The Irish standard., 1906-06-30
The Centre Party Under His Leadership
Forced Bismarck to Repeal the Laws
Against the Church
While Fighting the Cause of the Church He
Always Hadat Heart the Civil Lib
erty Of the People.

The time had now come for him to
assume the title role. Hitherto the
world had known him as the principal
counselor of George ", the in
trepid defender of the Independence
OF his own country against the en-
croachments Of Prussia and the in
fluential protector of Catholic inter-
csts at Il Protestant court He was
now to exchange Hanover for the
German Empire and the portfolio of
Justice for the leadership of twelve
millions of suffering co-religionists.
The former statesman of a Catholic
Kingdom was destined to become the
great leader of q great party, the
ablest speaker and tactician of Il
Protestant Parliament, and what is
more the fearless champion OF the
Church. ana the white-haircd vcter-
an of sixty winters was to bear the
brunt of twcnty-year battle with
the prosecuting Prime Minister Bis
marck
Upon the absorption of Hanover
by Prussia. Wlndthorst sworc fcalty
to the Prussian Constitution and, hav-
ing accepted u writ to the Land
tag. was elected first to the Cousti-
tuition Assembly ana later i'm 1871 to
the Rclchstag of the North German
Confederation. He remained I'm the
I,t,,
senting the district Of Neppen. Fol-
lowing In the wake of the Piedmon,esc
occupation of Rome, the destruction
OF the temporal power and the uniftca-
ton of Germany with the power in the
hands of the Professionals, the Cathol-
les, apart from the purely political
group, had organized a party which
was to adhere purely and simply to
the established government, while un-
dertaking the defense Of the Church
and popular rights and endeavOring to
solve the social and economic uues-
tons OF the day.
This was the beginning of the
great Centre party. The Catholics OF
1871 gave the new party u perfect Or
ganization. The Centre" as it was
| called from the fact that its rcpre-
scntation occupied the middle por-
tion of the Rccllstag, was intended
for Il middle party to stand between
and harmonize the Government land
| the Opposition, and as such, 1t has full
| filled the purpose of it's organizers.
Each deputy chose some special de-
partment Of knowledge and directed
every effort toward mastering it, SO
| that the representatives of the Centre
soon acquired the reputation Of being
the best informed and most erudite
body in Parliament 1t was not long
before the party had learned special
lists In every statistics. The perfect
knowledge proved Of the greatest util-
ity for Bismarck and his supporters
| were often very inaccurate in the line
of figures. especially when 1t served
their interests to be so. Time and time
again, this system of specialization was
the means Of correcting and humbIing
the minions Of the Government
The Catholic party had hardly
sprung into existence before the ad-
herents of Bismarck directed against
1t the shafts of ridicule ana abuse
| and the foul weapons of misrepre-
sentation and calumny; they persist
| ed in terming 1t "a party Of opposi-
| tion, a kind Of mobilization against
| the State ITSELF" Windthorst took up
its defense Jan. 30, 1872, and his words
on that occasion are specially memor-
| able, as they give us true insight in
to the purpose and workings Of the
party. "The Centre" he said, "is pre-
pared to join in with the other political
factions, should they present an ac-
ceptable programme. Yea, in the in
terests of peace it will go even farther.
Let the war, which the king directed
against the Church cease and the Gen.
tre will dissolve voluntarily; however,
should the struggle continue, the Cen
ire will guard its position, not oftens-
lively, but defensively and, withal en-
ergetically."
In June, 1872 Bismarck flung
down his gauntlet, and on July 1 an
Act Of Parliament against the Jesuits
told the Catholic world that the die