The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-21

iency, please uOn't bite my uogs"
BISMARCK As MINISTER.
With his mission 10 Russia ends the diplomatic
part OF Herr Won Bismarck's career. In 1851
the present King William having assembled the
throne. found himself face to face with powerfully
constituted liberal party. The Opposition had won
q large number OF seats at the general elections;
and. IN opening the session OF 1884, the King
thought good so declare, az a sort OF dehance TO
these antagonists, that the Prusstan monarchy was
emphatcally OF divine right, and that constitu-
tonal concessions were acts OF royal grace and
nothing more. The opposition answered BY carry
ing an amendment OF Herr Hagen on the budget.
and the Cabinet Of Herr Won Auerswald rendered
its resignation. The King refused to accept It, dis
solved the lower House and prorogued the upper;
bur few days later ne eliminated all the liberal
members Of the Ministry and recast It under the
presidency OF the Prince OF Hohenlohe, VINO was,
soon alter, succeeded by Count Bernstein, tory OF
still deeper dye This did little good. and at the new
elections the triumph Of the opposition was over
whelming. The Ministers, compelled to try what
temporizing might eject, delayed summoning the
Parliament and spent the interval in experiment
Ing on liberal measures. some taxes were aooi-
ished, Q treaty OF commerce was signed with
France, the new Kingdom OF Italy was
recognized and the Cabinet prevailed upon
the elector of Hesse to restore the constitution
OF 1881, which he had confscated from his subjects
This served only to encourage the opposition, and
when the Chambers met the motion for supplies
for recognizing the army was defeated by
strong majority. There seemed to be only one
man capable OF managing the unruly Commons,
and this was Herr Won Bismarck. whom the King
summoned from st. Petersburg and commissioned
to form fresh Cabinet not on principles of pacid'
cation, but OF resistance. The new Prime Minister
was then forty-eight. Time and the society Of
foreign courts had not damped much OF his youth
full ardor, but they had taught him good lesson
or TWO about not ramming ones head against
stone wall when such q proceeding can be avoided.
lie therefore set to work In o soothing spirit. and
delivered few most able and cautious speeches
to the House that the increase in the army
was not intended for reacttonary purposes. But
the liberals betrayed much sceptlcism on this
point They contended that Tor all purposes Of
peace an effective land wehr was more useful than
an immense army; and, on The motion OF Herr Won
Forkenbeck. they voted series OF amendments to
the budget. which Herr Won Bismarck had de.
cared would be ruin0us and tmpracti-
cable. Then all the iron in the Minis
ters composition seethed up TO the surface.
Journalists were prosecuted organizers Of
political meetings were flung into prison and In
dicted for conspiracy. The Ieudal party in the
House OF Lords voted the budget which the Lower
House had thrown out and the Ministry, declaring
that this sanction was enough, prorogued the
House in spite OF q general vote OF censure, and
proceeded to levy the taxes as II nothing had hap
pened. This was to all tntents coup d'etdt, and
Bismarck, along with all hts colleagues clearly de-
served impeachment; but the liberal party had not
at this time that one man OF will who in such cases
can raise banner against banner and lead q whole
host after him. The next sesson-that of 1865
was spent IN recriminations and in new acts OF an
arbitrary nature. The instruction in Poland
seeming to gather strength. the Prussian govern
ment concluded secret treaty with Russia, and
sent some troops to aid in quelllng the revolution,
at which the Lower House, incensed BY this viola
ton OF neutrality, passed new vote Of censure by
q majority OF 246 to 49, But Bismarck had ceased
to care, and, the better to mark his contempt for
the refractory chamber, declined to recognize the
authority OF Its elected President This led to q
new crisis. The King took part with the Ministry
and the Lower House was dissolved again. q
decree being at the same time launched which
suspended the liberty OF the press and rendered
1t amenable to the regime Of admonitions
and suppressi0ns which was nourishing in France.
Bismarck was thus in the ascendant, but he was
too shrewd man not to see into what straits he
had put not himself alone, but the Rohenzollern
dynasty ana the very existence OF the Prussian
mOnaTCuy. 1ut hcW citCStouS EStUKucu y f6TH6-
ment more liberal than ever, and 1t is a question
whether either King or Cabinet could have
weathered another session had not late at this
very opportune juncture brought about the death
OF Frederick VII Of Denmark.
THE AUSTRIAN WAR.
Little events lead to very big causes. and Herr
Won Bismarck must have more than once pondered
over what would have become Of him had this
Danish King, who was not an old man, survived
for few years longer. Prussia might have set up
q republic; Germany would have unifed herself
into q federacy disbanding her kings and princes,
and Bismarck might have lived 10 be pointed at
In some exile home as one more example IN that
gallery Of fallen autocrats OF man who had tried
to block up The safety valve OF popular freedom
and been blown up in the attempt. But Frederick,
luckily for him, died and Prussia and Austria
bounced upon the duchies OF Schleswig- Holstein,
and when next the Prime Minister had to confer
with the Parliament Of Berlin upon home mat
ters IL was with the prestige Of military conquest
thick upon him. Still the voice of freedom
and justice was not dead yet. In the sessions
OF 1ss4-65 DR.. virschow, Herr Jacoby and the
Deputies Twersen and Prentzeld proved sturdy ex-
ponents OF those ideas which neither blood can
auench nor fire Destroy and Bismarck must have
more than once seen the future loom ahead
In no very brilliant colors for he never fatal
ist OF the Napoleon school. He believed neither in
good luck nor providentia calls, but only In hard,
unceasng work. He rose at six summer and win
ter, worked at Foreign once business till twelve,
smoking hard and drinking black coffee or beer to
stimulate him. At|midday rude meal Of under.
done meat, which was called lunch but which was
dinner, and then without pause for digestion or
talk, to work again till 1t was time to 60 down to
the House and meet either yrschow or Twersen
froc opdo RI holt n nuyifh
denunciations No wonder the effort to appear
strong and dauntless under such circumstances
often resulted in spenetc outbursts ofpeevishness
and no wonder that Bismarck. finding he could do
so by ierretting in the rusty arsenal Of Prussa's
laws. endeavored to gag two OF his most relentless
adversaries by . government prosecution. Twes.
ten and Prentze were criminally indicted for
speeches delivered In the House. Jacoby was got rid
OF by q sentence Of six months Imprisonment for