Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-05
GLANDS OFF, PRINCE BISMARCK"
Switzerland is Ready to Defend Her
self to the Death In Case Of Invasion.

From the New York Herald
The Importance attached by the German
government to the apparently triiing wohl-
gemuth incident, and the evident desire Of
Prince Bismarck to pick quarrel with Switzer-
land on that account, have caused considerable
surprise to many persons, who cannot UNDER
stand why great power like Germany should
use such menacing tone toward a little repub-
lie which has willfully given no cause for
ofense and has simply exercised its right Of
ahording protection to the political exiles Of
all nations. This right Germany might very
naturally question and seek to limit 30 far as
her own subjects are concerned That this
great power, however, should buster and
threaten simply because one of her officials
has got into scrape in Switzerland is what no
one who does not look beneath the surface can
clearly understand.
GERMANS MOTIVE EXPLAINED.
To the Swiss in this city the motive for Bis
marck's conduct is plain. Those among them
who have taken little interest in politics at
home say that the chancellor is anxious to
bring about another war with France, and in
tends to rouse the wrath of his old enemy by
threatening Switzerland. This explanation Is
to any other.
Those Swiss, however, who have taken an
active part in politics at home, and especially
the Swiss socialists, many of whom are now in
this city, maintain that the chancellors wrath
Is reused against Switzerland and not against
France, and that sooner or later an attempt
will be made to pour German troops into the
free republic. For years they have been ex-
pecting such action on the part of Germany,
and are now confident that the Wohlgemuth
incident will prove to be the prelude to the
long expected attack.
Excellent reasons they give for this belief,
which is based on incidents hitherto unrecorded
and entirely unknown to the general public
According to them Switzerland was prevented
by mere chance from giving substantial aid
to France during her memorable contest with
Germany, and it Is the knowledge of this fact
which has angered Prince Bismarck and will
impel him to attack Switzerland at the first op-
portunity The chancellor's silence ON the sub
ject during the many yearsthat have elapsed
since the Franco-German war is explained on
the ground that Switzerland's proposed assist
ance to France was in the nature of plot, and
that probably no hint of any such action was
given to the chancellor until quite recently.
when there is reason to believe that all the de-
tails of the affair were made known to him by
means OF spies.
WHY THE PLOT FAILED.
The affair was romantic enough. The Swiss
nation sympathized with France, and Col. Wm
Rurstow thought that Switzerland ought to
give her helping hand This Rurstow was q
German by birth and Prussian officer when
the revolution of 184S broke out. Joining the
revolutiOnists he soon distinguished himself
greatly and became known as the general OF
the revolutionary movement" As Marx wal
said to be the brains and Herwegh the poet, 80
Rurstow was said to be the sword of the revolu-
ton.
In Switzerland and was appointed professor of
the science of war at the University of Zurich.
His opinion on all matters relating to war was
considered as of the highest value, and the
books which he wrote on the subject are still
used as text books.
A consistent enemy of the HOhenZollerna he
gathered his friends around him when the
Franco-Gerpan war broke out and laid before
| them plan Tor helping France. His scheme
was approved of, each man present received
his instructions and III short time Col. Rur-
stow had the satisfaction of knowing that sixty
| thousand men were prepared to cross the from
| tier at a moments notice. All these men were
volunteers, who believed that an attempt was
being made to wrong France and that it was
their duty to defend her. They were well
| armed and thoroughly disciplined, and felt
confident that under Rurstows guidance they
| could do some good work for their friendly
| neighbor. They were not socialists and their
| leaders, with few exceptions, were not politi-
cal exiles, but chivalrous Swiss gentlemen So
cialists themselves say that the movement was
really prominent revolutionist in it was Col.
Rurstow.
The exact plan Of campaign devise by the
Swiss leaders has not been divulged, and as
Rurstow is dead now it is not likely that it will
ever be known. The first thing to be done was
to push across the frontier, and everything was
ready for the start when suddenly the news
came that the French army under Gen. BoIr-
baki had been defeated by the German troops
under Gen. Won Werder. This defeat crushed
all Rurstow's hopes. Had Bourbaki succeeded
| the Swiss troops could have helped him to win
more victories; but Rurstow now saw clearly
that it would be sheer madness to lift hand
| for France. Accordingly the volunteers were
| disbanded at the very time that Bourpaki's
troops were retreating across the frontier into
Switzerland-there to be disarmed by Swiss
soldiers on the ground that the law of nations
did not permit them to wage war in the terri.
tory of a neutral power.
| swITzERLANp's MEANS OF DEFENCE
In this way the plot failed, and so secretly
had it been managed that only few mer
| know how really great it was Rurstow knew
most about it, and he died a few years after
| the war. OF living men no one knows more
| about it than Carl Buerkli, member of the
Cantonal council in Zurich. The man who gave
me the information is a prominent socialist who
lived In Switzerland some years ago and heard
| all the details of the plot from Buerki himself
| According to this socialist the importance Of
the plot lies in the fact that sixty thousand vol
unteers were found willing to fight for q cause
which was, strictly speaking, not their own
and in which the chances of defeat were much
| greater than those of success. ''To-day," he
continued, Switzerland could raise a quarter
| OF million men, well armed, well drilled and