Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-15
HANDS OFF, BISMARCK"
~
Switzerland is Ready to Defend Herself
in Case of Invasion.
Germsny'g Motive for Revenge Secret History
of the Part Taken by the Republic in
the FrancO-German War.
New York Herald.

D
fling Wohlgemuth incident, and the evil
dent desire of Prince Bismarck to pick a
/ quarrel with Switzerland on that ac-
! count, have caused considerable surprise
| to many persons, swho cannot understand
1 why great power like Germany should
use such menacing tone toward little
/ republic which has willfully given no
! cause for offense and has simply exer-
cised its right OF affording protection to
the political exiles of all nations. This
! right Germany might very naturally
! question and seek to limit,
! concerned. That this great power,
] however, should buster and threaten
simply because one of her officials has
got into a scrape in Switzerland is what
no one who does not lock beneath the
surface can clearly undsrst and
GERMANY IS MOTIVE EXPLAINED.
To the Swiss in thisSefty the motive for
Bismarck's conduct, is plain. Those
among them who have taken little inter-
est in politics at home say that the chan
cellor is anxious to bring about another
war with France, and intends to rouse
the wrath ofhis old enemy by threaten
ing Switzerland. Thisexplanatlon is all
sufficient for them and they refuse to
listen 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 chancellor S wrath is reused against
Switzerland and not against France, and
that sooner or later an attempt will be
do
republic. For years they have been ex-
pectlng such action on the part of Ger
many 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 hither-
to unrecorded and entirely unknown to
the general public.
According to them Switzerland was
prevented by a 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
opportunity. The tchancellor's silence
on the sdbiect during the many years
that have elapsed since the Franco Ger
man war is explained on the ground that
Switzerland IS proposed. assistance, to
France waszln 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 details 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. William Rurstow
thought that Switzerland ought to give
her helping hand. This Rurstow was
81 German by birth and Prussian officer
when the revolution of 1S49 broke out.
Joining the revolutionists he soon dis
tinguiShed himself greatly and became
known as the general of the revolu-
tionary movement - AS Marx was said
to be the brains and Herwegh the poet,
so Rurstow was said to be the sword of
the revolution
After the revolution was over he took
refuge 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~Qf the highest value, and the books |
witch he wrote. on the subject are stifiA
used as text books.
A consistent enemy of the Hohenzol- |
him when the Franco-German war broke |
out and laid before them plan for help |
ing France. His scheme was approved |
of, each man present received his in |
structions and in q short time Col. |
Rurstow had the satisfaction of knowing |
that 60, 900 men were prepared to |
cross the frontier at a moments notice. |
All these men were volunteers who be- |
lieved that an attempt was being made |
to wrong France and that it was their |
duty to defend her. They were we'll |
armed and thoroughly disciplined, and |
felt confident that UNDER Rurstow IS !
guidance they could do some good work |
for their friendly neighbof. They were |
not socialists, and their leaders, with a
few exceptions. were not political exiles
but chivalrous Swiss gentlemen. Social
lists themselves say that the movement was
not planned by the revolutionsts, and
that the only really prominent revolu- !
ZIONIST in it was Col Rurstow.
The exact plan of campaign devised by |
the Swiss leaders has not been divuIged,
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.
BourbakI had been defeated by the Ger
man troops under Gen Won Werder. This
defeat crushed all Rurstow's hopes. Had
Bourbahi succeeded the Swiss troops
could have helped him to win more vic
tories; but Rufstaw now saw clearly that
it would be sheer madness to lift
a hand for France. Accordingly
the volunteers were disbanded
at the very time that Bourballi's troops
we're retreatlng across the frontier into
to be disarmed by
Swiss soldiers on the ground that the law
of nations did not permit them to wage
war in the territory Of a neutral power.
SWITZERLAND S MEANS OF DEFENCE.
In this way the plot failed,s and so Sc
cretly had it been managed that only a
few men know how really great it was.
Rurstow knew most about it, and De died
q few years after the war OF living
men no one knows more about it than
Carl Buerkiisa member of the Cantonal
council in Zurich. The man who gave
me the information is prominent social
ist who lived in Switzerland some years
ago and heard alkthe details Of the plot
from BuerEls hlmself%