St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-04-01


peared at them and asked the ques-
lions credited to them.
THE MAN OF BLOOD AND IRON.
While the good people of St. Paul
are eating their breakfasts TINS
morning the equally good people OF
all Germany are taking their noon
rest from the marching of the sol
diery, the singing, the blare ofbands,
the professions, the speeches and the
general hilarity which, since the
morning there, have testified their
| admiration and respect for the man
of blood and iron who made the
modern Germany, welding together
the incoherent kingdoms, duchies
and principalities, weak in their
segregation, but powerful in unity,
which now make the empire.
Continental Europe has not pro-
duced in this century so strong a
character as is that of the man
whose eightieth birthday all Ger
many is today celebrating. Others
as capable and masterful as he may
have lived, but to none of them came
that fortuitous juncture of capability
| with circumstance that produced
Bismarck. He had that sixth sense
which enables its possessor to see
| the opportunity that comes to all,
and he had the courage to seize it
and the ability to master it. Whether
| in the local field of politics or the
broader one of international affairs,
no opportunity to advance the cher
| ished project of his life, the unifica-
| ton and aggrandiZement of Ger
many, ever escaped him. Joined to
| this was his indomitable will, his
masterfulness, and a "reminiscences
in gaining his end that won for him
the title of the man Of blood and
| iron.
AS a politician, he showed supreme
art in playing the hostile forces re-
sisting unification against each
other, Just as, when premier OF uni
| fed Germany, he played the antag-
| onisms of religion and locahty
| against each other, making them all
serve his ends. Any means used were
| justified by the end sought, and al
| liances were made and broken when
| the end was gained. At one time he
antagoniZed the Catholic element; at
another co-operated with it, but
using the one or the other TO ac-
] complish some greater purpose. In
| the field of national diplomacy he
! nonplussed the foreign diplomats,
| schooled to regard language as a
means of concealing thought, by his
| frankness and candor, which they
mistook for finesSe.
His great work, however, was the
uniting in the empire of the numer-
Gus independent governments now
| constituting Germany. He was an
active member of the National Union
| party, formed under Frederick Will
| liam, which was so instrumental in
directing public opinion. Becoming
premier with the accession of "Unser
Fritz" he pursued his course I'M
waveringly, making everything yield
| to his one great purpose. 1t was he
that, partly out of revenge, but more
to strengthen Prussia, precipitated
the war with Austria and put an
end to the interference in German
affairs of that nation The alliance
of some of the German states with
Austria is attributed to Bismarck's
diplomacy, and he made it serve his
end by promptly anneXing them to
Prussia when victory crowned the
arms of Prussia at KoenigraetZ.
What of opposition there was melt
ed away when Louis Napoleon went
to his fate and stirred all Germany
to an outburst Of loyalty by his dec
laration of war. The browning tri-
umph Of Bismarck's life was when
in Versailles, in the palace Of the
French emperor, William of Prussia
was crowned emperor of all Ger
| many.
The liberalism of Bismarck S
| younger days was turned by the
necessities of his ambition to unity
| Germany into an intense abSolut-
| ism. 1t accorded, too, with his dis
| position. He no more brooked OPP
position than does the young EN-,
| peror who has just made his sub
| mission to his grandfather's prime
minister. If he could not cajole it
he crushed it ruthlessly. Enemies he
! had in plenty. Such men make them
| making, as the necessary compile
ment, equally strong friends. His
retirement from the chancellorship,
the manner in which it was brought
| about, softened somewhat the asperi-
ties his ruggedness had created,
but the vote in the reichstag re-
Gently, defeating the resolution to
observe his birthday, shows that the
rising tide of democracy in the en-
pire had not forgotten or forgiven
the man whose iron hand was ever
ready to repress it. But Germany
today forgets and forgives what
! ever of offense Bismarck may have
given in it's grateful recognition of
the great services he rendered the
nation in raising it from a minor
place to one of commanding in
fiuence in European affairs.
D