The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-04-07

and considerations into view. IN uiscuSS-
ing the subject. the New York Tribune
made the following remarks few days
back:
years ego one Of Mr.. Tenniel's hap
piest cartoons in Punch depicted Prince
| Bismarck and Mr. Gladstone meeting IN
n wood. both retired from public life,
as they then temporarily were. To-day
| they are both again in retirement. ana
in what is probably their final retire
ment Despite the odousness Of com
! parisons therefore, some association of
| them is inevitable: especially since there
Is no third man TO be named beside them.
Each has been the foremost statesman in
his own land for many years, and sun
IS But each has won his great distinction
and accomplished his great work In & WY
Numerically opposite from the other
Mr.. Gladstone has been conspicuously
and invariably actuated by lofty moral
purposes; but in policy he has been the
veriest weathercock, shifting from stern.
mbending Toryism to what we can
scarcely distinguish from rank Radical
ism. He has. indeed, been a typical OPP
portunist Prince Bismarck. on the other
hand. has been inflexible as iron. Fifty
years ago he came forward as Kings
man. pledged to the then visionary
scheme of a united and imperial Ger
many Through all the storm and stress
Of blood and iron he has known from
that ideal no variableness nor SHADOW
Of turning. Domineering ever farild-
ments. checkmating diplomats makihs
Of Europe a battlefield and slaughter
pen. he was always the same-klng
man and champion of the new German
Ennire And to-day, despite the ingrat-
,tude and ind,gnities which he has SUI
Tered ne stands head and shoulders
above all his fellows. the loyalest King s
man between the Baltic and the Alps.
and the supremest incarnation OF united
and imperial Germany
This is an admirable and a correct
ANALYSIS of the case. Mr. Gladstone Is
correctly described. He has always been
man of the purest and loftiest moral
aims. but he has been the veriest polit-
zeal weathercock and turncoat that ever
figured conspicuously IN public affairs.
He did vast deal to lower England's
prestige. which was. however, too firm
" based for him 10 be able to do 1t any
| permanent injury. Prince Bismarck Is
correctly described, too as king
man" IL would be very wide of the
mark though, TO understand from TINS
| designation of him that there is any
| element of the toady of the subservient
| courtier in him. He is one of the Hottest
| patriots that ever lived. but he be-
heves consclentiously in the idea of a
strong imperial government. competent
| 10 rerel attack from the outside and
| TO suppress disorder within. He believes,
also, that the only way to have such
government that will last and be endur-
ing is TO have 1t founded upon the prin-
ciple of hereditary monarchy. 1t is the
| same idea which held possession Of the
hest school of thought in France when
| the first Napoleon was overthrow and
sent into exile. All the memoirs OF the
| day dwell upon the idea that the pr1n-
| ciple of heredity in the throne was the
only anchor that could give ,steadiness
| in the State. This school had its way In
France and re-established the monarchy,
| but we saw 1t unable TO maintain itself
| for quarter of a century.
| Prince Bismarck is a Kings man in
| this sense. Tie believes a firm, strong,
| imperial government necessary to the
| permanency of a country's institutions,
and he believes the principle of its de-
| scent from father 10 son an inseparabe
accompaniment.
Bismarck's tendencies in this direction
have within a week past received most
startling illustration. Count Micrbach'
! one Of the few politicians in Germany
| who had the courage TO maintain open
and friendly relations with Bismarck
| while the old statesman was under i'm
peral taboo, made a speech week ago
| in the Prussian Landtag upon a motion
TO commit the country TO policy OF pro-
tective tariff. which all of agricultural
| Germany wants while the denzens OF
| the cities, and especially the working
people. oppose it, in which he urged the
necessity of u dissolution of the Reich
stag and the election of a new one. un-
der a coup d'etat, which should suppress
the principle OF universal suffrage and
| confne voting to a limited number He
argued that such a move would have
the endorsement of ali thinking Ger
mans. who looked with the utmost alarm
upon the way in which universal suf-
frage had placed the Government at the
mercy of the ignorant and ncendiary
element of the empire. II is generally be-
liev ed in Germany that Count Mierbach
was uttering Prince Bismarcks opinions
when he made this speech, for he is
known TO follow closely every turn in
the policy Of FREDERICKSBURG. and Bis
marck has hardly concealed his opinion
in recent years that he made a mistake
in giving Germany manhood suffrage
This view of the case explains what the
world found Il so difficult - understand
the change IN Emperor Williams de-
meanor towards Bismarck. A few years
back he almost kicked him out OF his
Government. and for long time it was
little better than treason TO speak in
praise Of Bismarck at Berlin. All this
is now changed, however. From the time
the demonstrations in honor OF the
Princes birthday commenced, the En-
peror has been almost sycophantically
profusc In rendering bismarck honors
and compliments. and on his birthday he
sent him the following telegram:
your Serene Hiehnoss: May I to-day.
as on March z6th. at the head OF a rep
resentative detachment OF my army. once
| ...<.a 1.o,,1v -x,oye3 expreSs the thanks