Secret Associations.
The Times, 1824-07-07T00:00:00

ln 'canseqmlence of the re3 do1.ni respecting thettnivergtkies taken y the Rirg of Ptussia on the 21st ult., various circalard were ad- dresstd to the AMinisters of Pablic Instruction and Police, and other re,-lations to the officers of the unlversties In that frorn the Ml. nuster of police, toh iliaGovernment Commissioners in the several PruS 2iurdersities, dated the 4th tnst., there is the following view Of the SeCre; Associations:- " It is known to you, Sir, that the laws enacted in 1819, against the secret rz3odatioz13 in the universites, and cspeclallyagainst Vhatis caled the Burschensebaft, havesnot brought b aek the yoaths in the academies to due obedience. These latter societies have rhOt OnlY misntained - themsdves, but have even. constituted theselves in a more illegal and dangerous manner. Since theear 1821, numbers of this pernicious association have travel- led tlronug Germany and Switzerland for the purpose of strength- emn;i and consolidating, partly in violation of their word of honour. PaTtly under false names, have held secret assembliqs and formed aunnexionerwith foreign rebels, and given to their own association a revolutionary and treasonable iirection and basis. The ttaces of tbese intrigues, wbich became more and more dangerous, could not eCCaPe the police or be overlooked by it. By persevering attention. it has succeeded, by means of a thorongh investigation, carried on hiic Decermber (last year) at Coepenick and Berlinm and since conti- riued by a r-iminal coart appointed by the King. fully to discoYer tha dangerous, pernicious tendencies, and ramification of this sys- tem Of secretassociation; and the investigations made in other Ger. mnan States have led to similar results. " According to the documents of this investigation, and the an. nered c-nfeesion of several htundred pardcipatora in these Intrigues, the secrt associations in several German universities have received, since 1821, the tollowing organization:- " At the head of it was a close secret society, not merely for the Team passed at the universitv, but particularly for the succeeding re- lationw in eivd life. It was closely connected with revolutionecy so- cieties in Franrce, Italr, and Switzerland, from which it proceeded; its object vas rothing less than the overthrow of the political con- stituationexsistng in Germany,andamong tleineans of attaining this obiect, -were the exdting of discontent, insurrection, and re- veluton, assassination of the enemies of the society, implicit Obed!encc to unknown sutperiors, the nullity of the oath taken to -he Goernments, the admission of perjury towards them, the use of arms, and t1,e greatest possible diffusion of the principles of the -ssWiation. The members of the latter had vowed fidelity and obedience to it and its objects, with a corporal oath, and had di- vided Gfermany with reference to the soctety,into ten circles, each of which bed its chief; he hekl from time to time secret meetings; n the univerriti es of gall e, Leipsic, Jana, Gottingen, Erlangen, WVurtzburg, Hleidelhurg, Tubingen, and Freyburg, there were sepa- rredivisions of members of the Society, who maintained a con- nstnt correspondence with those who had already quitted the univer- sitv. Fiom the strict secrecy observed in this society, and because the members themselves were probably not aU known to each other, onIv something rmore than a hundred members of this association could be discovered, pattly in universities partly occupyng already Public situations; among whom are five birectors of Circles, who 'a.e been subjected to an investigation, partly here, partly in other German States. One of the chief objects of this society was espe. cialy, by the means of the general Burschenschaft (a body of stu. dentsa, to spread the principles of the society among the youth, gra. dually tcs;in them over to the purpeses of the society, and thus to bring the Burschenschaft under its direction, anid to employ it as a rreanrs i promnote its treasonable plang. "a, crimindl direction of the Burschenscliaft was according to the follUring gradations :_Immediately under theabove-mentioned revolutionary society were the secret atnions of the Burschenschaft, consisting partly of members of the society, partly of other memabers of the Bnrschenschaft,to which last the Secret Society, and the parti. cipation of the other members in it, vwere unknown. The object of these secret unions was, partly to keep up and direct the Burschen. schaf; pa*rtly the development, dissemnination, and consolidation of the principles of the society: they were the preparatory school for tbe latter, and eniploved themselves with the theory of those prin- ciples and efforts which it was the end of the society to enforce and efecute Another use of them was, that the society formed future members and became acquainted with them. These secret unions had common nectings every year, and were divided for that parpose into two union branches: Halle, Jena, Leipsic, and Cstdinzen for North Germany; Erlingen WVurtzburg, Tu- bingee, Heideburg and Frevburg for south ;Germany. These two branches, entire'ly coindding in principles, held common meet- ings; the encmal meetings were comnbined with what were called the general m eetings of the young men. 'In ench of thece universities, the Burschscnchaft was under the secret direction of these unions. Of the members of the secret urions, which latter were unknown, some were always in the di- rection. to the other niembcis of which the unions were unknown. The unions were to the Burschenschaft in the'same relation as the secret soiety to the unions. The first outlines of thc ob. jects, wbich, with especial reference to Germany, were theore- tically created in the secret unions, and for the practice of wh'eh the secret society was formed, was this :-Equality liberty, unyty, in their indefinite and therefore dangerous tendency, developed in the body of students, and the individual members gamed to re. C-ive them. It is proved that the reading societies did great mischief in this respec In these circles there were generally the in- di'idual members of the society, and of the unions, and partlvalso or the Burschenschaft, in common with a small numnber of mnembers of the lafter and books real and commented upon, which were calculated to disseminate the principles of the Society especially t,e notorious lectures of Luden upon Politics; and degrees weresobserveda nmpngthestudents according to their proficiei)cy. in those principles. Thus, for instance, last year, in thc first course of reading at Halle, the writings of Fries, Luden, John, &c., were read in the second, the Constitution of the Spanish Cortes, and the C,ommentaries on it. " Hence it appears that the whole- studious youth of Germany, with respect to political sentiments, and attachment to the Prince, country, and constitution, and with regard to hatred to all existing institutions, and the vain illusion of (being called upon to improve and overthrow them, was under the immediate influence of a Secret Revolutionary Society, which united in itself the complete existence ofliih tremson,arid admitted the most violent means. This influence was k'i s'c, as this tecret society not only had members in all the decrees of the abovementioned revolutionary hierarchy but used to assemble some time before the general meetings, in arder to prepare those resolutions vhich shouldbetaken at those meetings, and published by it as laws to all the several bodies of students. " This, according to the documents, was the state of the Secret Associations from the b ningof 1821 to the end of last year; and I will give you, with pieasure, anv further Information which msy be particularly interesting to you." Y~~~~CRZ2~~~~~~~ A~~~~~OCIAT1OZ~~~~~~~~~~~~~7~~~.~