The event naturally much increased Bismarck’s dislike to the entourage of the Prince.  There was indeed a considerable number of men, half men of letters, half politicians, who were glad to play a part by attaching themselves to a Liberal Prince; they did not scruple to call in the help of the Press of the foreign countries, especially of England, and use its influence for the decision of Prussian affairs.  Unfortunately their connections were largely with England; they had a great admiration for English liberty, and they were often known as the English party.  This want of discretion, which afterwards caused a strong prejudice against them in Germany, was used to create a prejudice also against England.  People in Germany confused with the English nation, which was supremely indifferent to Continental affairs, the opinions of a few writers who were nearly always German.  For many years after this, the relations between Bismarck and the Crown Prince were very distant, and the breach was to be increased by the very decided line which the Crown Prince afterwards took with regard to the Schleswig-Holstein affair.

The event shewed that Bismarck knew well the country with which he was dealing; the Press ordinances were not actually illegal, they were strictly enforced; many papers were warned, others were suppressed; the majority at once changed their tone and moderated their expression of hostility to the Government.  In England, under similar circumstances, a host of scurrilous pamphlets have always appeared; the Prussian police were too prompt for this to be possible.  The King refused to receive the addresses; an order from the Home Office forbade town councils to discuss political matters; a Buergermeister who disregarded the order was suspended from his office; public meetings were suppressed.  These measures were successful; the discontent remained and increased, but there was no disorder and there were no riots.  Great courage was required to defy public opinion, but with courage it could be defied with as much impunity as that of the Parliament.  Englishmen at the time asked why the people did not refuse to pay the taxes; the answer is easy:  there would have been no legal justification for this, for though, until the estimates had been passed, the Ministers were not legally enabled to spend a farthing of public money, the taxes could still be levied; they were not voted annually; once imposed, they continued until a law was passed withdrawing them.  The situation, in fact, was this, that the Ministry were obliged to collect the money though they were not authorised in spending it.  To this we must add that the country was very prosperous; the revenue was constantly increasing; there was no distress.  The socialist agitation which was just beginning was directed not against the Government but against society; Lassalle found more sympathy in Bismarck than he did with the Liberal leaders.  He publicly exhorted his followers to support the Monarchy against these miserable Bourgeois, as he called the Liberals.  Except on the one ground of the constitutional conflict, the country was well governed; there was no other interference with liberty of thought or action.