The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-08


unions of workingmen some interest attaches
to the seeming federation of sovereign tamil
lies, to which one more link will be added by
the approaching marriage between the Duke
OF Edinburgh and the Emperor of Russia's
only daughter. When this marriage shall
have been solemnized the royal and imperial
houses which rule over the three countries OF
Europe whose governments are most opposed
to the democratic current of the age will be
closely knit together. Great Britain and
Prussia are allied by the Princess Royal Vic
toria, wife of the future Emperor OF Germany;
| Prussia is connected with Russia by several
intermarriages in the past between the houses
of Hohenzollern and Holstein-Gottorp,
and notably by that of the late Gar
Nicholas with the sister of the present Kaiser
Wilhelm, who is thus Alexander IL S uncle.
England again, will shortly be bound to
| Russia by the twofold tie of the Duke of
Edinburgh's marriage and by the future
! Czarina Dagmar, who is sister to the Princess
| of Wales. Now, it is worth while observing
that Russia represents in Europe the principle
| of absolute monarchy; Prussia that of divine
right kingship, bulwarked by military
nobility, and Great Britain that of govern
ment by territorial aristocracy. In every
European State, save these three, democracy
has got the upper hand Even in Austria,
where despotic rule so long prevailed, here
ditarism and absolutsm have died out since
Sadowa Italy is kingdom only in name
France and Spain are republics. But in Eng
land Russia and Prussia democracy has
not only obtained no ascendancy, but has
been kept in resolute subsection. On the
other hand, there are unmistakable signs
that democratic troubles are brewing in each
one of these three States-in Russia through
the socialism Of the peasant districts in
Prussia through the operations of the Inter-
national among city workmen, in England
through those trade unions, against which
the federation of capitalists has very i'm
prudently resolved to declare war.
1t may seem fanciful to draw long-sighted
differences from royal marriage, for it is
much the fashion to treat these events as un-
important. But royal marriages are never
unimportant. They are not entered into with
out anxious thought as to the possible results
of the contracts and if, now and then, these
results disappoint expectation this is only be-
cause sovereigns have to reckon with their
peoples, and because the interests of peoples
often clash with those of their masters Thus,
from popular point of view, alliances be-
tween Great Britain and Russia, or between
Russia and Prussia, are difficult The Engs
lish must end by quarrelling with the Russians
about Indian frontiers, and the Germans will,
soon or late, be brought into collision with
the Russians about the Baltic provinces and
about Poland The intermarriages of the
sovereign houses may avert hostilities for
time, but they cannot allay them finally and
those, therefore, who argue that the Duke of
Edinburgh's marriage with the Princess Marie
must not be regarded as an earnest of Anglo
Russian concord are, to this extent, right.
But there is another aspect to this
question-namely, the amount of money
which is represented by an alliance of three
such houses as those of Guelph, Hohenzol-
lern and Holstein-Gottorp. Now, money
means power, and power in royal or imperial
hands signifies determined war upon the
principles which, as above said are every
where animating populous communities. 1t
is no mere supposition to say that there will
soon arise in England, Russia and Prussia a
democratical movement more dangerous than
any which have beer witnessed in past revolu-
TONS Hitherto when the working classes have
rebelled it has been to obtain political rights
but they have learned now that the privilege
of voting for this or that politician leaves
them no better off materially than they were
before, and their future revolutions will tend
to socialistc changes European working
men living in overcrowded cities are begin
ming to question the right of certain men to
be superabundantly rich while the multitude
are tamishing. There is much nonsense in
their theories but it is specious nonsense of
the kind which deludes the ignorant into the
belief that victory of labor over capital
would result in general plenty, and be-
fore they discover their mistake the masses
may plunge into exploits Of which the doings
of the Paris Commune were fair samples.
But as regning houses would be the first to
suffer from these exploits they may be de-
pended on to make grim fight of it so soon
as they feel themselves in actual danger and
here we come to the influence which the
dynastic alliance of England, Russia and
Prussia may be made to WELD. In whichever
of the three countries the socialistic move
ment first takes an active shape the sovereign
houses will certainly combine in opposing it.
They have common interest in SO doing for
the maintenance of their thrones depends on
the utter determination of socialism, and they
will enter upon the contest, not in the half
hearted spirit in which they might resist po-
litical innovations, but with the desperate
energy which terror begets. 1t is not so long
since subsidies in men and money were con-
tinually being given by one royal family to
another to assist it in surmounting home