Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-09
EMPEROR WILLIAM.

I
soon reached. But in its political aspect
1t is death that may so result as to shake
the foundations of European monarchism
lie leaves the crown of the strongest
empire of civilization to a son who is
himself believed to be upon the verge of
the grave, and whose successor in turn is a
feeble youth of inexperience, and likely to
become the pliable instrument of what
ever strong mind is thrown into closest
relationship with him. But of specula-
ton upon the results of the death of the
Emperor we shall have enough, and pres
emily.
Kaiser William was born March -,
1877, and has kept in LIES harness for
almost ninety-one years. From early
youth his tastes were of military
cast, and he became known while vet
heir apparent to the throne of Prussia as
OF warlike spirit. He was the open and
avowed enemy. of .republicanism of any
form from the time he entered the Diet of
lS47, and suppressed the instruction of
lS4S, until the latest day of his political
activity. The democratic principle found
no favor in his eyes; indeed, he had no
true conception of it, and it was to him
simply menace to the dogma of the
divine right of Kings. He was rlgidly
loyal to monarchism, sternly faithful to its
claims and Incorporating in his views
Of the necessity for and the right of
monarchs.
He came to the Prussian throne in jan
uary, 1861. From that moment a COM
pact and perfect union of German States
became his chief aim. His master stroke
to this end was the placing of Won Bis
marck7Schouhausen, the man of unbending
will and wonderful sagacity, at the head of
his Cabinet in 1S62-a position he has
filled for more than twenty-six years, and
upon the basis of which that brilliant,
acute and wonderfully far-seeing Prince
has builded the reputation of the master
mind of Europe. King William was al
ways fortunate, or wise, in choosing his
Ministers and counselors, and to this,
more than to any notable trait of charac-
ter, or of ability to rule, or mastery of po-
lltical science, has been due the magnif-
cent success of his long and eventful
career. He possessed one of the traits of
character that distinguished General
Grant-he stood by his advisors and de-
serted them only when it was hopeless
longer to counsel with them. The grand
ambition of his life-the unifcatlon of
Germany-he accomplished. After reduc-
ing the claim of Austria as a first-class
power and crushing France like an egg
shell in his hand, he mounted the grand
staircase of the palace of French Kings,
at Versailles, and was there, in January,
1871, proclaimed Emperor of Germany,
and in March, in Berlin, opened the
first Reichstag under the new rule.
Since then his reign has been one
of comparative calm a rule wise, person.
ally pure, and conservative of high moral
tone. The energies of his court have
been devoted to the building up of the
industries of the German Empire, the
fostering of art, the enlargement of educa-
tional schemes and the development of all
the resources of every territory doing
obeisance to his rule.
1t is impossible in the brief space at
command to refer to even the greater
events of Williams remarkably prolonged
reign. His first great stroke certainly was
that which reduced Austria and gave
Prussia supremacy in Germany. 1t was
the result of determined resolution
through German unity to make Germany
not only the foremost nation of Europe,
but to extend her commerce and develop
her possibilities to the fullest limit of HUI
man accomplishment. Bismarck thought
out the details of methods to this end.
while William, born soldier, gave his
attention to building the German military
structure into irresistible strength. To this
end he quarreled with the legislative arm
OF the Government, threatened and coerced
it, coaxed and petted it by turns until his
end was attained. From that moment
Williams scheme met with no serious
checks; while he fashioned the army into
the grandest military force upon earth,
Bismarck. equally as ardent for German
unity and supremacy, with unsurpassed
political sagacity nodded the German
mind to a receptive condition of the Kings
ambition.
So it came about, perhaps not so early as
King William desired, that Prussia, assert
ing her independence, arose out of subordi-
nation to the German Confederation with
Austria at its head, and the German EN-
pire became possible as early as 1866, when
Prussia seeded. From that hour, though
enyeloped in the smoke of almost constant
war, Prussia became the chief power in
Germany, and Wilhelm the ruler of all
OihSio upOu WHICH tiit attention OF the
world was fixed, until in 1871, the battles of
Kings and Emperors having been fought
out, the twenty-five German States became
the German Empire, and King Louis III.
of Bavaria rendered to the King of Prus-
STA the title of Emperor of Germany, and
the Grand Duke of Baden fattered the
new Emperor by quoting the words of
Frederic William ~, Gan imperial
throne can only be won on the battlefield"
The career of Emperor William since that
time is too familiar to readers to call for
any suggestive references. 1t has been a
reign remarkable in all respects, strong,
intelligent, progressive, intolerant of dem
ocratic ideas, yet kindly, humane and up
lifting, and an aid to the march of the
world to higher planes of knowledge and
excellence.
A REPUBLICAN Eastern journal re-
marks that the Republican party can some
times better afford to be defeated than
to win. That is very true 1t can afford
defeat for principle, right, justice, far bet