Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-17

I all the large cities OF tnls COUNTY,
! there Is an appreciate number OF Ter
mans. The German and German-Afheir
can citizens OF Richmond will not De
! found wanting In paying homage 70 'he
Iron Chancellor. Their association mas
/ taken charge Of the matter. and Its seVe-
raj committees are perfecting the oe''h'
of n demonstration. which. II II s"1e ~
| say. will in every respect meet PuO"'
| anticipation.
That there should be In almost every
| German heart an impulse to DO hohor "
Bismarck can be readily understood oy Il"
students of German history. Even "ei
mans who do not hold with the rugseu
and domineering old statesman's poluen
tenets and theories OF government, can
not but feel proud OF his record~prouu
| that Germany was the birthplace OF SUE"
a man.
| OF the great architects whose names
are imperishably craven on the heSs'o"'
/ OF the arch OF German unity, Prince o''o
Won bismarck is In many respects inc
( greatest. He. old King william OF frus-
| STA. and Won Moltke bore equal shares
| in building the structure. but 10 bis'''ai0N
must be accorded more credit IMAM W
the other two in the matter OF p!anh'"s
IL and working out those preliminary ui-
plomatic details which made II posi-
bility.
Whatever Bismarck may have said or
done since he was forced out OF the chan
cellorshlp Of the German Empire. what
ever weakness he may have exhibited IN
his quarrel with young William, now
happily adjusted, however much he may
have compromised his dignity by giving
garrulous vent TO his wounded FEELINGS
the world recognizes that he Is man OF
towering intellect. statesman, ana
patriot. However arbitrary and despotc
he may have been at times In carrying
out his designs. the Fatherland owes him
a debt Of gratitude no laurels she may
place on his brow. no honor she may
bestow on him can repay. The lustre or
His career dssipates all the shadows Of
the lnGrmitles of his declining years.
And what has been that career?
brief glance only over It enables us TO
appreciate the German sentiment that
prompts the coming celebration. Bis
marck was born just when Prussia was
beginning to recover from the disasters
OF the Napoeonic wars, and early in life
he advocated ultra royalist principles.
He entered the diplomatic service in 1851
as Private Secretary of Legation at the
Federal Diet. in Frankfort, where he
manifested in most pronounced manner
hostility 10 arrogant Austria, and his
determination to aggrandlze the Prussian
monarchy. In this determination he never
wavered, and at Versailles. in ISL, he
witnessed the frultion of his hopes.
Bismarck made no secret OF his ambi-
ton to retrieve the blunder OF William
". in throwing away the opportunity
afforded by the revolution OF 1873. for es-
| tablshng in Prussia at the head OF
united Germany.
After the peace Of Villafranca between
| Austria and France. which brought Aus
tria into the position OF a dominating
force in the German federation. and in
tensifed the rivalry between that power
and Prussia, 1t became Bismarcks avowed
purpose 10 secure a reconstruction Of the
! German nation and form new fedora
| ton with Austria excluded from the COM
pact. His opportunity developed out OF
| the Schleswig- Holstein complication. and
he was not slow in Selling 1t. In 1859 he
| had written this prophetic sentence: Il
see In our position in the Diet a defect
Of Prussia, which we will have to heal
| sooner or later, ferro ct igni." In 1862
| he had been appointed Minister Of Foreign
Affairs, and having secured the confidence
| Of the King, had no difficulty in debating
Prussian policy, which resulted in
! clash of arms with Austria, and enabled
him to apply his remedy.
Sadowa was fought in 1866, the leader
| ship of Germany was transferred from
| the House of Hapsburg to the House OF
| Hohenzolern, Prussia was aggrandized
territorialy by the annexation of Hano-
| yer, Schleswig- Holstein, Hesse Cassel,
| and other States. secret treaties were
| negotiated with Baden. Bavaria, and Wur-
| temberg which powers agreed that the
| King of Prussia should command the
| united armies In times of war, and new
| federation was formed, from which Aus
| tria was excluded. AS a result OF the
| Austro- Prussian war, Bismarck might
have absorbed for Prussia still more ter
ritory, and might have further Inundated
| Austria, but his principle was to place
| none but Germans on guard.
Bismarck was appointed Chancellor Of
the North German Federation in 1861, but
the summit of his ambition for himself,
for his King, and for Germany was not
vet attained. In the nature Of the CONT
mental situation, the ultimate goal for
which he was striving could not be
reached except through conflict with
France. and when Louis Napoleon threw
down the gauntlet he found that, owing
TO the labors and influence of Bismarck,
William was ready to take it up. The
war of 1870 avenged Jena, erected new
German Empire. and crowned William
Emperor Through the genius of Bis
marck the prophecy Of the legend OF
| Barharossa was fulfilled and old William
recognized the faithful services of his
devoted friend and servant by appoint
ing him Chancellor OF the Empire.
Until his breach with the present En-
peror the Iron Chancellor controlled the
destinles of Germany, and even now he
| IS hardly less powerful than when he was
in power. He ruled the Bundesrath,
swayed the Reichstag. and never failed
by the force OF his eloquence or by his
will TO attain any end upon which his
heart was set. He was at once the most
arbitrary and the most democratic Of
leaders. He showed that in the matter
| of managing men and consolidating and
| coalescing homogeneous factions he was
without a peer. Frequently he most
adroltly allowed himself 10 be defeated
on minor propositions. in order that he
might gather strength for the passage
through the Relchstag Of some vital
measure. No better illustration Of this
is afforded than will be found in the
history OF the Septennate bill.
While 1t may be true, as some of the
leading German political thinkers assert,
that the time has passed for BIsmarckism.
as that term is generally understood. and
that Germany has advanced beyond the
old Chancellor's era, ii is none the less
true that but for the work of Bismarck
that advance could not have been made
While II may be true that in sense he
lags superauous on the stage, he II Is
who constructed that stage with founda-
lions so deep and 50 strong that actors oil