The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-03-13
THE BERLIN TREATY.
Its First Publication the Greatest Feat Of
Modern Journalism.

On the 9TH of July, a week before
the Congress closed. was reading in
the hall Of tlse Kaiserhof a private let
ter just arrived, and containing the
following passage:
81 have watched with delight the
campaign you have been making at
Berlin. 1t would be a crowning of
that campaign if you could be the first
to publish the treaty, and need not
tell you with what joy should see
you realize what would be the great
est feat of modern journalism.
At that moment diplomat who
had always been friendly to me passed
through the hall of the hotel. I must
have looked downcast, for he came up
with alacrity and said, .sHave you
been getting bad news?" With the
instructive idea according to which q
mans destiny depends on the sagacity
with which he seizes on the indications
given by fate, instead of replying, I
showed him the letter. He perused it
attentivcly, then, turning to me, so
you set great store on forestalling the
publication of the treatv?"
"lf you put on one side all the grand
crosses in the world, and the treaty on
the other, l should choose the treaty."
'And how are you going to get it?"
81 have just had an assurance that
Prince Bismarck is highly satisfied
with what sent on our conversation,
and thinks l have rendered a service
to peace. l am going to ask him to
give me the treaty as a recompcnse.'
My friend reflected a minute, then
exclaimed: mo, do not ask him till
you have seen me again. Walk out
tomorrow between one and two in the
Wilhelmstrasse and will see YOU"
Next day, on coming into the street,
he came up to me and hurriedly said,
Come for the treaty the day before
the closing. and l promise you you
shall have it,"
could hardly restrain my delight.
Now that was certain of getting the
treaty. l had twofold anxiety. In
the first place, the Congress was to
terminate on the 18th. The Chan
ceilor had positively said so. 1t was
Saturday. | should have the treaty
on the 18th, and it was necessary at
all cost for it to appear on the 18th.
for the English papers do not come
out on Saturdays, and Monday would
have been too late. Secondly, it was
not enough to have the treaty: must
be the only. one to have it. The Ger
man papers were angry with the
Chancellor for not receiving them.
reelected that probably to pacify them
he wo"ld give them the treaty, which
would thus appear at Berlin on Satur-
day, and that should be beaten.
was in despair, How prevent Prince
Bismarck from doing what he chose?
How telegraph the treaty? It was lm-
possible in Germany or Austria. and
at Paris it would be. too late. for. get
tlng 1t only on Friday, l could not be
at Paris in time for it to be published
on Saturday in London.
At the very hour on the 18TH of July
when the treaty of 1873 was signed at
Berlin, London telegram announced
that the Times had published the pre-
amble and sNty-four articles, with an
English translation appended. 'How
could it have got the preamble ycster-
day morning, seeing that it was not
drawn up?" asked Prince Bismarck of
the Count de St. Vall!er. "Was it
not you, Count. who gave it the
treaty?"
BY this time NJ. de St. Vallier had
no reason for keeping the secret
/ further, and he was bound to reply
without hesitation. He therefore
frankly related what had happened.
"Aud what did he say when you
| told himp" asked M. de st. Waller.
Excuse me-" replied the Count,
smiling, ''but he did not tell me to re-
peat it to YOU" Mr.. de Blowttz, in
| Huricy's IItgdtziRg.