, 1874-08-13
THE ASSAULT ON BISMARCK.

Tho recent nborttvo htteMpt Of crack
bratned religious zealot to aasasainato Prince
Bismarck eeenls 10 hnvo been made tho occasion
for gonornl onslaught upon tho Catholic party
By tho German Government. There is no eyi-
donco that my ono hut tho woul1-bo assassin
was engaged in tho nsBault upon tho Prince, CT
that my one WAS oven awaro Of his purposes.
Tho priosk, Hanthnlor, who had gone to Kifsln-
gon out OF curiosity to Beo tho Prince. who had
naturally enough run across tho assasaln whilo
watting and talked with him. and whose long
robes had unfortunately tripod him mp in front Of
tho Princes carriage, thereby giving tho assassin
Tho opportunity ho was scoking, haa eatlsfac-
torily explainod hts conneotion With tho
affair and boon discharged from custody. Tho
Govor1lmont, howevor, haA seizod upon this
episode ns q pretoxt for genorai raid upon tho
Catholics. Tho private dwellings, Of editors Of
Catholic pnpors hayo been invaded, and lettors,
pamphlets, aud documents have boon aoizod,
md all tho Catholic eooiotios havo been placed
under surveillance, oven those which arc do
voted to tho charitable caro- OF women and chill
dren. This extraordinary action upon the part
Of tho Gcr1nan Government cannot but give rise
to tho impression that 1t is acoking not 80 much
to protect itsolf against Catholic conspiracies
and intriguea against tho peaco OF tho Empire as
to root out tho Catholic religion. and what has
appeared heretofore as dofenso Of tho intog-
rity Of ita laws now looks very much like ro-
ligious persecution. a great and powerful mill
&ou Ian
afford to DO magnanimous and not visit it's von-
goance upon thousands OF innocent pooplo be-
cauae ono fanatic has threatened violonco to ono
of its officers. Perhaps the most ridiculous fea
turo Of tho affair is the offer Of prlzo which
has peen made by party ID Dortmund for
tho best muscal%composition, with or without
words. on tic Chancellor. Inasmuoh as nearly all
tho prominent musical composers Of Germany,
among them Liszt (who may DO oalled German),
Rabb, prahms, Wagner, and others. arc Catholics,
It is painful to consider tho deluge Of stun which
wlll DO written to celebrate tho escape Of Bis
magck by tho lessor lights who are not Catholics.
Symphonies, aonatas, operas, oratorlos, quin-
tottos, qunrtotses aud Bonge will pour in without
end from every Conservatory, Maenuerohor, and
Gesaugvcroin, from QUO end OF Germany to the
other, set 70 patriotic wortls or describing with
hldlcs pizzicato and horna and trombonos
tananAuosissan,cnte, tho ADVANCE. tho attack,
tho resoue. Thoro Is but ono man, and
BIO parieianizod German4 who ta capa-
bio Of dealing with this thomo with tho
seriousness it deserves, and that man
is Olronbach. His graphic and fsin-loving pen
might picture tho gloomy OCCASION Ia Baroe
B!eue; tho uolucky pnstor, Hantha1or, IN tho rolo
Of Baron Grog tho Prince himself aa General
Doun,; tho whole winding up with grand can
can, III which Bismarck should bo tho CO ntra
figure. If Offonbach should refuse tho only
man loft to writo tho exploit ia Strauss who, al
though Viennose, might do Justice to the grav-
ity Of tue occaaion iu ono Of his waltzos, pulsat-
Ing to tho clinking Of bcor-mugs aud Rhino-wino
glasses.