New-York tribune., 1896-11-16

sioIe 10 form just estimate either OF Prince
Bismarcks services to Germany or of his unique
genius and character; but it is not too soon to
acquit him of the charge OF being a hypocrite
at any stage Of his public career. He has been
pre-emnently man Of business In State affairs,
unlnflu ;nced by ideals traditions and striving
always to accomplish practical and useful re-
suits. Unlike Cavour. he has no sympathy with
popular institutions and no faith in universal
suffrage; yet he accepted il rs the only available
basis for the union Of the German States. Hav
ing to put up with universal suffrage a Frank
fort tradition. he adopted effective measures for
neutraliZing its effects. His idea of parlia-
mentary government that of setting
political faction against another, and OF con-
ducting the Government by Imperial agencies.
with majority, if possible, or without one, if
necessary. The European concert he also ac
cepted as tradition Of the diplomacy of Talley
rand's time. but. with his practical instinct.
Bismarck never failed to take advantage OF
every opportunity for making a good bargain for
Germany in any quarter. He was a German.
first and foremost. and only incidentally a Euro
pean when it convenient and eXpedient 20
be
If Prince Bismarcks disclosures to be be-
lieved implicitly, Russia sought to attack Aus
tria with the connivance of Germany when the
and subsequently, when the Triple Alliance had
been formed the Chancellor, a safeguard
against similar treachery, contracted secret
neutrality convention with the Cars Govern
ment. In these transactions Prince Bismarck
acted on business principles a Kings man and
a common-sense diplomatist. Germany had
nothing to gain from Russian attack upon
Austria, and one was not encourag ID, but the
secret treaty with St Petersburg ad-
ditional safeguard after the Triple Alliance was
arranged. and consequently it provided. In
this way Germany was secured by alliances
against assault from every Great Power except
France. and Prince Bismarck was the arbiter
of Europe. When he was displaced from the
Chanceorship. the secret treaty with Russia
was allowed to lapse. Neither Count CapriV
nor Prince Hohenlohe has considered it either
necessary expedient to invadate the Triple
Alliance by entering into engagements irrecon-
cilable with it, and consequently Russia has
been allowed to drift into the French alliance.
and Germanys power and prestige in Europe
have declined. In Prince Bismarcks Judgment,
his successors have not been practical men OF
business in their conduct of foreign relations;
and, with that cynical Indifference to ways ana
means which is characteristic or ms career. ne
has revealed these hidden and discreditapie
secrets of diplomacy in order to furnish amateur
lessons of genuine statecraft
IGNOBLE MOTIVES ASSUMED
II is true that more ignoble motives have been
assigned for these startling disclosures The last
DAYS Of the recuse OF Friedrichsruh are de-
scribed as embittered with jealousy and envy.
and this final outbreak OF spleen is attributed 10
senile vanity and passionate resentment Prince
Bismarck has not been either a digHined nor
heroic figure in retirement, nor has ne learned
how to grow old gracefully and to accept phil-
osOphically evidence OF national ingratltude ana
neglect: but il s hardly credible that the Man
OF Blood and Iron, whose hand once weighed 80
heavily in the scale of human destiny. mas been
inspired by petty malice and envy 10 publish
these State secrets merely FOR the sake OF annoy
ing and Furnishing the German Emperor ana ms
advisers Ii is more natural TO assume lHat
misguided his judgment may have been ms
motive was patriotic In entering his protest
against new diplomatic methods which were un-
practical and unbusinesslike and which had I'M
paired German influence on the Continent.
There is a Russian proverb. II is hard 20 ma
the awl hidden in the sack" Prince Bsmarck's
motives in this affair are inscrutabe. but II is
not likely that he was deferred by any sense OF
the immortality OF his own diplomacy from re-
peatng offences 70. which he punished Count
Arnim The secret treaty with Russia was
neither more audacous nor more insncere than
other cOmpacts which he had made during MS
eventful diplomatic career and II was neither
more immoral nor more disingenuous than the
Cyprus Convention and other trophies or Lord
Beaconsheld's Oriental subtety and craft II IL
not probable that the retired statesman. whil"
spudding thistles in his lonely walks at Fried
richsruh has ever suspected that there might be
ANYTHING disCreditable in the transaction. nor
thought Of il as anything less than a remarkably
good stroke Of business. II he had taken
serious view Of this single episode. how mean-
choly would have been the retrospect OF his
career as whole. l. y /.