The times., 1898-09-11
THE ASIAN QUESTION.
Last Talk of Bismarck on the Re-
Iatfons of Russia and England.
From the London News.)

(From the London News)
The posthumous table talk of Bismarck,
as served up from memory and from
notes by numerous journalistic compilers.
has ranged for the most part round do
mestic politics. Today a richer vein is
struck. and the conversation is carried
on to three topics of immediate Euro
pean interest-the attitude of the Ger
mans In Austria, Russian expansionist
projects in Asia, and German policy to-
ward her Eastern neighbor and England.
Upon the two latter subjects the Iron
Chancellor's latest utteTances are made
public by Anton Memminger in the col
umns OF a Bavarian paper. They have
all the characteristics of Bismarck's most
biting days and derive enhanced interest
from the fact, which | reported at the
time. that the astounding development
of Russian Asiatic policy occupied the
Chancellor's anxious thought up to the
very last His last conversation with
Count Herbert upon the morning of his
death was upon this topic.
/ pass over the chancellor's expressions
of contempt for Gortchakof as repeated
by Herr Memminger. 1t is sufficient TO
say that Bismarck dismissed as ridicu-
lous his Russian pupils boast of having
prevented second war between Ger
many and France. The Iron Chancellor
passed on to inquire what a Russo-Ger-
man war could effect. What do we want
with or in Russia?" he asked. -Suppos-
ing we were really to defeat her. we
should have as the highest reward for
our pains the restless Poles as our neigh
bors, who are as little fitted for an indie
pendent state organism as the modern
Jews are for a new Judaic empire. From
Russia proper we could get nothing In
deed, Germany is enough for us. Our
appetite is appeased. If the English are
displeased with Russian expansion in
Asia, then they must settle with the Rus
slams themselves. The Kaiser, il is to be
hoped, will never be induced to play the
thankless role of the good-natured crane
for the English wolf, and permit Ger
many to enter a European war for the
sake of John Bulls interests. When we
were in distress England took the part
of our enemies, and tried to do business
on both sides. When. therefore, England
gets Wedged between the French horse
and the Russian elephant, let US not rush
in with a pitchfork. Let us rather Sc
renely watch the stiff-shirted lord being
scrunched until he cries aloud unto Godi"
In conversation with Herr Memminger
upon the Nationalist question in Austria,
Bismarck observed:
'''The Germans in Austria have been
Grand Michaels. Instead of being truly
German, and only German. in Austria
they have been everything else-LiberaI
or Clerical, Jewish or International The
German Liberals are, above ALL to blame
for their decline from a governing party
TO a minority. They have been neither
genuinely German nor genuinely Liberal
In a political sense they have acted with
out wisdom and moderation; in an eco
nomical sense they have adopted the
theory of backsheesh. The Germans viii
not suffer annihilation. They must not
only help themselves, like the Slave and
Hungarians-they must march under one
flag and one war cry To march apart and
20 strike together is only good rule when
it is executed. like Moltke's under har-
monious leaderships. The Germans in
Austria. have perhaps learned something
by experience. The Austrian nobility will
never learn anything more. 1t is certain
ly questionable whether the Emperor will
be able TO govern for long with a non
German majority. Ii is Just those ele-
ments who are lacking all capacity for
government who are as a rule. boundless-
ly fmpudent. covetous and selfish, so that
they must be again pushed under or
broken Herein lies the secret why back
in Turkey the Turk has so far been the
only possible master. In Europe the
Sultan is held to be insane, but 1 con-
slider him diplomatist who is far super
ior 10 the other diDlomatists at the
Golden Horn