately ascertaining, but some idea ma,
l. be formed from few statistics. For severa
years previous to the war, the aggregate
revenues Of all the German government
y averaged annually SILL, 600, O60.a In 1857
Il there were nine thousand miles Of railway
Q being operated in Germany, and in 1856
b their receipts amounted to SIS 800 ,O00. Il
!, 1856 there were 81 900 miles II 4olegxap]
wire in use in 1865, 3Ol ,0O5, ne 11(6t6 = -