Prince Bismarck made his expected speech on foreign affairs to
the Reichstag on Monday. He spoke for two hours, and created such an impression that when he sat down, the Bill authorising a loan of 214,000,000 was passed without discus- sion. Two days after, moreover, the Military Bill, which adds 700,000 men to the Army, was swept through "in two minutes," the House refusing even to wait for the arrival of the Minister for War. It is a little difficult, nevertheless, to state the precise drift of the speech. Throughout there was an air of friendliness towards Russia strangely at variance both with the preparations and with some sentences in the speech itself. The Prince dwelt with emotion on the old relations between Russia and Prussia, recapitulated Prussia's services to her ally, declared that the Emperor Alexander had no bellicose intentions, and expressed his disbelief in the idea that Russia intended to attack. She wanted no more territory in the West. He acknowledged that Russia had a right to station her troops as she thought best, and repeated his old statement that Germany cared nothing about Bulgaria. He also declared that when the Treaty of Berlin was signed, it was intended to invest Russia with preponderant influence in that State, and offered, if Russia desired to see the intention of that Treaty carried out, to help her in making an application to the Sultan. He significantly added that "Germany would not support violent methods, or advise recourse to them," but pro- mised, if Russia would proceed diplomatically, to support her without paying any regard to "the aspirations of the Bulgarians." He did not believe that the interests of Russia gave her a war- like behest.
Previous page
