The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-01 00:00:00

A COMMON-SENSE VIEW OF THE
QUESTION.

The followisg is the text of he Circular Notes ad.
dressed to the North Get man Ambassadors :

111111,1704, Sept. la.
"o,ltretritiors with France having been misapprehended,
even In Irtendiy gworters, I am Induced to communicate to
you tan views of the King, which are t hared by the allied
German (l co rnments. We regarded the plaoiwite and the
uPPnrettely tatidantory state 01 France, ...omit 1111011 It,
no 011orold, 40 of peace, and aunt, expression of the pacific
disposittou of the French nation. :Mbeequirett events have
1.1001,1,f1Ve1l DA, 61., at any vote, h biloWll hOAV trail, pacific
aentiments tuay he converted into hostile sullen in France.
Deputies, Senator., and newspapers almost unanimously In-
sliced Dotal war with a view to conquest In Our
holey. B, lout and impetuous were they, that the
few remaining friends of peace dared not oppose
them, ant the Emperor Napoleon pnbably told
ilta ilajedy the eatig nit untruth whet, 11,1 asserted that the
state of loiblic 101100 hod COlllO9llOll hi it to make war.
K. Ire intuiting thb fact, we are not in a position to rely upon
treacle kelluge as a guarantee of pea.. We must not con-
coal item ourselvos that, in mmsequatice of this present mu,
France will always be longing to attack us again, irrespective
el any cundlotous we may think fIL to impose. It la their
defeat, 11,, one viand, us repulse of their culpable attack,
which the licach nation wall never forgive us. Even wore
we to iwacuate France now without requiring any acceasicie
ol tctritory, maunder, indemnity, or other advantage except
tuartiol glut y, the french nation would, nevertbelres, cheetah
• deep hatted shallot us, and trek to soma° our offence to
their vanity and the check we have put to their lust of con.
quest they would wait for • day when they might hope leant
Up to these feelings with a cheers of omens. It wasno doubt
or ths Justice of nor cause, or of the adequacy of our
strength which made us declare that the war wee all
I"'' ed Op 0, n. 1,, tea, out we had no wish, by

means ol our victories, to excite the newtons of the Bremen,
and to Ming on an era of irritation and war, while we yet I
hoped, by carefully and patiently developing the amicable I
relations between the two countries, to create &gelid basis
for an era of peace and prosperity for both nations. But
baying been ilemPelled to =Meath the sword, vrhiet. we had
wished to leave in its scabbard, we mast endeavour to gain
some better guarantees against a future attack on the
part of the French people than can be found in their
friendly d;sposition towards no. In 1815, the 11 oly Alliance
ant other arrangements were resorted to to protect
European peace against similar craving. of French
ambition, but thee. expedients have since lost their eill-
cieney, and Germany has had to prevent French invasion
single-handed. Such an effort Germany has no wish to re
peat *pain and again, and we are therefore compelled to
exact material guerautees for the safety of Germany against
fishers attacks from France, guarantee. which (Germany
being a pacific nation) will likewise protect the peatce of all
Europe These guarantorss we shall demand, not of any tem-
porary Government of France, but of the French notion
Itself, which, no matter who were it. mien, has for centuries
been in the habit of invading Germany. Our condllons of
peace will, therefore, mainly be directed to render it more
difficult for France to make another attack on the German
frontier, and MIMI particularly on the South GUMMI frontier,
o long defenceless To effect thls we shall endeavour to re,
move our frontier, and with lithe point of attack, further
west. We shall also endeavour to poiseu ourselves of those
French fortresses and shall convert them Into defensive
strencholde of Germany. I request your Exiellency to &newer
all inquiries in this sense."

In another circular Bona Bismarck says :
lii the course of more than twenty wars with France we
never were the attacking party, and even now we have
nothing to ask of the French nation than to permit us to
remote In the enjoyment of one safety, so often imperilled
by them. But whatever peace we may conclude with France,
she will only regard it as an armistice, and to avenge her
present defeat, will attack m as unjustifiably and as ruth-
lessly as she lass done this year the moment she thinks her-
self strong enough for the enterprise, either Icy herself
or in 11, ion with aLlles. In rendering it more
" European

I'roCo,

~hom

troubles have so long proceeded, to assume the
offensive, wo likewise promote the common interest of
Europe, which demands the preservation of peace. No dis-
turbance of European peace is to be apprehended from Ger-
many. flaying been compelled to go to war, although we
hat carefully eschewed it for four )ears, despite the Inure-
cant provocations to our national pride. we now require
future security as the prize of the great efforts we hare been
obliged to make in our own defence. No one will be able to
reproach us with want of moderation, If we abide by this;
Just and equitable demand. I request your Excellency to
earnestly advocate these views in your conversations! with
Use Minister."