New-York tribune., 1909-07-25


adyised 10 present my iel'er O. a, chs
ND as the count was sald u
-. .,s, sent it In He came oul ~ I-'e
.t.- where I was waiting anu 'liei 10
chall-.- looked into the pale blue eyes
first ulne a.-7,ed the lightnings that had
Whence g Of Austria on the field OF
nv" Nv they had a kindly and welco1n-
sado"e .r.-, RIt. said Count Bismarck
ing looA - moment. A debate is on and 1
-,esl, % once. Come 10 nv house IN 'he
81 : -,.+-.ssa at hslf-past ten tonight ana
y -. talk Meantime YOU might hke
% besr the debate"
-,1,s5 ~ an Official n take me into
,-.a-,bsr shook hands again, and away ne
snt heard his speech. marvelled at the Slsli
parliamentary chief In full military unl-
= -. -,.r,-e11ed Al the tone Of authority, which
mas military: nlarvelled again at the brew
-. and di-ectness Of the orator. who took no
..-,- of rhetoric and hardly cared 70 con-
80 h,,- rather to command It was the ora
- % the master Of many legions. True. the
g. Years. conflict between him and the Prus-
-, Parliament wss over. but true also that on
hot, Parliament and Minister that conflict had
,.f, mark. In his voice there was still chal-
,srra and in the silence Of the Chamber still
.,-oe-ring sullen HA had won They had lost
n struggle upon which. as Herr Lowe told ne.
,5ev ought never - have entered. would never
bsve entered lad they known. Lowe and his
rsrtv Of so-called Liberals confessed themselves
rot only beaten hut wholly in the wrong.
A. hsIf-past ten rang at the outer door
which was more ike gate-of the palace in
the WiIhelnstrasse II was opened b. SOL
dier. who asked my name. and when he heard II
told ne vas expected and asked ne 10 follow
him vas taken upstairs to large. empty
room on the first floor In Z moment out came
Count Bismsrck's famous Gdl1tus. Herr Lothar
Rdcher. The count vas engaged with the Min
igter Of Var. but # ! would wait would see me
pressrtlv 7 waited ten minutes again the door
10 the left opened and forth came Ton Room.
fhe might organizer OF var. himself. IF course.
{ soldier since in Prussia everybody who
oountsc in affairs Of state was soldier, and
still is Tou had need 70 visit Berlin in those
varlike davs u understand what was meant by
The phrase that Prussia was 2 camp Then you
rad need 70 visit i again in time Of peace 10
understand that whether in peace or war Prus-
So vas Still camp. and as much in peace as
IN war. What IT Is now I cannot say. I have
not been in Berlin these last fifteen years. but
between 1866 and 1898 I was there many times.
and every tine II was camp. The garrison
0f beTHn ana EnTS12Tn vas never. l mink, less
than zo60o men The streets Of Berlin were al
Tays thronged with officers. and on the broad
sidewalks OF Inter den Linden or the Friedrich
strasse there vas scarce room for anybody else
The Youngest lieutenant wanted all Of II to him
self To each other these officers were civility
Itself but the civilian had no rights they were
bound 70 respect.
had already seen something Of this all-per-
nd
and sat rejecting on It in this great salon where
waited for Count Bismarck to be at leisure.
When Herr Won Room came out he recognized
ne suppose. as stranger. and. civilian though
Twas. gave me the greeting he thought due 70
Count Bisnarckz guest which returned. There
Tss almost ? halt IS he strods past. his facs
was turned 10 me and 7 could read in il the
stern record Of 3 long conflict: Of vast respon-
shiities and years Of unceasing toll; a rugged
face enough. but the light Of victory in his eye.
He too had fought and won. Curiously enough
among the men I met at that time in Berlin the
nan who, Bismarck excepted seemed 10 have
most If the statesman in him. with the states
mans civic virtues and traits, was this Minister
Of War. Not because he vas Minister in the
sense in which an English Secretary Of State for
Var is Minister. The English War Minister is
never soldier: he is Parliamentary chief, end
his authority over the army denotes the suprem-
sey Of Parliament over the whole military hier-
srchy from oommander-in chief down TO the
drummer boy
But Of Parliamentary supremacy there had
been FOR these last four years in Prussia none
whatever. The Minister Of War vas not re-
sponsible 10 Parliament: he never has been; he
IS not now. He then responsible TO the
King Of Prussia. as he is now TO the German
Emperor. When. in Nav. 1853 the Chamber
protested 70 the King that the attitude OF the
Ministry 10 Parliament was arbitrary and uncon-
titutional Cas IL was). the King made answer
that the Ministry possessed his confidence. and
Gent the Parliament about its business. That IS.
ne prorogued Parliament; announced that he
would govern for the present without q Parlia-
Sent: and as matters did rot mend and the
Chamber again in December refused 20 vote a
war budget the King dissolved it. Parliarnen-
N-y government existed at that time in Prussia
under the constitution. but IN name only.
These reflections were cut short by the re-
opening of the door. and Count Bismarck en-
tered Still in uniform. nor did I ever see him
except IN uniform. whether in public or private,
tH visited him in his home at Friedrichsruh
N lSS3 when he wore a black frock coat and
BACK trousers. crowned. when he went out. by
soft, broad brimmed gray felt hat. quito
slepelesS He had. more than any man ever
met the manner Of the grand seigneur. IN
winch distinction OF bearing and a grave, even
eeolle' courtesy vent together He was sorry.
Ne SAID 70 have kept me waiting. but the busi-
less OF the state, you know. comes first. and
1iOush one crisis is over another succeeds and
" Know not yet what the end Is to be-" This
understood to refer not to Austria, for the
I'eaty OF Prague had been signed in August.
o0e 20 France, where the Emperor was brood
INC over his lost prestige and lost hold on South
Germany, and meditating demands
Nn-ch might compensate him for the loss OF the
pO"er Of meddiing with matters which were
none Of his business.