The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-25
HOT GERMAN POLITICS.

From this distance the action OF the
German Reichstag in refusing to pass
resolution of congratulation TO Bis
MARCK on the occasion of his eightieth>
birthday seems very strange sort of an
action.
And yet it appears from the COM
ment of the German press that there is
nothing surprising about it, and that,
indeed, the government could have
counted on the result of the offer of the
resolution before it was put TO the
Rechstag.
On the surface, here is great soldier,
a great statesman of whom any nation
might be proud, one of the founders Of
the great German Empire, TO celebrate
whose birthday anniversary the peo-
pie of that empire are to make
a great national festival. 1t
would be thought that the
parliament of his country would be in
the lead, irrespective of politics, to do
this imposing national figure honor-as
his Emperor, who rejected him on
taking the throne, is preparing
TO do. But no. The German
Reichstag, strangely loyal to its politics
and unresponsive to the dlicsness of
sentiment, stands firm in opposition to
any mark of distinction and esteem for
the Iron Chancellor.
We doubt if another nation on earth
would, in this day, present such a spec
tacle of partisan opposition. Aud yet
we have no right to say that the opposi-
ton is not warranted, that the politics
of Germany may be SO hot and
the political situation so strained
that the opponents to BISMARCK must,
perforce, deny to him even SO apparently
simple aud innocent an act as the bit of
courteous sentiment carried by such
resolution. We cannot estimate the
menace that such an act may
really be to the BISMARCK opposi-
tion, especially rs it is in this
case, also, an opposition to the govern
ment, for the Imperial Government is
exertiug itself to do honor to BISMARCK.
maintaining, however, "A position o.
sentiment solely that must not be con
sidered as meaning any endorsement by
the government of BISMARCK as a
political factor.
However suflicie 1t the motive of the
Reichslag's action, one thing is certain:
1t has placed the government in very
embarrassing position through the go
ing afield of the Emperor into the realm
Of sentiment under the impulse of
popular. pressure. The Emperor is
not in sympathy with the measures rep
resented by BISMARCK and his followers,
and yet, by reason of his assuming to
do honor to BISMARCK on the occasion
of this anniversary, he receives a hard
slap in the face. and what was
an issue of sentiment has become
an issue OF politics. Should the Reich
stag be dissolved it would probably mean
a general election on Bismarckian and
i-Bismarckian issues with the senti-
ment at the bottom of the trouble sub
merged by politics. The Emperor would
be almost helpless between the upper
and the neither millstone and, unless the
issues could be twisted, neither party
could prevail with satisfaction to the
Emperor.
German politics are mixed aud hot.
They are not particularly complex to
understand, but they are amazingly as
sorted just the same. We wonder if it
is possibility of the present upheavai
that the Emperor and BISMARCK, mu-
tually sacrificing something to the other,
should come together in common
cause?
If they did. we think the combination
would be invincble us it would be sem
sational.
t-t ~