The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-07-23 00:00:00

THE WAR.

8? Swirling's DAT, IE7O, will be memorable in European
simnel& The hopes of human progress, the belief in the
honour of rulers and in the jthtice of notions, have received
the heaviest blow. It has been shown that a war can be
wade naernly to with fy t'm savage cravings of excitement and
equ'•iLi•ni. it has been shown that an Emperor, the states-
gitm woo surround him, the Legislature which controls his
fictu, and the entire people which bestowed and maintains
his throne are not afraid to stand before the world as
aggre dors. Without the shadow of a wrong to allege they are
about to plunge the world into a war of whieh no man can see
the end. We need talk no more now of Marsml Prim
or the Prince of liohenz illern. The French have taken
advantain, cf an unliauky intrigue, if such it nmy be
to gratify an insane hatred of Prusda, and their
warlike fury when once aroused could not he assuaged
vrea by the removal of its cause. ilovrever, there is
evgry reams to rejoice tlmt our Government, supported
by pnble opinion in the country, so far slael with France
as to press the renunciation of Prince Leopold. Dad this
not been done, had the Prince maintained his prete, stone
and the Spanish Government its design of elmting him, the
I Tench would have had a plausible excuse for the outrage
they have now committed The affront would not have
ben retracted, the alleged lancer would have still remained'
Thee:eh no reasonable man could have admitted thet matters
at their worst constituted a ground of hostilities yet a Declas-
ration of War might have be I ita apologists even beyond the
liraiti of ?rave 3. This is now Impossible At the represen-
tation of neutral end filentiD Powers every grievance 01 which
France could c'mplain hes been removed, and there remains
positively nnthing that could furnish forth materials for a de-
cent Proclamation. The shouting crowd on the B ielevords
cares little for this: it knows nothing of European opinion, and
has no respect for any rights that cermet be enforced by the
sword. But that tee }:nperot's Government, the Senate,
and the Charnher should he eqaally callous, equally (accost-
ble events the propri.ties of intertiatianal usage, ins matter
foe weeder and for ,he deepest reeret. From their own acts
and utterances we perceive that it is so. 81. Itouher's words
to the Emperor on tiaturday will be long remembered.
Your Majesty," he says "was able to wait, but has occu-
pied the last four years In perfecting the armament and the
organisation of the country.' Even those who are prepared
tor roost things may wonder at the audacity of the avowal
which these words contain. They intimate what the
world might indeed, suspect, but did not think woeid
he thus Shamelessly avowed, that France and her
Ruler have only awaited the conclusion of their own pre-
Perations to force a quarrel on the enemy After this, is
there not something ludicrous in the complaint of M. 011ivier
that "the armaments of Prussia had already commenced on
the 14th inst. l" We most be content now to believe that the
European States have as yet so little perfected their political
system that one of their number can entail another and
threaten the general peace without thinking it necessary
to pay to morality the decent homage of a plausible ex-
cuse

There is no hostility [on the part of England] to France,
bet teero is an indist.ation beyond parallel at her present
act It is only fourteen years duce the Treaty of Faris was
supposed to offer now euarant•pcs for tastier peace, anti to
encourage a hither t no of International morality. Bat a
war such as their h.rharous ancestors might hive waged
fifteen hnndred years or has beet planned in the capital
of the French people, where in 1,56 the most elevated doc-
trines were expressed concerning the criminality and the
needleqmess of an appeal to arms, and there woo a general
understnnding that tha last aronnent should not be
resorted to until the family of Emsusean States, wtech
then met solemnly after the lapse of forty years,
had estpfriered end advised on the cause of quarrel.
The war.fiend whist laugh to think how eredly such restraints
are evaded Arbitration, moderation, good offices, and no
forth are eff -ctive when neither party is in earnest. Then the
whole machinery of friendly interference may be net In
motion by diplomatist., and that resoectable fraternity may
pride themselves on havieg composed a quarrel which was
never for a momtnt minus. But to stop a war which Is
suede notion account s-,f an injury, but for itself and the
booty it will bring, is beyond the power of the Eeropean
c ommunity Negoti sties most, Indeed, in decency
precede awn., but negotiation now Is a matter of days and
even of hones. The Ilimase outruns any remedy that cm be
applied to it —The Times, Monday.