The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-23

81 Jnun0er from JOhn-0 Or0atS 10 the Land S
End-that deliverance for which prayers have
assembled and are ascending still to the Father
of Mankind from millions of British hearts
shall it be recorded in history, that at such
time, that under such circumstances, England
plunged into the horrors and calanittes of
war-nay, that she took upon herself TO make
this war long and universal, for the mere pur.
pose of upholding the inviolability of those
rotten treaties, those highwaymen compacts,
in favor of despotic priestridden, bankrupt
Austria, good for nothing on earth, except to
spread darkness and perpetuate servitude
There you have that Austria in Piedmont,
carrying on war in manner that recalls to
memory the horrors of the by-gone ages of bar
barism- loud cheers allowing her rigorous
lydisciplined soldiers to act the part of robbers
let loose upon an unofending population, to
offer violence to helpless women, to outrage
daughters in presence of their parents and
revel in such other savage crimes as the blood
of civilized men curdles at hearing related, and
the tongue falters in relating. Hear, hear
Such she was always; these horrors but family
reflect what Hungary had to suffer from her in
our late war. Hear, hear.
And shall it be said that England, the home
of gentlemen, sent her brave sons to shed their
blood, to stain their honor, in fighting side by
side with such !SOlddtesca, for the mainte-
nance of those highwaymen compacts OF 1873,
to the profit of that Austria? Cheers. No;
let the people of England raise loud their
mighty voice; let them thunder forth the for
bidding words, No, this shall not be let
them give to the Government of the nation the
pillar of the nations clearly-expressed will to
lean upon remind them that they the min
listers of England, and not of Austria, and for
tify their natural position against the influence
of foreign insidious whisperings. Cheers.
There is danger, | tell you, men of England
there is danger before your doors. Do not
bhndly coRfde in appearances. The wooden
and iron bulwarks Of England went forth to the
Mediterranean with sealed secret orders. What
if those silent papers should have had some
thing to do with the ship orion, mOored ath-
wart the port of Genoa, so as to impede the dis
embarkatiOn of French troops, and refusing to
move an inch out of the way? 1t is rumored
that the Indignation of the Genoese was loud;
that England's naval officers we're obliged to
stay all night ashore, as even the poorest gon-
doer refused to row them to their ship. What
if You should hear of the recurrence OF petty
annOyances-may chance, maybe design
but, at all events calculated TO annoy the
French and Italians, and to provoke some I'M
toward collision, upon the ground Of which you
may then hear England's honor talked Of in
stirring variations, and you have been APP
propriately warned by the Times, you may 90
to bed one evening believing yourself at peace,
and may wake on the morrow finding yourself
at war? And all for the glorious purpose Of
indicating the inviolability of the precious
treaties Of 1851 Cheers. Let the peoples
voice keep England out of war till Parliament
meets. Parliament will keep her safe when it
shall have met. Cheers. The hustings gave
guarantee for this. But if the people relax
in watchfulness, the evil of an accomplished
fact " may come between, which even Parlia-
ment may find it difficult to redress.
The third point which have to elucidate is
what diplomatists call the localization of the
war. If this expression has any meaning at
all, it is meant to say that the war shall be
fought out on Italian territory. Well, my Lord,
| apprehend that those who say so talk abso-
lutte nonsense; they have not consulted the most
elementary principles Of strategy. If the war
is to have any issue at all, the Austrians must
not only be elected from Italy-they must be
elected i'll such manner that they shall not be
able to go back again. Tactical victories, with
out strateglcal result, never have finished
war, nor ever will. Hear, hear
Now, in the rear of the fortified defensive
position of the Austrians, between the Mincio
and the Adige, and at little distance beyond
the Tagiamento, is the frontier line which
separates Lombardy and Venice from the other
dominions Of Austria. Well, imagine that the
Austrians, attacked in front in that famous po-
sition, despair of holding their ground, and re-
tire behind the Taglamento. Does England
mean to say, that France and Piedmont shall
be forbidden to follow them? Hear, hear.
Does England mean to say, that Austria, being
at war, should enjoy all the advantages of neu-
trality in her seas, or on her own territory?
that she has only to retire beyond a certain
line, there stop, and mock her enemies, because
these would be obliged, by the localization
principle, not to Overstep the Italian territory
Hear, hear. Why, this is absolutely prepos-
ferrous. Hear, hear. We, in our own war of
independence. elected three armies in success
sion from our territory they flew across the
frontiers of neighboring Turkey, and we did
not follow them, from respect for the neutral
rights of our neighbor. But Turkey did not
disarm the elected Austrians, as by the law of
nations she ought to have done and the re-
suit was, that they came back, and attacked us
again. Hear, hear. How, in that case they
retreated to territory which was not their own,
and therefore under the rights and duties
of neutrality. But in the present case it is
pretended, upon the principle of loealization,
| that Austria, though belhgerent, should eniOy
all the privileges of neutrality in her own seas
| and on her own territory. She does not con-
fine her means of warfare to those resources
which she might draw from Italy; they would
| be scanty resources indeed. No: she uses every
nook of her dominions, whether connected with
| the Germanic Confederation or not, for raising
armies, and drawing every implement and sup
| plement of warfare from everywhere. Yet, it
is pretended that the Powers with whom she is
at should hold her territory inviolable be-
yond Italy; it is pretended, that she may be
belligerent, but should be thought neutral too.
Hear, hear. Again / say, that is absolute
nonsense. Cheers.
There is yet another consideration. The
strategical position of Austria in the famous
| square between the Mincio and Adige with
its four fortresses on its four corners, one of
| them, Verona, not a mere fortress, but forti-
fed camp, capable of sheltering sixty thousand
! men; that position is not what it was in the
famous campaign of 1896. 1t was like an en-
bryO then 1t is like giant now. Hear, hear
And diplomacy comes with its idea of localiza
ton, and claims from France and Piedmont
that they should be content with front attack !;
content, as it were, with running their heads
against wall and, that they should abstain
from taking the power of Austria in flank and
rear, either by sea or by land, on any other
point of her dominiOns. Why, the pretenson
Is absolutely monstrous! Hear, hear Then,
what Is to be inferred from these considerations
with regard to the policy of England? 1t would
be utterly vain to speculate upon what Eng
land would have to do, if France were to dash
at the Rhine, and occupy Belgium, or attack
! Germany, because no man in his senses can
think that the Emperor of the French can be
extremely anxious to get Prussia and Germany
to turn upon him while he has Austria upon
his hands. If he be attacked by them, he will,
OF course, defend himself, and will not be with.
out allies, | imagine but that he should in
tend to attack them, is an idle dream.