Omaha daily bee., 1910-08-13
WN1s he Germa
Ehfn0C V0m want IN MmnW
@O~ UNAS ~ anu" ton of Empire.

| The revolution OF 1S4S succeeded in fore
ing the king Of Prussia to concede a con-
5ltution, but II did not leave the people
with sufficient power TO compel respect for
It. The Prussian government permitted
the maintenance OF constitutional forms,
put proceeded TO act as II II were an
autocratc despotism. The Austrian govern
ment also revoked the concessions made to
the revolutionists, and the smaller German
states readily followed the example Con-
stitutions were withdrawn or modified and
there was great popular discomfort Dur
ing this period the German emigration
increased rapidly, and the United States
received from Germany a great number of
sturdy German liberals who could no longer
brook conditions in their own country
These immigrants became a great source
Of strength to the American union in the
trying period Of the civil war and the sub
sequent era Of development. The German
nation appeared to be dying.
But the dawn of a brighter day for Ger
many was at hand. In 1857 King Frederick
William ~ lost his mind and his brother
the prince OF Prussia, was appointed
regent. The prince at once set to work to
develop a scheme for the reorganization Of
the Prussian army which would put into
general use the military principles insti-
tuted by Scharnhorst He had the power
full aid Of Won Moltke. The old king died
in 1861 and his brother succeeded him under
the title of William 1.
As prince regent, William had attempted
to force through the Diet his expensive
army reform scheme, but as the money was
to be raised by land tax. the prince was
deserted by his friends, the aristocrats, and
the measure was lost. A new Diet was
elected about the time William came to the
throne, in which the liberals had a great
majority. The Diet was determined TO end
the army scheme once for all. II also in
sisted upon many other liberal concessions
from the throne and was disposed to he
extremely truculent.
The king had his heart set on the plan to
reorganize the army. 1t was at this stage
that, in September, 1852. he sent for Otto
Won Bismarck. In their interview the king
laid before Bismarck his plans for abdica-
tion saying that his convictions forbade
him to relinquish his army program, and
that there was nothing else for him to do
in view of the attitude of the Diet. Bis
marck instantly said THAT shall never
be allowed to come" Bismarck told the
king that he could accomplish his desires
despite the liberal opposition. He then ac-
cepted the ministry, without a majority of
the Diet and without power to form a
Budget. 1t was a bold thing to do, but
Bismarck was a bold man.
The next week Bismarck went into the
Diet and made what proved to be the
most significant speech ever delivered in
Germany. He told the deputies that liberal
ism was not for Prussians; that Germany
admired Prussia for its power and not for
its democracy; that Prussians were too
highly cultured and too hypercrihcal to
tolerate a constitution; that IL was the
mission OF Prussia to lead Germany, and
that to fulfill this mission Prussia must
consolidate its might. He said that it was
we'll enough for Bavaria, Wurttemberg
and Baden to indulge in liberalism and
democracy, for they never could play the
role of Prussia. He told them that Prus-
sia's boundaries were not conductive to it's
integrity as a sovereign state, and in
timated that they must be expanded and
that Germany ought to be united under the
aegis Of Prussia. He then said: mot by
speeches and resolutions OF maJorities are
the mighty problems Of the age to be
solved-that was the mistake OF 1913 and
1S49-they must be solved by blood and
iron.''
6lSmarck olu not REGARD eltneT tue
speeches or the resolutions Of the Diet, and
the army reforms were carried forward
in defiance of the constitution. The world
did not then know, but Bismark the diplo-
matte, Won Moltke the stategist, and Won
Room the organizer, were at that moment
engaged in perfecting the details Of the
most powerful political and military ma
chine the world ever had seen.
The first opportunity to test the efficiency
of the new machine came in 1868 in \
quarrel with Denmark over the succession
to the ducal throne of Schleswig- H olstein.
Bismarck craftily induced Austria to join
him, and in 1864 the Prussians and Aus
TRANS together fought Denmark. and con-
quered schleswig- Holstein and portion
of Jutland. Bismarck intended to annex
| the territory to Prussia, Austria intended
| To keen IL neutral. The Joint occupation