Prince Bismarck deals with his Ireland in a different way
from us. On Thursday he delivered a speech of two hours to the Prussian Chamber, in which he justified the recent expulsions of 35,000 Poles from East Prussia, declared that he would Germanise the Polish provinces, and announced that if no other means would do, he would buy out the Polish landlords under an Expropriation Bill, and let their land to German tenants. The grant of constitutional privileges to Poles, he said, had only increased their disaffection ; they linked themselves with every rebellious faction; and the Government had resolved to bring the struggle to an end by expelling all Poles not subjects of the Monarchy, and introducing Germans. "We must show that we stand on feet not of clay, but of iron." The "Minister would be a coward who did not risk his head to save his country, in despite even of the will of a majority." The speech, which was a sort of declaration of war on Poles, was received with enthu- siastic cheering and audible hissing; but there is said to be no doubt that the Chamber will approve the expulsions. If Prince Bismarck will read English history a little, he will find that his scheme is an old one,—that we have " planted " Ireland three times, and that the total result has been hopeless failure.
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