The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-22 00:00:00

ADDRESS TO THE ENGLISH PEOPLE

ON BEHALF OF FRANCE.

M. Arl2,Dufour, Vice-President of the Interna-
tional Peace League, has iikued the following ad-
dress :

to the People of Great Britain. Lyons, 12th October,
1070.—1, • simple citiz Ai, venture to make an appeal to the
13 mpathies of the E uolih people on behalf of an unfortunate
but faithful ally, whose feeling of brotherhood ha. been
cemen,ed on the field of battle and developed in
the fields of labour. To justify the boldness of this appeal,
I call to remembrance my constant though modeet
participation In all the steps of economical and pacific
progress accomplished by England from the time of
Mader Huddle= o.On to the Treaty of Comoro.

am honoured by the illustrious mea who have directed and
secured the realisation of this progress, and with whom I
have worked to found the great and holy International
League of Peace. Great people, lift up your powerful and
sympathetic voice to enlighten the civilised world on the
cruelty and danger of ruthlessly pursuing a war whlch,
according to the words of the conqueror himself, was
directed not against the people of France, but against the
man •ho waa to blame for provoking it. lie who
was to blame has fallen, and yet the war Ls carried
on more pitilessly than ever against this good and
brave people. It is continued by the conqueror In the
name of God. To bring it to an end France does not
ask you to shed your blood in remembrance of the blood
she gave for you in the Crimes, but she asks for your active
sympathy, such as &fortunate brother should at least give to
• brother In trouble. Awake, stir up those of your Ministers
whom our disasters have been so slow to move. Tell them
tilat • day may come when misfortune may be knocking at
your doors, and when you will regret the friend, the faith-
ful ally whom you allowed to be crushed. I heartily pray
that so cruel a day may never dawn on Great Britain
and it. noble people—Aries-Dufour, Vice-President of the
International and Permanent League of Peace. President
alike Lyons Committee of Succour for the Victims of the
War.

