Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-03-15

most careful preparation, he was given seat
and voice in the Council of State. In 1870,
and after the accession of his childless brother,
Frederick William the Fourth, to the throne,
the subject of this sketch became known the
heir apparent and Prince of Prussia. About
the same time he was appointed Governor OF
Pomerania, and two years later, during the alb
sence of his brother in England, the conduct OF
the civil as well as the military affairs of the
Kingdom was ntrusted to him.
In March, 1918, when the Instruction broke
out in Berlin, he withdrew for awhile to En-
gland in order to escape the popular odium
then fastened upon him OF being an absolutist.
In the summer of the following year he re-
turned to Prussia and commanded the army
which was sent to put down the instruction in
Baden and the Palatinate, a task which, diff
cult as it proved, he accomplished in six weeks.
It was while on his way from Nedus IpgeIheim
to Baden. June IL, 1S4a, that unsuccessful
attempt was made to assassinate him. In Oc-
tober of the same year he was appointed Mill
tary Governor in Westphalia and on the Rhine,
with his headquarters at Coblentz, also Gov
ernor of the federal Fortress Mayence or
Mentz. About the same time, too, he was
made Grand Master Of the Free Masons in
which order he, during his whole life, took the
lliveiest interest.
Meanwhile, his answering loyalty to his
brother, the King, as well as his recognized
ability as q counselor, was such that on all i'm
portant matters his opinions were sought, and
not infreQuent1y his advice taken, or his sug-
gestions adopted. In 1857, when the King was
taken i'll, Prince William acted in his stead: in
October, 1858, he was formally installed as Re-
gent, and was finally crowned King January
1861 Prior to his ascending the throne Prince
William had been recognized as the silent head
of the party which was striving to effect the
union of Germany, and accordingly in him were
centered the fondest hopes of every German
patriot. How completely those hopes were re-
allied, the history of the reign will tell. His
policy from the outset, while far from satisfy
ing the extreme Liberals of his subjects, yet
showed the grandness of the mans aims and
IDEAS and Indicated plainly the reforms he con-
templated bringing about. July IA, 1861, the
student. Oshar Becker, Liberalist extremely
fanatical in his views, made futile attempt to
assassnate the King, while he was walking on
the Promenade at Baden-Baden He urged, as
an excuse for the deed, the utter incapacity of
William to effect the union Of Germany, the
complishment of which, however. may now be
pointed to as one of the notable acts of long
and splendid reign.
In 1852 he placed Bismarck at the head of
his Cabinet, as Minister of Foreign Affairs,
and two years later, after procuring the CO.
operation of Austria in the Schleswg Holstein
war, achieved splendid victory for Prussia. HIS
sagacity in selecting able statesmen and skilled
Generals was only equaled by his unyielding
support, sustaining them against all opposi-
ton. His unbounded confidence in Bismarck,
as well as in Won Room and Moltke, was fully
confirmed by the rapid and brilliant successes
attending his forces in the war against Austria.
This wsr. in which he personally took active
part, extinguished Austria as German Power
and placed him at the head of the new North
German confederation with Schleswig-HcI
stein. Hanover, Hesse-Cassel, Nassau and
Frankfort added to his Prussian dominions.
On the oath ofFebruary. 1867, he opened the
Constituent Re1chstag, and on July of the
same year made Bismarck Chancellor.
In June, 1867, in company with his nephew.
dor he ae11 ~ Erc ho IcJfa
Paris, and while soiourning in that city was
received as the honored guest of Napoleon the
Third, then on the throne of France. From that
time on the friendly relations between Prussia
and Russia were strengthened, especially as
the two Observation-Disclosures and Gortscha-
kof-were as much in accord as were their re-
spectiVe sovereigns. AS will be seen later on,
this mutual feeling between the two powers
was no small factor in the ultimate victory over
France, and in the final realization Of German
unity 1t has been claimed by some writer's that
King William, in his determination to have his
dynasty maintain its position the protector
OF the Protestant faith, sought to
crush out Roman Catholicism. The facts
are it appears, that his efforts were not dirSct-
ed against the freedom nor the existence OF the
Catholic Church, but only against dominant
party in that church. which sought to stife
popular education, forbid free thought and
with the consequences necessarily following
seriously affect the happiness and welfare of
his people.
The candidacy of Prince Leopold, of Honen-
zollern, for the throne of Spain, and the Kings
objections against further interview with the
French Ambassador, Count Benedetti, at his
court became the pretext upon which the |
French Government declared war against Prus-
STA: although the real reason lay In the fact |
that Napoleon was far from satisfied with the |
results of the war of 1866, whale he also viewed
the rapidly growing power OF Germany with |
Jealousy and ALARM The South German States