The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-31

form Of Calumny, since IL nearly Always |
leaves an unpleasant impression upon
those who have been made acquainted
herewith.
None is safe from malignant i'm
putatlons OF this kind. Much of the UNI
popularity Of Empress Frederick in the
land of her adoption was due to the |
charges openly made by Prince Bis
marck to the effect that in the war or
1870 she had done incalculable harm
by betraying German military and state
secrets to her relatives In England |
through whom they reached the enemy |
and that he had in consequence thereof
been obliged to keep her consort, the
then Crown Prince, in the dark on all
matters of Importance There was not
the shadow of foundation for these |
stories, which were prompted solely by |
the old Chancellors almost insane ha-
tired Of Empress Frederick. whom he |
REGARDED as his most powerful adver-
sary and whose political influence in |
Germany he was determined To destroy |
when last autumn the gay and pleas |
IRE loving Grand Duchess Marie Paw |
luvna Of Russia parted from her hus-
hand. lrnce William of Sweden from |
whom she has since obtained divorced, |
the Swedish newspapers became so en- |
ragged by her uncomplmentary and sar-
castle descriptions Of the intolerable |
GREATNESS of life at Stockholm that |
they went to the length of publicly ac-
cusng her of having betrayed Swedish
state secrets particularly those OF
military character to the Muscovite en-
Voy accredited to the court of her
father-in law. King Gustave.
And now popular sentiment in Spain
is wrought up by the recent assertion
contained in a leading organ Of the
Partisan press to the effect that the
late Marquise de Los Castelijos. |
Duchess Of Prim. the universally VEN
Grated widow of the dictator. Juan
prim, was the paid secret agent and
SPY of Germany at Madrid up to the
time Of her celebrated husbands assas- |
snaton. 1t is added that Bismarck,
being anxious to provoke France into
declaring that war upon Prussia, which
was necessary in order to unite all the
other sovereign States of Germany into
one empire for purpose of defence,
caused her to persuade Marshal prim to
tender the crown of Spain to Prince
Leopold Of Hohenzolern.
That France invaded German terri
tory in 1870 owing to this HohcnZollcrn
canddature To the throne of Spain. and
thus inauCurated the sanguinary con-
nct which was to cost h r the loss of
n matter of history. But neither Bis
marck nor the Duchess of Prim had
anything to do with the original sug-
geston Of the name of Prince Leopold
OF Hohenzollern as a suitable King for
Spain. True, Bismarck under the guise
OF brutal frankness was the most
Machiavellian statesman of his day and
was quick TO take advantage OF the
Hohenzollern candidature as soon as he
heard about the matter. But he had
no share in its origin nor did the
Duchess Of Prim play any role in the
affair.
The author of the charges against the
Duchess of Prim, who bases them on
information which he processes to have
received from Louis Neuillot and Sir
Roland Blennerhasset (both of them
dead. and who declares that William
Waldorf Aston has in his possession
documentary evidence in support there
of (Which I venture to doubt, can
scarcely have been acquainted with the
Duchess For one of the reasons for
the profound respect which she enjoyed
until her demise was the fact that she
had always remained completely aloof
from the political enterprises and con-
troversics in which her husband had
played so important a role, living in the
'h'SN iil'htSN fashion,
even when he occupied the highest
Offices in the land. and devotlng herself
wholly and entirely to her home and
her children.
The idea Of her having accepted
money from the German Government
in payment of her services in influencing
her husbands policies and for acting as
secret agent of Prince Bismarck seems
as ridiculous to any one who had the
honor of her acquaintance or of her
friendship as the intmation that she
was terribly eXtravaGant and always
i'm need of funds, no matter from what
source. Indeed II Is difficult to con-
ceive what possible object there could
have been for this altogether unjustifi-
able attack upon her memory.
All the sympathies of Marshal Prim
and also of the Duchess in 1870 were
as matter of fact with France rather
than with Prussia, and it was owing
to the Marshal that Spain turned a
deaf ear to the proposals made by
Bismarck, through Count Rascon, then
Spanish Amba ssador at Berlin, that the
Madrid Government should mass troops
on the Pyrenees to necessitate the
despatch by France of an army Ia
guard her southern frontier, promising
that in return for this diversion by
Spain in favor of Germany the latter
would, II victorious, secure for Spain
an increase in territory in Europe and
in northern Africa, besides Guaran-
teeing to her the possession of her
colonies. These offers of Bismarck may
be seen by references to the dispatches
which passed between the Spanish AM
bassador at Berlin and his Government
at Madrid in 1870, many of which are
in print. Frances defeat in 1870 and
her losses of territory would have
been still greater had Prim been willing
to lend an ear to Germany's offer in
stead of showing his sympathies with
France by refraining from creating any
trouble or anxiety for her along the
Pyrenees.
The origin Of Prince Leopolds fatefu
candidature to the throne OF Spain was
Of an entirely different nature and came
from a source OF which contemporary
history knows thus far but little. 1t
came from Nine. Cornu, foster sister
of Napoleon Ill, who throughout his
aynrpisnA nrhi par tn