DEATH OF PRINCE BISMARCK.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 322, 2 August 1898, Page 2

DEATH OF PRINCE BISMARCK.

PASSED PEACEFULLY AWAY. (i:y ELECTRIC telegraph-copyright)' (Received August 1, 0.25 p.m.) Berlin, July 31. Prince Bismarck died peacefully at eleven o'clock on Saturday night. Prince Bismarck Sciicxhauskx was born in 1815, at Sehonhausen. He entered the army and became subsequently a lieutenant in the Lmdwehr. He became a member of the Diet of the province of .Saxony in 1840, and in the following veir of tlie General Diet, and made hun-;elf remarkable by the boldness of.hia speeches. Ou one occasion he said all large cities should he swept from the f»ca of the earth, because they were the centres of democracy and constitutionalism. In 1851 he entered the diplomatic service and was intrusted with the legstiou of Frankfort. In 1859 Bismarck was suit an Ambassador to St. Petersburg, which post he held till 1802. In that year he was appointed to Paris. After the close of the aggressive war waged by Prussia and Austria against Denmark, BismarcU theu thought the time had arrived for carrying out his project of making Prussia the real head of Germany. He completed his preparation for another aggressive war, and in alliance with Italy in a campaign of a few weeks' duration Austria and her allies' were defeated. It is piobable that dread of a still more powerful alliance induced Bismarck to stop short in his career of victory. The Emperor Napoleon, in his speech to the French Chambers, declared that he had arrested the conqueror at the gates of Vjenna He lost no time in turning to account the victory gained over Austria by Prussia and iu advancing his great scheme for the unification of Germany. Provinces and kingdoms were at once annexed. The free town of Frankfort received a Prussian garrison iu sp'te of the protests of the population. Hanover was incorporated in the Germanic confederation, and at the closi of the year, 1860, Bismaick succeeded in concluding with Bavaria, Baden and Wurtcmberg treaties of peace and of alliances, offensive and delensive, with a provisco that in the event of war the King of Prussia should have the chief military command. In 18G7, Bismarck organised the North German Confederation, which comprised 22 States, lepresenting a population of 29,000,000. The King cf Prussia was at its head, and a Federal Council composed of delegates of the different States was established together with a diet or Common Parliament, the members of which were elected by manhood suffrage. The new Federal Constitution was adopted by the Prussian Chamber in June. The Luxemburg Question now gave nso to serious differences between the French and Prussian Governmeuts, and Bismarck strenuously opposed the cession by Holland of that Province to France. Eventually it was settled by the Luxemburg territory being neutralised and the fortresses dismantled. In IS6B ill-health compelled Bismarck to retire from public life for a short period, but he returned to Berlin in October of that year and resumed the direction of affairs. Iu July, 1870, it trauspired that General Prim had sent a deputation to Prussia to offer the crown of Spain to Prince Leopold.of rioheuzollem. The French people became much agitated at this, and their leading statesmen declared that France would never consent to a Prussian Prince sitting on that throne, and explanations were demanded of the Berlin Cabinet. It was alleged by Bismarck that the King of Prussia gave his consent to tlie acceptance of the crown by the Prince only as the head of the Hohenzolleru family, and not as an act of Government. A few days afterwards the withdrawal of the Prince's candidature was announced, but, iu spite of this, Frauce declared war against Prussia, and the campaign began. Bismarck accompanied the King throughout the campaign, and after the capitulation of Paris he dictated the terms of peace, which were adopted by the Assembly theu sitting at Bordeaux. He succeeded in uniting Germany, and in January, 1871, he had the satisfaction of seeing King William crowned Emperor of Germany in the palace of the French Kings at Versailles. He was then appointed Chaucellor of the German Empire, and Mas shortly afterwards raised to the rank of Priuce. Bismarck presided over the Congress of the representatives of the great Powers assembled in Berlin to discuss the provisions of the Treaty of St. Stephano. He has striven to found a German Colonial Empire, but only small success has attended his efforts ; but as a' result German trade has been spread over the world, His foreign policy has been to strengthen the Austro-German Alliance and to secure the Czar against any temptation that Frauce might offer for the formation of a Frano-Russiau Alliance against Germany. The Prince retired into private lifeiuj\larch,lß9o, wdien the Premier conferred upon him the title of Duke of Leuenbcrg. After his retirement it became known that deep personal differences had arisen between him and the Emperor and that the Exchancellor felt an aggrieved party. He became leader of a kind of ultraPrussian opposition to William 11., and in 1892 stooil for the Reichstag and was returned. He frequently allowed himself to bD interviewed by the Press, aud his criticisms on the Government were severe. This was allowed to pass until a paper published the instructions sent to the various Prussian embassies at the time of his retirement in 1890. The Emperor then deprecated the attachment of "Any practical importance to the press publications purporting to reproduce Bismarck's views," and further announced that the Prince " would never regain any influence iu the conduct of public affairs." He nevertheless continued to severely criticise the conduct of Government iu papers which he controlled. The Emperor Frederick's diary, published in 1888, seims to deprive Prince Bismarck of the glory of having originated the idea of German unity, the late Emperor claiming to have proposed this policy in the face of much opposition from the ex-Chancel lor. In Priuce Bismarck has passed away one of the men who has taken a very leading part, in making history during the nineteenth century. He was a clever, bold, and unscrupulous statesman.