Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-08-03

Prince Won Otto Eduard Leopold Bis
marck-Schoenhausen, eX-chancellor of the
German empire, was born of an ancient
family, April l, 1915, at Schoenhausen,
in Brandenburg, and studied law and
agriculture at Goettingen Berlin and
Greifswald. In 1S47 he became known
in the new Prussian Parliament as an
ultra-royalist, and opposed equally the
constitutional demands of 1S4S and the
scheme of a German empire, as pro-
posed by the Frankfort Parliament of
1S49. In 1851, as Prussian member of
the resuscitated German Diet of Frank
fort, he resented the predOminance of
Austria, and demanded equal rights for
Prussia. In 1859 he was sent as minis
ter to st. Petersburg, and in 1862 to
Paris. Recalled the same year to take
the foreign portfolio and the presidency
of the cabinet, and not being able to
pass the military reorganization bill and
the budget, he closed the chambers, an
nOunclng that the government would be
obliged to do without them. For four
years the army reorganization went on,
when the death of the King of Denmark
1859 reopened the Scheswig- Rolstein
question: and excited a fever of national
German feeling, which led to the defeat
of Denmark by Austria and Prussia, and
the annexation of the duchies. This
again brought about the quarrel between
Prussia and Austria, and the ''seven
weeks war;" which ended in the humilia-
ton of Austria at the battle of Koenig-
gratz 1866, and the reorganization of
Germany under the leadership of Prus-
STA. Bismarck was throughout the guild
ing spirit, and from being universally dis
like, became the most popular man in
Germany. The action of France in re-
gard to the candidature Of Prince Leo
pOld of HOhenzollern for the throne of
Spain gave Bismarck the opportunity of
carrying into action the intensified feeling
Of unity amongst Germans. During the
war of 1S7O-71 Bismarck was the spokes-
man Of Germany; he it was that in Feb
ruary, 1871, dictated the terms of peace
to France. Having been made count
IN 1885, he was now created a prince
and chancellor of the new German en-
pire. After the peace of Frankfort the
sole aim of Bismarck's policy, domestic
and foreign, was to consolidate the young
empire and secure it, through political
combinations, against attack from with
out. The long and bitter struggle with
the Vatican, called the Kulturkampf,
was failure, the most oppressive Of the
anti-papal Falk or May laws being ulti-
mately repealed. Otherwise, his domes-
tic policy was marked by a reformed
coinage, codlficatiOn of law, nationaliza-
ton of the Prussian railways, repeated
increase of the army, a protective tariff
(lSl9l, and various attempts to combat
socialism and to establish government
monopolies of tobacco, etc. In 1884 he in
augurated the career of Germany as a
cOlonizing power. To counteract Russia
and France, he formed in 1879 the Aus
tro-German treaty of alliance published
IN 1889, which Italy joined in 1886; and
he presided over the Berlin Congress in
1878. The phrase imam of blood and
iron" was used by the ''Yron Chancellor
in q speech in 1862. Bismarck's life was
twice Gin 1866 at Berlin, and in 1874 at
Kissingen) attempted. Disappearing the
policy of the Emperor William II. he
resigned the CHARACTERISTIC in March,
1890, becoming Duke Of Lauenburg'
Long a caust1c critic OF imperial meas
ures, he was reconciled to his sovereign
in 1894.
Two attempts have been made on
Prince Bismarck's life, the first by a man
named Blind on May Z, 1866, at Berlin,
and on July ID, 1874, by Kullmann, at
Kissingen.
A Bismarck museum containing all
sorts of objects relative to the chancel-
lors career has been founded at Berlin.
Of the extensive literature on Prince
Bismarck's list are Frankfurth letters
and dispatch, his correspondence by Kop-
pen, his political life and labors and his
cabinet speeches and addresses.
Princess Bismarck died at Barzin. No
vember 81. 1894.