10. Essays from "Deutsche Wochenschrift"

The Week of March 1-7, 1888

Russia has had the opportunity to celebrate its first diplomatic victory in the Bulgarian question, and the German Chancellor has been able to fulfill the promise he made to the Tsar in his great Reichstag speech that he would support the Russian wishes at the High Porte. Turkey complied with the demand made by Mr. von Nelidov, which the ambassadors of Germany and France simultaneously recommended for acceptance, and the Grand Vizier reminded the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Mr. Stambulov, by telegraph that he had already informed the Prince on August 2 of the previous year. On August 2 of the previous year, the Grand Vizier had indirectly informed Prince Ferdinand that the Porte considered the Prince's presence in Bulgaria to be contrary to the treaty and therefore illegal. Since Mr. Stambulov was not in the dark about this, however, and since this academic view of Turkey is not likely to change the real situation in Bulgaria, everything is likely to remain the same, since neither Austria-Hungary, nor England, nor Italy have been moved to follow the step taken by Mr. Nelidov and his two comrades Radowitz and Montebello. It is possible that for the time being there will be a short lull, but it must not be considered beyond the realm of possibility that Russia will come forward with new concrete proposals, which could then easily bring the danger of war into the immediate vicinity. Count Herbert Bismarck, who had gone to England for some time, is said by some papers to have had the secret mission of making the Cabinet of St. James favorable to Russian wishes in the Bulgarian question, but it is hardly vouched for that the Imperial Chancellor, who in grim self-mockery called himself the fourth Russian plenipotentiary at the Berlin Congress, had now also entrusted his son, the German Secretary of State, with the business of a second Russian ambassador in London. If it already made a somewhat disconcerting impression that the German Empire, in its outwardly manifest Oriental policy, kept its distance from the principles that seemed to guide the foreign policy of the closely allied Austro-Hungarian Empire, the astonishment grew that at the Golden Horn the French ambassador always went together with those of the two Nordic empires. France, at least, seems to be taking a rather lively part in the competition for the Tsar's favor, and one of the monarchist members of the French Chamber of Deputies, the Orleanist Marquis de Breteuil, gave loud expression to this ambition at the beginning of the month in a great speech in which he praised the Tsar as the arbiter of Europe. The speech, whose political phantasmagoria deserved little importance, is remarkable only because the ideas developed by the royalist marquis, which were aimed at destroying the power of the German Empire, also met with lively applause among the republicans.

After long days, filled almost exclusively with the saddest news, a period of increasing hope for the German people now seems to have arrived with the final arrival of spring, which has brought the sunny weather to the lovely fields of San Remo, the healing power of which is expected to do so much, that it will now be possible to preserve the precious life of the crown prince at least for a considerable time. Of course, it would be quite inappropriate to indulge in a slight sanguine mood at this early stage. Prince Wilhelm, who had visited his father in the last few days, allegedly to inform him of the Emperor's wish that Friedrich Wilhelm should return to Berlin, has set off on his journey home again. The Crown Prince remains in Italy until further notice, according to the doctors' orders. Emperor Wilhelm is so affected by the excitement over the long, serious illness of his beloved son that he himself is confined to bed. Even if, according to the published reports, there is not yet any serious cause for concern, the Emperor's advanced age demands the most careful protection and abstention from all business. Thus the possibility has arisen that Prince Wilhelm will occasionally have to act as deputy for his grandfather and father, a task to which he was appointed by cabinet order at the end of the previous year. It is probably for this reason that a kind of lecture chamber has been formed for the Prince, in which the famous constitutional law professor and deputy Dr. Gneist and Privy Councillor von Brandenstein will have to deal with civil affairs and Major General von Wittich with military matters. Professor Gneist was appointed to this extremely important function at the suggestion of the Reich Chancellor.

In Serbia, the new elections for the dissolved Skuptschina have taken place and ended with a great victory for the Radicals, or the current Gruitsch Ministry.

Romanian Prime Minister Bratianu submitted a resignation for himself and his cabinet, which was accepted. The King entrusted the President of the Senate, Prince Ghika, with the formation of a new cabinet. The political consequences of this change of minister cannot be foreseen at present.