The Tiny% in a leader, thus notices the appeal:—
_..- - -

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The appeal of M. Arlin-Detfour to ch. people of Great
Britain, cannot be read without respeA and equip: thy. The
name of the is liter commands our respect; thc "%bled
matter of his appeal enlists our sympathy. IL. iil°s foal'
is a men of a type not wholly unknown animist oclreelves.
but yet 80 rarely pruented lug observation that the fact
of its existence may bay, times be c •erTholeed. Ardent
yet practical, of an erw...icastle, 'temperament yet with
a conecientious attentien to. fact., 1 • exhibits the
rare combination of a large beehive eepeilty with an
unhesitetiug faith it the w arilretiocs of social
and political pre. t..,s It in not me.ely thet he gives
away nubbly the money he vit r.e In Wade ; he has for more
than forty yeaes associated io neil pereonatly with the most
farreaching efforts for the improvement of the world. He
Is the greatest silk merchant of Lyoes and has dreams of
human perfectibility which be hi. +Ai as if they were aner.
tsieeii realities, lie is known to a 'cats class of Englishmen
through the monthly circulars irom his firm, treat-
! log ad the course of trade in silk, which are rept-
! larly quoted in our City Articles. To a totally dif-
ferent claim he Is known as one of the survivors of
the small band which hung on the teaching of Pere }Mantle),
as one who stakes his faith Its the ideas of his muter for
the re-organisation of society. This mien of business and
benevolence, of mastery over the mysteries of trade and of
devotion to the mysteries of an heat life, may to some
extent be understood by Its resemblance to the career of
such a man is the late Joseph Sturge, although the dif-
ference between the English and French character, between
the doctrines of Pere &dentin and the Society of Friends,
will 'weigh many points of Contrast between the pair.
What has M. A rlDs Dufour to ask of the people of Great
Britain Ile aslu unto raise our voice against the prolong.:
Lion of the wee which is making his country desolate, to
plead against a further effusion of blood. He melees this sp-
peal in the simple confidence which eprings from a convic-
tion that he seek. no more then he has • right to claim in
the Dame of justice; but be excuse what may appear to be
forwardness on his part by a modest reference to
the past. He asks for the synipathies of England
on behalf of a people who have been the allies of
England on the field of battle, and her associates in the
development of induatry. Ile has had the boldness, be
says, to take so much upan himself, hoping he might plead
his modest but unceasing share In all the movements that
have been made to promote freedom of trade end peace
trim the time of Iluskluon down to the Commercial
Treaty. From the days of its foundation he has laboured
as • membsr of the International League of Peace,
and lie thinks he may surely reckon on a reap..e to
his appeal from all who have worked with hint In
that Association. IL is on the strength of this noel at
and friendly career, and in the confidence of a good
cause, that he steps forward and Invokes our aid. The
author of the war has fallen, but the war is pursued more
ruthlessly than ever against the French people. France asks
us to help In bringing it to a close, not by spending our own
blcod, but by adopting • course of active sympathy such as
• prosperous brother owes to • brother who has fallen into ,
distress. "Arouse yourselves !" cries M. Arlds.Dufour
'stir up the sympathies of your Government, who are so
alow to be moved by the disasters of France ; bid them
remember that misfortune may one day befell you, and you
may regret the friend and faithful ally you allowed to be
destroyed."
We have said that the appeal of 31 ArleaDtdour cannot
he read without sympathy, and sympathy for bins and for
the people of France most survive, even though we are driven
by reflection to conclude that the means of help he pro.
poses must be ineffectual to secure Peace. He disclaims any
right to demand assistance in arms, lie asks only that
our powerful voice" may no raised to enlighten the world
on the true character the war is assuming in its later
phase. It will sound to many Englishmen a cruel mockery
to attribute to our judgment an authority sufficient to cauee
the c iuquerors to pause in their career. They feel that the
spirit of military power has so completely taken p lon
of the German leadera that no argument of reason, of policy,
or of mercy can avail in comparison with this ',lama ratio
regurn. Count Bismarck has "put down his foot" on certain
confusions, and there is clothing more to be said.
We should be very Bony to acquiesce in the judgment
thus Implicitly pronounced upon the victors of the
war. To say that it is useless to apical to their reason
Is to pass • severe condemnation upon them. We
must reject this unfriendly view of the temper of King
William and his councillors; hut, even if we were compelled
hi accept it, we should decline to accede to the eouclusion
that we must be silent because our speech would not be
Immediately effectual. When M. Ar- es.Dufour asks that the
voice of England should be heard pleading for • cessation of
the war, we coniess to holdieg the opinion that he ought not
to ask In vain. IL would be Imponible under any circum-
etaiaces that we should a renounce the obligations of
our position, but the necessity of speaking plainly
is more incumbent open us when we see the dab.
-culties that beset the course of weaker nations who honestly
try to fulfil the doles of free and independent neutrality.
We cannot help holding an opinion upon the conditions that
aught fairly be offered and accepted an terms of peace. The
conditions themselves may vary from time to time : but at
any given period of the war they may be defined within
certain tolerably narrow limits and If we and one
Power reedy to accept conditions falling within such
a definition, while the other Power refuses to &aunt
to them, we cannot shrink from pronouncing the
judgment that necessarily follows. From that moment
the guilt of continuing the war lies upon the Power
that nu refused reasonable conditions of peace. The same
reasons that Justified neutrals in denouncing the pretexts
upon which the war was begun would compel them to con-
demn the Purposes for which it Is continued It
of course, necessary that there should be • clear cer-
tainty of the readiness of one of the belligerents to
assent to just terms of peace ; but If our Government have
had reason to know that there is such a readiness on the
one side, nod that It has been met with a refusal to treat on
such • basis by the other, they cannot escape the oblUation
arising In consequence It must, however, be admitted that
we have as yet no sufficient evidence of readinees on the
part of either belligereet to treat on reasonable terms, and
we eau expreu uo opinion upon the supposed inaction of the
Ministry until that point Is ascertained.