The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-15
THE ARCHENEMY
 OF LIBERTY

Of all the statesmen of the nine teenth century who sought to stay the tide which swept humanity toward liberty and democracy, per haps the most pow erful and ablest
 was Prince Clemens Wenzeslaus Met ternich, who for nearly 40 years was the prime minister and real ruler of Austria and the arch enemy of nb- erty in Europe. The spirit of Met ternich is still powerful in Europe; for he stood for the divine rights of kings, and the complete subjectfon Of the masses Compared with Metter- mich, Napoleon himself was 8 friend of freedom and popular enlighten- ment.
 This is the Hard anniversary of the birth of Metternich, and his birthday is still observed by the Austrian reac- tionaries who cling to the outworn ideals which he labored so nightly to perpetuate Metternich was born at Cob1entz on May IS, 1773, the son of Rhenish noble who held high office in the Austrian court. His first important service was performed when he was barely past 30. Austria, Russia and Great Britain had united against Napoleon, and Metternich, as Austrian amba assa dor at Berlin, was given the task of winning over the Prussian ruler to the coalition. He failed in this, but he gained 1aurels from defeat, and in 1909 he was made the first minister of Austria. He en- gfneered the marriage between Napo- leon and Marie Louise of Austria, to save his country from further fnva- sion by the ambitious Corsican, but all the time he was plotting for the final overthrow of the French em- peror.
 When the teMan of Destiny'' had at last been overthrown, Metternich ap- peared in the guise of the leader of European conservatism. An aristo- crat by birth and nature, he was for the greater part of his career the very incarnation of reactionarys Aus trfa. He stood for absolute monarch teal government and, while he ad- naitted that England and France might have to submit to constitu- tionaI government, he declared that for the remainder of Europe every vestige of liberalism must be crushed out. He led in the movement by which Austria and Prussia joined. forces to put an end to the freedom of the press and the liberty of the universities. He induced the Prus- sian king to break his promise to es- tablish national representation. He initiated and carried out a system of repression and persecution by which, for the time being. every; voice favor ing liberalism and constitutionalisnn in Germany was si1enced. When King Ferdinand of Naples was forced to accept a sMGLL0TulCh 1A- dueed Prussia and Russia to join with Austria in note to the Neapolitans inf orming them that the powers would not permit the constitution to exist. An Austrian force was sent against Naples. When the Greeks l rose in rebellion against Turkey, l Metternich used all his powers to en- compass the defeat of the Hellenic l patriots The moral support of Eng l land and America enabled the Greeks to win. Metternfch attributed the l Greek. victory to the aid of Canning, the British statesman, and attached l him in language extraordinary for it's violence.
 $ After 1880 Metternich lost his power over other states, but he con tinued to hold almost absolute sway over Austria until the revolution of 1848. That rebellion was directed 1 principally against Metternich, and | when the aged statesman, deserted byf his colleagues fled for his life from Vienna, concea1ing himself in a laun- l dry cart, the people thought he vic- | tory was won Francis Joseph, suc- to the throne, ruth1essly re- pressed the insurrectiop, revoked the constitution he shad been, forced to | grant, and maintained the principles1 and practices of Metternich for many years. NIetternich died in 1859, hay- | ing lived to see the beginning of the end of that a.bso1utism which he had spent his long life in defending.