The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-11-05
es which he had written from Rome to

eS which he had written from Rome to
Prince Bismarck. The only thing that
these dispatches showed was that Count
Arnim had from the outset had a keen
and just appreciation Of the policy of the
papal court, and that he might be cred.
tied with having seen into the future
earlier and more keenly than Prince
Bismarck. But the fact that confiden-
tial dispatches should be published at
all was held in Germany to be so dis
graceful that the gossiping enemies Of
Prince Bismarck, who, if they hear
that the Prince takes off his boots be-
fore going to bed, are positive tnat he
does so in some Machiavellian way and
for some diabolical purpose, started the
ingenious theory that Prince Bismarck
had himself published these Roman dis
patches in order to fix on Count Arnim
the terrible stigma Of having betrayed
diplomatic confidence. That Count Ar.
MIN actually published these dispatches
was perhaps impossible for the German
government to prove, for they had been
published at Vienna; but if Count Ar
MIN had resented, as he ought to have
done, the notion that he could have
been guilty Of such treaehery, he should
have done his utmost to aid the govern
ment in discovering the real offender.
He remained silent and passive, and
the German government began to con-
slider what was its position toward him.
The first thing to know was what dis
patches Count Arnim had got. Prince
Hohenlohe. VINO succeeded him at Paris.
was directed to search the archives
and see whether all documents we're
there that ought to have been there. It
was found that large number were
missing. Count Arnim was called on
to state what had became of them. AS
to some, he said they were mere private
documents as to his income and allow
ances, and that these did not concern
the state at all, and that he had carried
them off as part of his own property.
AS to others, he said that they were not
official letters, but confidential letters
on diplomatic matters from Prince Bis
marck; that Prince Bismarck had chos-
en- to trust him, and had written to him
and that the letters were his letters,and
he meant to keep them. As to others,
he owned that they were state docu-
ments, but he protested that he lad not
an idea Of what had become of them.
OF all the missing documents he knew
the whole history, except of those the
abstraction or retention of which night
make him criminally responsible. It
was not likely that the German govern
ment would be satisfied with such an
answer. What owner of property
would have been satisfied with such an
answer! To avoid scandal, however,
the German government tried to bring
about an amicable arrangement and to
induce Count Arnim to give up the
missing documents. He positively re-
fused. and then the machinery Of the
criminal law was set in motion, and he
was arrested.
This is Of course the story Of the
German government, as communicated
to the world through the semi-official
newspapers. But it has been thought
very hard Oh Count Arnim that. even
if this story is true, he should have
been arrested. This is an opinion
which is difficult to share. If the story
is true, Count Arnim appears to be by
no means martyr, but, on the contra
ry, very culpable and reprehensible
DerSOn