Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-04-19
TIE GERMAN CRISIS
/ A STRTc.7I.E BETw EF.N COSST3TI TIONAL
MONARCHY AND AUTOCEACN.
Berlin april l1, Cable to y. Y. Herald.


Berlin April IL, Cable to y. Y. Herald
Since the unity of Germany WAS pro
claimed at Versailles eighteen years ago
the German people have not bCen con-
fronted with an ISSUE fraught with such
vital consequences as the life and death
struggle going on between the Emperor
and Bismarck.
Every German. from the feudal Baron
of Fhuringia TO the poorest workman in
Berlin, is fully alive TO the enormous
stakes being played for in the supreme
struggle between the iron heel of auto
cracy and military despotism on the one
hand and constitutional monarchy or gov
ernment by the people and for the people.
On the other. The nation is aroused
This is in every ones mind. and this is
what is talked about at every fireSide and
over every mug of beer in GERMANY
Every German is now making up his mind
under which banner to fight. Just as in
1850 every American was making up his
mind for the North or South. Just rs the
logical conclusions of our great struggle
were the abolition of State sovereignty
and slavery, so the inevitable result of the
great struggle now cOnYulsing Germany
will be the abolition of military absolut-
ism and autOcracy.
Bismarck, ike Richelieu. Ike WOlscv.
like Cromwell, can exist only by absolute
dictatorship. Bismarck has been accus-
toned to play boldly for high stakes. In
1866 he risked everything. even the loss of
his head, and he is prepared to do so now
net
1866 Bismarck has been paramount
Kaiser Wilhelm. with an old mans fond
ness yerging at times OH weakness. gave
his Chancellor carte blanche Ifany hitch
occurred. Bismarck would threaten to re-
sign. He used to do that on an average
once a year. and the old Kaiser invariably
yielded.
The Chancellor now appeals to feudal
Germany. to the descendants OF the Old
rObber barOns of the HartZ and the Rhine.
who are rallying about him. He adroitly
fans the latent fire of German National
ism and of German anglOphobia by say
ing that the supremacy of Emperor Fred
erick means placing Germany under the
royal family of England. And en- this
point the untimely visit of Queen Veto
ria to Berlin will be trump card in Ris-
marckS hand, and can not but be regard
ed as grave diplomatic blunder. twill
certainly be utilized by the EmperOr's Ell
emies as fOre-shOwing an English anti
Russian keynote. to Germany's foreign
policy.
Bismarck delights at times in playing
10 the gallery. and is anxious to counter
act the bad impression already created by
having thrown overheard all the tradi-
tiors Of German loyalty and even German
chiyalry. by weaving away tile heart of
the EmperOr's eldest son and attacking
almost fiercely his almost dying father
In this supreme contest BiSmarck'S pO-
tent allies are cancer and the Crown
Prince. 1t is Bismarck and abSOlutism
against constitutional sovereignty and
representative government.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, Tuesday.
The Emperor of Germany is in a des-
perate strait. For several days there have
been rumors that the reports did not state
the gravity of the situation. The danger
when one breathes through tube is that
the lungs will be affected by sudden coli
tact with cold mir, causing bronchial and
pneumonia troubles. The story is that
the Emperor has pnuempnia, and the ex-
pectatiOn of Europe is that his death Will
TAKE place Nlllllil lew uHhS.
THE WORKING OF PROHIBITION.
Portland (Aie) Associated Press Dispatch April Is
1t is predicted by those who have stud
led the growing sentiment in Maine that
this State will have high license law
within three years, and that the Pioneer
Prohihitory State" will withdraw the
stringent restrictions on the liquor traffic
which have made it famous. The recent
defeat of General Neal Dow, the father
of prohibition" in his race for the Mayor
atty of Portland, is pointed to as a very
significant demonstration that the people
are sick and tired of DOw's doctrines
\ New York World correspondent has
made a tour of the State, and found that
so far as the cities are concerned, the law
is openly disregarded. Liquor was pro-
cured without difficulty in Portland Au-
gusta, Bangor, Bath, Belfast, Lewiston,
Brunswick, and elsewhere In Portland
the correspondent found 14i places where
intoXicants are sold in some form or other,
and he estimates that there are as many
as $500 open bars in the State. The ma
tiOnal government issues some 500 papers
to Maine liqaor sellers, though the greater
number pursue the illegal traffic without
them.