The herald., 1896-11-02
RUSSO-GERMAN RELATIONS
Always Employed to Keep the
Peace
PRINCE BISMARCK'S ORGAN
Claims a Brilliant Success for German
Statesmanship
Franco to Re Shown That Her Russian
Friendship Was Gained by the MIS-
takes Made by Germany.
Associated Press Special Wire

N,
ject of the Russo German treaty, whicn
terminated in 1890, and the disclosure OF
which by the Nachrichten has created
such sensation in Europe
The article is entitled The Russian
Treaty. and describes Prince Bismarck )
entente with Russia as a brilliant sue
cess of German craftsmanship The ar
ticle then proceeds to say:
We do not admit that rapprochement
with Russia has lost all value by the con-
clusion of the dreibund treaty, nor Will
our allies share this opinion. Reconclll-
alton is not unknown or undesired by
them. On the contrary, it had been noted
with satisfaction that Germany always
employed the Russian entente to prevent
and settle differences between Russia
and Austria. Had Austria and Italy
thought otherwise, they would, during
the reign of William l., have made rep
resentations on the subject. This was
never done, although they were aware
of our civilization of political relations,
and an entente with Russia would, de-
spite all military preparations aau
bourse regulation, have never been pre-
termitted at Berlin. Among the mo-
tives for the expose of the Russo-Gefman
relations, all of which we do not feel
called upon to disclose, is the continual
Justification of historical facts by the
Clerical and Liberal and even the semi
official press, with the dishonest pur-
pose of making the government OF Will
liam ]. and of Bismarck responsible for
all present evils, especially the rupture
of the former favorable relations with
Russia. a rupture which certainly does
not improve Germany's position in Eu-
rope. Therefore, we publish the fact
that the rupture was brought about DUR
ing the administration of Gen. Caprivi,
through his qualified refusal of Russia S
request for the continuance of the en-
tente. Against this authentic proof that
the breaking with Russia occurred un-
der Won Caprivi, the infamous calumnia-
ton of Germany's policy under William
I. cannot be proved. We should be
deemed more correct had an official and
documentary explanation of the truth
| been Forthcoming, as in the case of the
Ems dispatch, and we even now recon-
| mend this course.
The reSerence to the Ems dispatch Is
doubtless to the publication by Prince
Bismarck's authority, upon the eve OF
| the outbreak of the Franco -Prussian
war, of the draft of a treaty between
Prussia and France, guaranteeing tc
the one country its conquests, and per-
mitting to the other annexation of Hol-
land, a draft of which Bismarck claimed
| to possess, written by Mr.. Benditti, the
! French ambassador to Germany, by his
own hand. The publication of this Sc
cret document, bearing date of the end
of 1866, raised a great parliamentary
storm in France and necessitated min
isterialist explanation. 1t was claimed
on behalf of Mons. Beniditti. that the
German chancellor had dictated to the
French ambassador these conditions of
a future entente, and had then put aside
| the plan to bide his time for its use.
AUSTRIAN COMMENT.
| VIENNA, Nov. 1.-The Neue Freie
Presse, which published an interview
last week from correspondent at Ham
burg, which was supposed to have en-
anated from Prince Bismarck, today
says it learns from well-informed
| source that Bismarck may be impe!led in
making his disclosure by a fear that
Germany will repeat the mistake of 1896
! by the eventual abandonment of the
| support in favor of an entente with Great
Britain, which would be more danger
Gus, as it would doubtless lead France
| to be able to obtain what she has hither-
! to been unable to obtain, namely, an al
| lance with Russia, which the enforce
ment against Germany would only be a
| question of time and circumstances. An
other motive of Prince Bismarck, the
| Neue Freie Presse thinks was to show
France how little their relations with
Russia were due to themselves, and
how much they were due to Germany's
mistakes in the treatment of Russia af-
ter the dismissal of Prince Bismarck
from the chancellorship. That the let
| ter is actuated by hatred of Won Capri
| vi, this journal thinks, is an untenable
supposition, as Prince Bismarck has no,
regarded Won Caprivi as the moral au.
thor of the rupture between Prince Bis
! marck and the emperor
BISMARCK'S OBJECT.
LONDON, Nov. 1.-The Berlin cor
respondent of the Daily News reports
that he has learned the German treaty
with Russia was in no wise as harmless
as is alleged, but was disloyal to Aus
| tria.
prince Bismarck was eager to come
to terms with Russia" says this cor
| respondent. "At Skierniewicz, where
the czar and Emperor William I met
and later in interviews with M. De
Giers, he gave too warm an expression
of his desire. The Russian diplomat no.
ticed this, and raised his price, the re-
suit being the agreement, which, il
seems, contained clauses which ever
now are unknown. but which prove bad
faith to Austria. In government Cir
cles it is suspected that Bismarck's ul-
innate object is to dissolve the drei-
bund as the price Of a Russo-Germar
alliance.