New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-13

| Amid the general depression Of everything like s
free pubic spirit in EUROPE il is cheering TO behold
a people standing 10 their rights and to justice in
| the face Of sn almost universal combination of
| great Governments and fathess diplomats. Such
8 .,ectscle is prest nted by the contest between
| Switzerland and Prussia. Hitherto confined to
diplomacy, this contest is now beginning 10 wear
the syn ptoms and proportio ofa widespread and
| bloody col fict The King of Prussia, having ex-
hausted admoniiiens, mensces and his gracious
patience. prepares to draw the sword. The nstu-
raj right of the people Of Neufchate TO choose for
Themselves the form Of government which they
prefer, will Of course determine the conclusion OF
| every unprrudiced mind. But this absolute right
receives confirmation from even the musty parch'
ments which the King OF Prussia has invoked as the
b,sis of his pretensions. When, in l707, the house
of Hohenzollern, by ces.iop, BY purchase, By the
payment of the debts left by the last pOssessOr Of
the ar ds of NeufchAte and yalensin aud, finally,
by the bribery of few of their more influential
inhabitants, acquired the sovereignty OF that
country, everything was submitted to the sanction
Of the people of Neufchatel The people elected the
King of Prussia; the people invested him with
sovereignty under certain conditions, and the King
formally submitted to the conditions imposed By the
people. Without that election and popular investi
ture, all the old parchments would have been wasted
along with the Kings money, which made them his.
In ls4s, the people repeated the same act which,
some hundred and forty years before, laid the found
alton of that royal sovereignty, and refused further
obedience. A few months ago, small number OF
foolish aristocrats and cO1rters attempted, In def
ance Of the law, TO raise again the Prussan stand
ard; but they were seized by the people, and de-
yered TO the judicial authorities. Herenpon the
King after the fashion of kings desires to interfere
and interrupt the course of justice. He demand,
the uncoudtOI al release of these rebels and traitors
to their country. 1t is in such a quarrel as this
that the P;ussisn armies are organized upon the
war footing; while on their part, the sturdy noun
tsneers reply by quietly cleaning their rifles and
preparing to return lead for lead. We still hope to
see the affair settled amicably without any wanton
sacrifice of human life and especially the precious
life of Swiss patriots; but the worst comes to the
worst We have full confidence in their success. Ifthe
fight must come, We shall as We trust, witness the
severe castigaton Of Prussan impudence, now 80
inflated by the easy laures won in lo49 in hberti-
eide war.
Ii is almost amusing TO see with what assurance
the Prussisn diplomatic organs speak of Overruu-
ming the left bank of the Rhine, between Basic aud
Zurich and taking possession II i|asle and Schah-
hausep, as Ieiher those cities nor this margin Of
Swiz, RAND are incOsed by those natural fortresses
which constitute the Alpine region proper. la her
g.. ~ kr,,. a.k
well-drlll.d we-organized soldiers; one-fOurth of
them will be sufficient to render even the approach
to The Rhine decidedly unpalatabe to the Prussian
brsegsrts. Should the quarrel come to blows,
Basic and Sehafhausen will be defended with that
uyiediDg tenacity for which the Swiss have
fame as wide as it is wel-earned. But
if the King nobility and army of Prussia are
tax ng On martial airs il is not so with the CONNER
cial and Industrial population, still lees with the g.
nsncia streets Of Berlin and other Prussan cities.
The pecuniaD network which stretches out FROM
Paris over the whole Continent shows fearful I'M
essiness. The financial spiders who have spun it
and who are making fat fortunes by 1t, heap their
curses upon the headstroDg Obstinacy OF the Swss
The people Of Switzerland alternately threatened
and coaIed, but without effect. Diplomacy is basy
and talks about bases and honorable issues. Its
last scheme for the settlem, Mt Of the difficulty is to
indt mnfy the King Of Prussia for the loss of Neuf
chatel by allowing him to swallow some small Ger
maR Princpality, perhaps Brunswick or Dsssau,
both almost surrounded by Prussian territory and
The las. sinking under accumulated debts. The
project is that the Swiss shall pay the indemnifca
ton to the pigmy Duke who is to be sacked. We
very much dOub. the success Of the scheme. The
Swiss are prompt TO shed their blood; it is far
es.er to draw that from their veins than their money
from their purses. Poeket-wise, the Swiss have
always shown themselves immOyable, and they will
not be likely TO submit TO this diplomatic exacten.
Already, indeed, the Swiss Federal Government
ID accused of obstinacy for refusing to follow the
advice Of Louis Napoleon and release the prisoners
in question. Aside from the dictates Of national
dignity snd honor, of which the Swiss people are
the best udges there s in this affair certain hs-
torical retaliation. When the Royals. party of
Neufehatel, including some even Of the individuals
now inesrcerated in prison, were In power they
kept for years and years in close confinement
tain patriots " O attempted in 1881 what was not
fully accomplished until ls49. Those prisoners
were condemned by those same ROyallsts TO per-
petual Imprisonment, and with their families, were
treated with the utmost severity. AL this was done
with the sanction of his Prussian Majesty. Taey
finally recovered their freedom only BY successful
attempt TO escape. Moreover, the Loyalists of
Neufclatel, with the Prussian diplomatic officials,
form nucleus around which are grouped all the
remains Of efete aristocrsces, Of that Protestant
bgotTy which the Swiss call Momieism, and even