25. Essays from "Deutsche Wochenschrift"

The Week of June 14-20, 1888

When it was announced to the world on Friday the 15th that Emperor Frederick had died, a wave of profound emotion ran through the world. Everywhere it was felt what Frederick could have been to the German people if the treacherous illness had not prevented him. No one can hide the fact that this emperor on the throne would have represented an ethical greatness that would have given rise to the greatest hopes. Voices from all parts of the world are pouring in, expressing the deepest sympathy for the noble ruler. The funeral took place on Monday morning at ½II o'clock. Wilhelm II addressed the army for the first time after his accession to the throne. We will only highlight the most striking passages: "In the army, the firm, unbreakable allegiance to the warlord is the legacy that passes from father to son, from generation to generation; and I also refer to my grandfather, the image of the glorious and venerable warlord, as it cannot be thought of more beautifully and appealing to the heart; to my dear father, who already earned a place of honor in the army as crown prince... I vow to be mindful that the eyes of my ancestors look down upon me."

The proclamation of the new King of Prussia is reproduced here as his most important proclamation:

To my people! God's decree has once again imposed upon us the most painful mourning. Now that the tomb over the mortal remains of my unforgettable grandfather has barely closed, my beloved father's majesty has also been recalled from this temporality to eternal peace. The heroic energy arising from Christian submission, with which he was able to fulfill his royal duties despite his suffering, seemed to give room for the hope that he would remain with the Fatherland for a longer time. God decided otherwise. The royal sufferer, whose heart beat for all that was great and beautiful, was given only a few months to exercise on the throne the noble qualities of mind and heart that had won him the love of his people. The virtues that adorned him, the victories he once won on the battlefields, will be gratefully remembered as long as German hearts beat, and everlasting fame will glorify his chivalrous figure in the history of the Fatherland. Called to the throne of my fathers, I have taken over the government looking up to the King of all kings and have vowed to God, following the example of my fathers, to be a just and mild prince to my people, to cultivate piety and the fear of God, to protect peace, to promote the welfare of the country, to be a helper to the poor and afflicted, and a faithful guardian of justice. When I ask God for strength to fulfill these royal duties that his will imposes on me, I am supported by the trust in the Prussian people that the retrospect of our history grants me. In good days and in bad, the Prussian people have always been loyal to their King. I also count on this loyalty, the bond of which has proved unbreakable towards my fathers in every difficult time and danger, in the knowledge that I repay it wholeheartedly as the loyal prince of a loyal people, both equally strong in their devotion to the common fatherland. From this awareness of the reciprocity of love that binds me to my people, I take confidence that God will grant me the strength and wisdom to exercise my royal office for the good of the Fatherland. Potsdam, June 8, 1888, Wilhelm.

The Imperial Diet is convened by imperial decree on Monday, June 25. The Emperor himself will open it with a speech from the throne.

In Austria, it is the delegations that are currently the focus of political interest. It is worth mentioning above all the friendly and deeply political manner in which the alliance with Germany is being treated by the Hungarian statesmen, so that Count Kalnoky could rightly say that it had hardly happened before that an act of state concluded in secret had been brought into the public eye in this way and welcomed with such universal approval. Reference was also made to the importance of the alliance with Italy, and it must certainly also give satisfaction that Kalnoky was able to say that the conclusion of the last trade treaty with that empire, which placed trade relations on a secure footing, had shown how the leading Italian statesman, Crispi, was directing policy with energy and enlightened understanding towards the closest possible union of his country with Germany and Austria-Hungary. With regard to the political situation in Europe, we have probably learned nothing new. Count Kalnoky also emphasized that none of the causes which last winter and earlier had made peace appear endangered had diminished. The concerns arise not only from the conditions on the Balkan peninsula, but rather from the general Eutopean situation, from the balance of power in the individual states and the profound differences of opinion not so much between the cabinets as between the populations. As far as Bulgaria was concerned, Austria-Hungary's sympathy for Prince Ferdinand was clear enough, and the only obstacle to official recognition of the latter by the Monarchy was the fact that Turkey, which was entitled to take the initiative, had not yet done so. - During the discussion of the war budget, Reich Minister of War Bauer emphasized that in future more care should be taken in the training schools to cultivate the Hungarian language among officers, but that this should not be detrimental to the common army language. The ordinance was approved unanimously.

The reception that the Austrian Crown Prince and Princess received throughout Bosnia was extremely gratifying.

According to the latest news, Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria is likely to settle the Popov affair in a manner favorable to the latter. The ministers seem to agree with the Prince's will, and there can no longer be any talk of a cabinet crisis. The Prince departs with Princess Clementine for Philippopel, where Prime Minister Stambulov awaits him.

The run-off elections in Belgium gave the Catholics all eight seats in the Senate and one in the Chamber.

In Madrid, a ministerial crisis took place as a result of differences between the influential Marshal Martinez Campos and the Minister of War, whose military reform was opposed by the latter. The newly formed Sagasta cabinet declared in the Chamber that it only wanted to be a continuation of the previous one.