New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-11-06
Bismarck VS.. Arnim.

departure of Count Won Arnim from Paris
the Berlin Foreign Office asked him to re.
store certain papers which were missing
from the archives. Count Won Arnim de.
clared that a portion Of these papers were
his property. which ne would not sure nder:
another portion, however he returned to
the archives.
Arnim was unable to say anything about
the missing OF the remainder of those pa
pers As the search Of the archives which
resulted in the discovery that papers were
missing was only instituted several weeks
after Arnim's departure. the possibility
presented itself tlat these papers had
meanwhile been distracted, in one way or
another, from the archives of the legation.
The consequence was violent letter war
bet Ween Bismarck and Arnim.
Bismarck pretended to find meaning in
every one OF Arnim's reports which the
latter had never intended to convey, and
| found thus a convent ent pretext for repeat
edly rebuking him in an exceedingly harsh
manner. He was thus easily enabled to
reproach Arn;m with having pursued a
policy different from that OF the Chancellor
| of the empire. 1t will be interesting to
| learn the grounds on which this reproach
can be based. 1t appears that Bismarck
waa afraid that the hostile letters which
had passed between him and Arnim might
| be Published, and there Was perhaps some
justification for this belief.
The correspondence would have clearly
| demonstrated 10 the whole world how Bis
marck really acted in this matter, and how
| the strangely colored reports in regard to
| this correspondence came to reach the En-
peror. 1. is just this part of the CORE
| spOndenee which Arnim refuses to deliver
| He is strengthened in this position by the
general usage which regards documents
| containing the Gems ire of superiOrs as pri.
| yate letters. even though it be conveyed in
an official form, and renders it thus a mat
ter of no Importance whether they be placed
among the official files or not, and also by
declaring that he requires them for his own
justification.
OF course the very nature of the affair
forbids public defense in the newspapers,
and it must be laid before the Emperor
himself as the sole and highest Judge. As
the Emperor, according to Arnim, had
really never learned from Bismarck the
true facts of the case, every one can easily
| imagine how highly Bismarck must prize
| the possession of the documents which
Arnm refuses to surrender.
They enable Arnim to prove that Bis
| marck censured him without the slightest
! reason, and strengthen the suspicion that
the Emperor never received truthful &C.
count Of the affair as it really took place.
Bismarck, it appears, is afraid of Arnm,
knowing full we'll, as he does, that he has
done him a grievOus wrong, and because
Arnim is the only man who has not only
the courage and capacity, but also the
means to become a really dangerous foe
The key to the present situation is simply
that Bismarck tries to annihilate his enemy
forever 1t ia in exact keeping with Bis
! marck's character to attempt thus to ruin
Arnim and to rob him of his reputation,
position, civil rights, fortune, and health.
If he does not succeed in this he fears that
his own position will be jeopardized.
Bismarck attacked Arnim at his most
v1lnerab bic point merely through abuse of
| power. a legal justification Of which may
always be found. and was in this instance
furnished by the Berlin city tribunal, which
has thus become an unconscious accomphce
of Bismarck. 1t has been repeatedly asked
why Arnlm did not try to prevent such
open war by simply taking copies Of the
documents in question and restoring the
originals under protest to the Foreign Of
flee. The case from legal point of view,
is just this-that Arnim rightfully con-
sidered these papers as his private proper
ty, and, never thinking for moment that
the attemp: would ever be made to compel
their restoration by a criminal prosecution,
made no copies of them. nor had he a right
to make any, as his ownership of the dOcu-
ments nigh. have been denied in the civil
suit.
Added to this legal grievance is one. of
actual cccurrence-namely, the shocking
manner in which Herr BulOw preferred the
demand for the documents in question.
Euiow IS said to have subsequently ex-
pressed his astOnishment at Arnm's persis-
tent refusal, as he could have easily taken
copies and then surrendered the papers.
However. Bulow ought to express no as
tOnishDlent at Arnim's refusal, az he had
made the demand for the delivery of the
papers in a manner which stamped it not
only as a judicial abnOrnity, but also as q
specimen Of that brutality with which he
had become accustomed to treat high and
obnoxious officials.
BulOw's letter rendered the surrender of
the documents positively impossible, unless
Arnim wished TO plead guilty to the com
mission OF felony. Arnim had no cause
to abandon his right to property OF his sim
ply because the Foreign Office desired to
obtain it By means of criminal prosecu-
tiOn. lie was deprived of every decent
chance OF yielding withou. humiliating
himself. Bulow's letter threatened him
with criminal prosecution for felony.
Arnim could easily have been witness
to the falsity OF the charges ON which this
threat was based, and every impartial spec
tator must admit that this attempt TO give
the prosecution any but its real political
and personal coloring Is void of all justice.
Only knowledge of all the political mo
tlves OF Arnims enemies, and more espe-
cIally OF those of Prince Bismarck. who will
stand behind the Attorney General and in
huence the tribunal, could enable one to
form correct opinion of the case Of Count
Arniu.-Nem York Herald.
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