The sun., 1894-01-28
HISMARCK'S own STORY
Many Plots Against Him
That Failed.
THE PLOT THAT SUCCEEDED.

The first Authentic History OF tie Old
Cbsueeiior's Fsii-work or the Conspirs-
tors fror. Arniu, and the Empress Angus
u TO wnider.es and wiudthor.t-Ths
Young B-peror's Order. to bismarck
.nd Bi.usreh's Order 10 the Young Eu,-
psror-Ths Interview 4. whioh wrIisra
was Told to Mind Hi- ovvu Bu,i.ss-.
Just twenty years have passed since Count
Harry Won Arnim. the ablsst Of German AM
bsssadors. the proteR6 Of Emperor William
and Empress Augusta, the candidate OF the
Prussian aristocracy for Bismarck's place In
the Chancellor's palace. was dismissed from his
high diplomatic post in Paris. He was dis
missed in disfavor on Feb. 22 and on Oct. he
was arrested as a common felon. and was
locked up in Berlin Jail A few days later he
sat on the prisoners bench Of the City Court.
with all Germany's great iurists assembled for
the defence and the prosecution. And Count
Arnim stands at the bar OF the City Court"
wrote old War Minister Count Won Room In
snumeratinR the signs that the political deluRe
wac at hand. 1t was as II Sir Robert Morier
had been arraiRned in the Old Bailey or John
Lothrop Motley had been forced to plead at
the bar Of the Tombs.
The principal offences charged against Ar
aim were that he had stolen official dccu-
had published parts Of them. He did BOTH as
was shown at the trial He had been deprived
OF his post In Paris because he had com mmitted
the famous offence OF making opposition" to
Bismarck. Making opposition" was then
dragnet phrase in German politics, and under
Bismarck II was often made as fatal to Am
bassadors, courtiers. and Cabinet Minis
ters as gross misdeme meanor" or "lese
majestic" Is to German editors and So
cialist politicians. Bismarck had found
Arnim too versatile. too Independent. and too
much prone to appeal from the Chancellery to
the throne. Eventually the Chancellor found
Arnim too slow in negotiating the last pay
mont OF the French war indemnity. Answers
TO his inquiries convinced him that Arnim had
delayed negotiations for the purpose OF profit
Ing from stock speculation which he and
Baron de Hirsch had undertaken. He told the
Emperor all this. and then com planned OF
Arnim's insubordination SO necessarily that
William I. finally lost confidence In his proteR6
aud recalled him. Arnim took with him
from Paris the official records which he
thought would justify his opposition to
Bismarck. As soon as ho reached home he
began publishing articles written from them.
The time was ripe for Bismarck to mako one
OF his terrible exam ples." that others might
be warned OF the perils OF making opposition.
Thus 1t came that Count Harry Won Arnim sat
as prisoner In . criminal court. He was found
guilty and on appeal was sentenced to nine
months i'm mprsonment. He fed to Austria and
there he published more revelations conc ern-
ing the Berlin Foreign Ofllcs and more denun-
Citations Of Bismarck. He was sentenced BY O
German court to Ave years. penal servitude.
but he remained in exile beyond tho arm OF
German law until his death.
Count Harry Won Arnim and his I'm perial pa
tron and patroness are dead. Tho iurists
who conducted those famous trials are gone
or forgotten. Bismarck alone OF all the n ght-
ers OF those stormy days Is still before the
world. and ne has at last consented to let the
world know more OF the motives that lay be-
hind the recall and the relentless prosecution
OF his only rival. This he has done through
the new work OF DIR. Hans Blum.
Tho German Empire in the Times OF Bis
marck." In the preface to this work Blum
SAYS: Prince Bismarck allowed the author
to question him personally and orally concern
ing the events and circumstances In the period
treated in the following pages. and he per-
sonally and orally gave In response full an
swers and explanations" The proofs OF
Blum's book were submitted to Bismarck for
criticism with the request that he strike out
whatever he found to be incorrect Blum's
book therefore. is regarded as the nearest
approach to Blsmarcks memoirs that is possI-
BILE before the IN smoirs them selves be pub
iished 1t has stirred the dry bones OF German
history and reused all the German editors to
accusing. denying. denouncing. and defending
as bitterly as they did In days when Bismarck
was crushing his enemies. Count Henning
Won Arnim. Count Harry's son. demanded that
Bismarck retract part OF tho statements In
Blum's book. Bismarck ignored the letter,
which was then published at Arnim's request
In the Berlin and Vienna dailies and the Times
and Standard In London. The letter closed
with the threat that Count Arnim would take
other steps In case Prince bismarck persisted
In refusing to retract. Thus, before any trans
lator has had time to publish Blum's book
abroad. the whole world has been informed
that the old conflict between Bismarck and
the Arnim family has become once more a
question OF the day.
The scorchinG review OF tho Arnim case as
explained by Blum and Bismarck, has revived
In Germany the strife oftwenty years ago. and
all the old crowd of stiff necked Prussians
noblemen. Radicals. Socialists. and Guelphs
are out full-cry after the old Chancellor. The
headline. "Arnim Contra bismarck" or Bis
marck Contra Arnim." again stands daily In
the first column of the first newspaper page.
Foreigners. however, are not likely to
find so much interest in tho questions
whether Arnim subordinatsd his dip
lomatie business to speculations with
Baron de Hirseh whether he was rebslious
against his chiefs authority. whether he was
untrustworthy insolent. and intriguing. The
main point OF interest in the Arnim case a 8 re-
lated by bismarck through Blum. is that
Arnim Is revealed as the head OF tho first great
conspiracy to overthrow Bismarck-ot a con-
spiraeS encouraged by the Empress Augusta.
aided substantially by the high Conservative
and Catholic noblemen at court. supported by
the Clerical. Guelph, Socialist. and Polish lead
srs In the Relchstag. and represented In the
1rsss by the ultra Conservative kreuzzeutin0
and the Catholic GermaRia. as well as by
. special organ, the RsiChsglocke. which
was published merely TO slandsr Bismarck.
This conspiracy was crushed repeatedly but \
was always revived the moment Bismarek's
heavy hand was removed from its leaders.
For each Of its varying forms Bismarck had a
special name which has become classical in
the German political lingo One of the names
Was feminine undercuTTents :" another. mil |
ttary inundations;" others. official insubor-
dination." antl-imperial opposition" hos
ale aspirations at court" and so on. All the |