New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-03-09
THE WAR hT LAST

The refusal of the Gar to listen TO the gge ciOns
Of Louis Napoleons letter seems to nock away Tie as
prop for any hope Of peace to rest on Though neither
OF the parties has yet issued formal declaration, "a,
war at last has come. In the excitement Of IT, let
us hope that the study Of its history and philosophy
nav not be neglected After general peace Of thirty
eight years here is a war that promises to be
waseul of life and property than any preceding war,
because Europe is more populous and richer than at
the outbreak of any preceding war. During these
thirty eight years Europe has been governed by kings
and dpomatsts and standing armies, by the kind of
men said to be born to govern the people, who are
said to be not fit to govern themselves. II is not
the people who have got up this war; indeed, fear
on the part of the kings that the people might take the
occasion TO claim of their rights has alone pre-
vented its breaking out long ago The primary author
of the war is monarch by divine right the opposing
monarchs are mOnarchs by divine right. Only few
DAYS ago Louis Napoleon wrote himself the sincere
good friend Of Nicholas; and would have written
brother" if Nicholas had not refused to cal him
brother Within n single week, too, the observer
has 10 note a curious change in the appreciation
of Nicholas his character and of the character OF
his policy, by English Lords and French Empe-
rors AT the beginning Of the week he was the august
lie was good friend Now we are told, in the
Houses Of Parliament and in the Imperially edited
columns of the Moniieur, that all his conduct has
e. been marked with duplicty and deceit; she is the
wanton destroyer of the peace of Europe" the vie
tory of Sinope over which he rejoees is "buchery;
his wild attempt at aggression on Turkey is viola
" ton OF all right and justice greedy, unscrupu
lous, crafty audacous seeking and inviting preexts
FL. a.
flying terms that Napoleons official journal now applies
TO the policy and diplomacy of the august good friend
And so at last we are the very outer brink of a
grand war-a war upon the commerce of all Europe
upon the life of the two millions of men who within a
twelvemonth will be numbering and preparing to muir
der each other upon the welfare of their families upon
the property of every taxpayer in Europe, upon the
back and stomach Of every aboring and every Ia
boring mans wife and children, upon all material in
terests and upon morality Its harsh note of prepare
ton rings Onehalf the world from Teheran to
Dublin, from the valley of the Upper Nile to the noun
tains OF Scandinavia Already nearly twenty thousand
men have died in battle We need not say, what every
one knows, that the deaths in battle are but the small
est part of the loss of life which an army suffers in
campaign; especially Russian army whose commits
sariat and medical staff VIGOROUSLY i'll provided and
Inefficient We need not add that the existing embarrass
ments OF trade and commerce already carrying su
ferng its inevitable downward course to the labor
ing productive masses nor speak OF the peasants Of
Wsll.shis who are FIRST robbed of their grain and cat
tie and then shot if they refuse TO do the forced abors
imposed upon them by their robbers. All this is only
variations on the old air of God save the King and Devil
take the People which is always struck up when there
is question of maintaining the balance Of pOwer-nOt
the balance Of the scales Of justice-in Europe"
And tere are three or four men Kings or Emperors
by the wrath of God, any of whom can, at viii set
that balance shaking Then comes all the
other men, women and children on their commerce