The sun., 1891-07-16
Bismarck's Comment on the Overture
to England.


to England.
What living man has done most for the
honor and welfare of the German nation
and is best qualified to shape its future
course Alright? One would think there
could be but one answer to that question;
and yet 1t now seems pertinent to raise the
inquiry, because at tho very time when the
young Kaiser WILLIAM ii. is courting with
some show OF success the good will of the
EDslish people, the great Chancellor
speaking through his organ, the Hamburger
Ndchrichten. solemnly warns his country
men against the folly OF entering into an
alliance with Great Britain.
We have not seen the Nachrichtcn article,
but it Is easy to guess the reasons which
BISMARCK would give for the admonition.
an admonition. by the way, entirely in keep
ing with the policy pursued by him through
cut the twenty years following 1870. He has
always acted on the theory that coalition
with England would be worse than useless
to Germany; first. because it could not, in
the nature Of things, bs trustworthy, being
dependent on huctuating parliamentary
majority; and, secondly, because 1t would
sxasperate Russia. and throw her irrevoca-
Oly lHtO Luc ebStT dtIuS Oi ITuuce.
1t is fact that for nearly two centuries,
except during certain years when the
younger PITT was First Minister, the CO.
operation OF England has not been factor
upon which Continental powers could with
any safety count. To the disgust OF Eng
lands Dutch and German allies. nearly all
that MARLBOROUGH had won by four splen-
did victories was flung away by HARL.v
and BoL1NaBRoKE at q juncture when the
path to Paris seemed open to the confeder-
ates. It ia also true that FREDERICK tho
Great throughout his long rcign-if we omit
the short period during which Lord CHATHAM
controlled highlands foreign policy-had
Grievous reason to regard tho good will Of
the house Of Hanover IA worthless, owing
to Its inability to control or even to foresee,
the veering course OF Parliament.
II before the passage OF the first Reform
bill England's support was OF little value,
always excepting the Importance Of her
subsidies TO tho Contlpental opponents OF
NAPOLEON. what possible dependence can
be placed on IL to-day when what used to
bo called the governing classes have been
Owamped by the representatives OF the hard
working masses OF the people, The constit-
uencies which at present dominate the
British Parliament are In favor OF peace.
under all circumstances which do not in
volvo the danger OF invasion. They desire
peace because 1t involves untrammelIed
liberty to work and immunity from excess
sive taxation. Tho time has gone by when
any Ministry could precipitate England into
q European war on sentimental pretexts
The mere suspicion OF such an intention
would shake the strongest Government.
But the inutility OF compact which may
at any hour be broken at the whm Of par.
Namentary majority. is not the only grou nd
on which BISMARCK may well repel the no.
ton Of un alliance between Germany and
England. AS long as the great Chancellor
remained in power, although he felt himself
constrained after 1870 TO obtain guarantees
against GORTCHAKoPP's pro-Gallic sympa.
thies by means Of treaties with Austria and
Italy the utmost care was taken to avoid
straining Germany's relations with Russia
to the point OF rupture. Tho veteran Minis
ter OF WILLIAM !. know well that the
houses OF RoM,SoFF and HoHENZoLLERN
wer" linked together not only by intermar