Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-07

sign their names. The next day, when the
weak headed ones got sober again, they
could not imagine how their signatures had
got on paper"
The War with France.
The events leading up TO the war with
France, and particularly the manner in
which Bismarck mutilated a dispatch which
precipitated hostilities, is best tol1 by a
biographer in the masters OWE words:
"wben the uproar broke loose in Paris
concerning the candidacy OF Prince Leopold
OF Hohenzollern for the Spanish throne, the
king was in Ems and l was in varzin. The
French behaved as recklessly as possible.
For us the situation was extremely favora-
BILE. We were, in fact, the injured party,
and. as the necessity OF a final settlement
with France had long been apparent to US
all, the moment seemed to have come to
strike out. Therefore | left varzin for Ber-
lin to discuss the important questions OF the
hour with Moltke and Room. On the way
received this dispatch:
" Prince Anton OF Hohenzollern has, for
the sake OF peace, withdrawn the candidacy
OF his son, Leopold. Everything is now all
right
Il was dumbfounded by this dispatch, and
kept asking myself: When will we have
another opportunity as favorable as this?
In q dispatch to Ems ! communicated TO his
majesty my resignation as minister pres
ident and federal chancellor. In reply | re-
ceived a dispatch to the effect that / should
come to Ems. I had already got a clear
view OF the situation and l said to myself:
II 1 go to Ems the whole game will be up;
at best, we will come TO a rotten comprom-
ise, and the only honorable and adequate
solution will be impossible. l must do all
In my power to bring his majesty to Berlin,
where he can feel the pulse OF the German
people better than in Ems; that l leave Ber-
lin at this time is not to be thought OF.
A good luck would have it, the French
did meantime all possible to push matters
to a crisis. They would have the king sign
a letter-in fact, would humble him. The
king, by telegraph, asked my advice, and l
answered with a clear conscience, Sigma
ture is impossible On the evening OF July
IA l had Invited Moltke and Room to dine
with me, and we discussed at table all the
possibilities of the situation. We all hoped
that Frances foolish behavior in making the
unprecedented request for his signature to
the letter would not be allowed to pass.
AS We were speaking on this point a de-
spatch from Ems came. 1t began with the
words:
AlteT tue news OF the deClinatiOn OF the
hereditary prince OF Hohenzollern had been
communicated officially by the royal Spanish
government to the imperial French govern
ment, the French envoy at Ems made the de-
mand upon his majesty for authority to tele-
graph to Paris that his majesty the king
pledges himself for all the future never
again to give his consent in case the Hohen-
zollern should return to his candidacy
Then came a long explanation. The sub
stance of 1t was that the king directed at
tention to what he had already told Bene-
detti. Count Benedict accepted this an
swer thankfully and stated that he would
communicate it to his government. Mean
time Benedict requested another meeting
with his majesty, If only again to verify
orally the statements which his majesty
had made to him on the promenade. Then
the dispatch proceeded:
His majesty declined to receive the
French envoy again, and had him informed
through an adjutant that his majesty had
nothing more to communicate to him.
When I had read this despatch Room and
Moltke let fall knife and fork and pushed
back from the table. There was a LONG
pause. All Of us were deeply discouraged
We had the feeling that the whole affair
would come to nothing. Then l asked
Moltke:
lis our army really so capable that we
can begin war with the greatest probability
Of SUGGEST
"Moltke was as firm as a rock in his conf
, dence in the army. We have never had a
better instrument he said, than at this
moment Room confirmed the exactness OF
Moltke's statement.
Then go on with your dinner ! replied
MutiIatinE the Dispatch. o.
Il sat down at q little narhle-top tohla
near the dining table, read the dispatch
carefully through and then took my pencil
and struck out all the intermediate part
about Benedettfs request for a further au-
dience, etc. ! left only the head and tail.
. Now the dispatch was something different,
and in this new edition l read it to Moltke
and Room. Both cried out:
Splendid! That must do the business.
I'VE went on eating with improved appe-
tite. | at once gave orders for the tele-
graphing the dispatch to all newspaper
. and foreign missions and we were still to-
gether when we learned of the effect which
the dispatch had had in Paris. 1t had fallen
like a bomb. While in fact an insulting
proposal had been made to our king, the
4 dispatch worked upon the French people
exactly as If their chief representative had
. been rudely repealed by our king. TIL
l whole Boulevard gang was of the opinion
that this could not be endured. The cry
:. or to Berlin!' was raised by the yelling
mob. The proper temper was there.
{ And in Germany the effect was the same
D as In France. The king, at my pressing
request, terminated his visit in ems and
. came to Berlin, dumfounded everywher
{ by the great enthusiasm shown by the peo-
pie. The indescribable demonstration tha'
he received in Berlin touched the old gen.
I tleman to his hearts core. His eyes were
I wet with tears. He realized then that Il
I was a national war, a peoples war. which
g the people desired, which the people needed
q ALREADY, before his arrival in Berlin, VIZ
z had received the kings consent to the mobil
r ization Of part Of the army. AS the crown
prince stepped from the royal train he spok,
purposely In a very loud tone Of the ap'
: preaching mobilization, and then the cheer
: Ing broke loose again. BY the time we hat
y reached the castle the king was all ready t.
: command the mobilization of the who'll
: army. What followed everybody knows
y But the point l have been making Is tn
n one concerning which Gramont In his me
h moirs expresses unaffected establishment
He could not understand how, after affair
had taken such a pacific turn, the warlik'
e spirit all at once got the upper hand. I'm
e apparition sinistre survint. Tout dun coul