The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-05
Blsu, arck's Statecraft.

BIsu, ,arck's Statecraft.
There were doubtless members 10 the Ger
man Parliament, who having seen from
afar how beautifully Reconstruction worked
in the conquered Southern provinces'of the
United States, were in favor of bestowing
the same patriarchal blessing upon Alsace
and Lorraine. They came with full-hedgeo
plans in their portfolios ready to take
charge OF the police and OF the postor'ice; oil
the tariff and railroads The roads were in
debt, not unnatural circumstance, rs we
know from experience, after fierce interne-
cine war OF some duration. The German
reconstructionists were 10 favor OF taxing
possession, borrowing money, and putting
them in running orce.. &C., locking upon
the people as imbecI!es wards in chanccry
infants unable to &C. for themselves. Just
in the nick Of time in steps Prince Bismarck,
who cannot be charged with an excess Of
sentiment on the subject OF popular Liberties.
But Bismarck is o man OF sense, nay more,
he is statesman. He also had heard Of The
Reconstruction acts OF the American Con-
sress, am, like ourselves, he has not yet
heard the last OF them. He says, .'No, gen.
stlemen. We want no linkering here. It
sis not designed to make q Utopia OF these
conquered provinces. We cannot indulge
'sour philosophical friends in the innocent
amusement OF making their experiments in
Legislation and statecraft on these unfortu-
'tnate people. Alsace and Lorraine have
sbeen incorporated with the German EN-
spire, and the surest way OF working out
s'tbe difficult problem Of overcoming preju-
."dice and healing sore wounds, is to med
stdle with them as little as possible-to re-
aspect their autonomy as members OF the
"Empire, and permit them to regulate their
'.local and municipal affairs, as may seem
"best to Them
Now this was the very quintsssence OF good
sense. How different this from the course
OF the Republican party ia the conduct OF
the affairs OF the Southern States. First OF
all, military government; then acts OF dis
ability, so as to render reconstruction i'm
possible upon any decent basis But society
mus. be reorganized, and civil government
restored. The arena was at once thrown
open to adventurers-the 'poor relations
Of the legislatirg conquerors-and every
subsequent enactment has been specially
framed for the advancement and protection
of this class, with an utter and studied dis
regard of the feelings and wishes OF the
governed.
Nav, worse even than this. AT an early
period of the reconstructing process it was
evident to every unbiased mind, that the
machine would not work; that the interests
of the South, and those of the country at
large, must be fatally endangered by such o
course; that the presence of troops, only
necessary because OF this stupid legislation,
must involve large and needless expendi-
ture of the peoples money; that taxes must
continue to be onerouS, and the prosperity
Of the country retarded by the continual cry
of swoH"-or "Ku- Klux"-fOr it is all the
same. But it mattered not. The Repuhli-
can Solons had duty to perform-to keep
their party in power; and they did not
shrink from any means-fair c. .oul-to ac-
complish that end. The President, owing a
duty to himself-to secure his reelection
was more than willing to further their plans;
and in the Ku-Klu2 law, the last OF the Re-
construction acts Qhus far,) we see the re-
suit
And this, be it remembered, is 'the best
government the world ever saw;" while
King William and Bismarck are ''despots. u
Still it may not be Improbable to hear the
views of this same Bismarck on the subject
under discussion. In the course OF his elo'
ouent and statesmanlihe speech in the Reich
stag, he remarked:
VI should never have imagined that or the
Federal council had the right to contracs
debt for Alsace without eonsuitiSg d tme Alsa ant
should advise you not to entertain the idea o.
endeavoring TO play the part OF guardians te
the Alsatia1s In local matters, or to attempt te
substitute the Reichstag for an Alsallat
Landtag. In that case the people OF Aisace
would, In my opinion, be badly used. All Other
German races manage their own business, sc
iar as 1t does not fall under the competence o
the empire. Why, then, should the Alsatians
have their private affairs settled by an Assem-
bly to which they would only send sixteen out
ofIour hundred representatives Why should
they allow the people OF Pomerania, Wurtem