The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-04-07

MONDAY,
APRIL 7, 1890.
BISMARCK.

The retirement of Bismarck from
the control of German affairs marks
not merely an epoch in the history
OF his own nation, but is an event of
wide reaching Importance in the en-
tire European system. Bismarck
has been the central figure in Euro
pean diplomacy for twenty years.
He has been the central factor in
German affairs for thirty. During
this period the German unity to
wards which events had been slowly
marching, and which had been an
ticipated with such passionate long
ing by the poets for century, has
become an accomplished fact. Not
indeed in the sense in which the lib.
erals Of 1880 had conceived this
unity. They did not live to see real
lied the unity of which they had
dreamed and the inheritors of their
political ideas are still disappointed
Nevertheless a great, strong and
united Germany has come into
being, with Prussia at his head. It
is safe to say that this new Germany
owes its existence, more than to any
other single man, to Bismarck.
The Chancellor took the leadership
of Prussian affairs with substantially
the same political views and inten-
tions with which he has closed it.
He has been from the beginning to
the end, consistently the autocrat
and friend of autocratic power. His
object was not to make German
state governed by parliamentary
majorities, on the English model, but
to build up strong central authority
in the Crown. He was the servant
of the Hohenzollerns, respector of
their name and inherited authority,
and no believer in government by the
people. This attitude of Bismarck's
coupled with his immense influence
with the Emperor William, has been
the controlling factor in the develop
ment of German nationality. It
virtually determined the form which
that struggling nationality should
take.
Bismarck kept the Crown Prince
Frederick insignificant, and prevent
ed his exerting the influence which
ought to have been his, and which
exerted, would have aided amazingly
the development of real constitu
tlonal government at Berlin. Bis.
marck kept the Crown Prince from
influence, and the Emperor's won.
derful vitality kept him from the
Throne. Both facts were disastrous
to Germany, and postponed the
natural political development of the
country, twenty years.
The moment at which Bismarck
retires aptly illustrates the disastrous
character of his autocratic policy
he leaves no one worthy to wear his
mantle, and he leaves Germany help
less, because unschooled in constitu
tlonal methods. Government by
benevolent and capable tyrants, tc
be permantly successful must pro
vide the retiring tyrant with benev.
olent and capable heir. Bismarck's
failure to do this is the bankruptcy
OF his policy. It is a browning fail
ure after thirty years of success.
Two facts enabled Bismarck tc
control the Reichstag and govern
without substantial resistance fol-
nearly generation. One was the
tremendous prestige which the graft
fication Ut German pride, success in
two great wars, the achievement OF
German national unity, the leader.
ship OF Prussia not only in Germany
but In Europe, lent to the admins.
tration. The second fact was the
generation which the entire German
people feel for the Hohenzellerns,
and in particular for the person OF
the venerable Emperor. These two
circumstances made it possible for
the Chancellor to defy the Liberals
and govern by one-man power for
twenty years. The end of the period
witnesses the break down of the sys-