The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-08-02
The ssThunder srss ON Napoleon ana
his Peace.

From the London Timee, July 10.
This abrupt and disappointing termination
Of the noble struggle has naturally filled both
the covert and avowed enemies OF freedom
and progress with unwonted exultatlon.-
The friends Of despotism and intolerance, the
aristocratic partizans Of Hapsburg rule, the
supporters Of the holy alliance and the Papal
throne, are most beside themselves with sud
den JOY. II is . jubilee for Austrian Grand
Dukes, Italian Cardinals, French Priests and
| English Peers. All this is natural enough,
but there are others besides the avowed and
real snsmies Of progress, who regard the
peace with kind Of satisfaction. Many sin
cere friends OF the Italian cause look uponait
with kind Of sardonic pleasure, as FUN
fillment of the gloomy prophecies they have
uttered ever since the commencement OF the
war. Such an alliance, they always said,
would never prosper, and could produce no
good result. The peace is no doubt very
they never predicted any thing better, and
ty of those who imagined the Italian cause
would be really served by selfish and arbi-
trsry ruler like Louis Napoleon. Looking
at the conditions of the peace, they turn with
an air of triumph and exclaim, che has be-
would" We have no wish to share this
feeling Of triumph, nor do we accept the
grounds on which it rests. The cause Of It.
ally s dearer to US than the fulfllment of
any prophecies.
1t is far too sacred to be made the instru.
ment Of mere personal or party triumph, and
those who are in earnest on the subject will
be more anxious to examine the actual re-
suit, than to condemn the whole effort as an
utter failure. The peace is VIGOROUSLY i'm
perfect, and we have criticised it as it de-
serves. This criticism has brought the pro-
phetic enigmas of the alliance around U.S.
More than one correspondent Of this class
has written in tone OF mingled congratu-
laton and censure. They heartily approve
our condemnation OF the peace and the au-
thor oft. But while hailing what they re-
gard % an altered tone in reference to Louis
Napoleon, they express their surprise and
regret that we could have trusted and sup
ported him-the answer to this is short and
simple.
We have never trusted or supported ths
Emperor of the French in the sense referred
to by our own correspondents. From the
day he FIRST assumed the purple, his charac-
ter and conduct hns been unsparingly criti-
cised in these columns. The Judgment form
ed on both seven years ago, has been con-
6rmed during the interval by fresh acts Of
tyranny, and repeated over and over again,
and we have hitherto seen no reason to
change it. His best impulses are obviously
OF the most selfish kind, but useful actions
often spring from questionable motives. To
help the great cause Of Italian nationality is
emphatically good action, to be welcomed
by oil lovers Of freedom. When Louis Ma
poleon offered such help, We in common with
the greatest Italian statesman, willingly &C.
| oepted it. There was certain peril in 40
cepting help from such quarter, but while
the need was urgent, many reasons conspired
to render the danger small.
His fidelity to his engagements, we were
perfectly assured, must be an act Of enllght-
ened seIf-interest. Had he, according to
his promise, freed Italy from the Alps to the
Adriatic, be would have efectually humbled
Austria, have established a powerful friend
| ly kingdom on this Southern frontier, fixed
himself and dynasty on the throne of France,
| and gained at least the admiration Of pasri-
OTIS in every part Of the world. He has to a
great extent thrown this great opportunity
away. He has stopped in mid-career and
hastily patched up n miserable peace when
| he might have gloriously concluded noble
war. But We believe in doing 80 he hes be.
trayed himself quite as much as the cause be
championed. He is unfaithful, not only to
Italy, but to his own highest self interest,"
Had he concluded the work, his triumph
both in France and Italy, would have been
certain and complete, but it is now only du.
bious and partial.
A latent consciousness of this turks in the
mendacious and apologetic tone of the Impe-
rial manifesto just issued by the Emperor to
his soldiers. "The principal aim of the war
is attained, runs the proclamation, sand 1t.
ally will become for the first time nation.''
Italy, however, has always been, save to men
OF the Metternich stamp, q nation. The war
was undertaken not to create Q nation, which
as Austria herself has found it utterly be.
yond the power Of the sword, but to make a
nation, already existing, independent. Tha,
it has failed to do, as the next sentence oil
the proclamation proves: s'Veneta, it il
true, remains to Austria, but will, nevcrthe.
less, be an Italian province, forming par,
Of the Italian confederation" This is Ger.
tainly very like adding insult to injury. AT
ter promising TO liberate Venetis, it was bat
enough to leave her in the grippe of Austria
but to insult her with the assertion Of fcti.
tious independence is an aggravation of thu
INJURY. now venice can DC pOnLlC6lly ltRl
ian it is difficult to see. Austrian rule is un
happily an iron fact, while the confederation
is at present myth, and may never becom,
a reality. The next sentence of the procla
nation 10 even more insulting. ssThe unior
of Lombardy with Piedmont creates for us ,
powerful ally who will owe to US its indie
pendence." Nor 10 the daring assertion tina
Italy will hereafter be ssmistress OF her owr
destinieaO At all more trnthful Thu -hol
proclamation 10 indeed poor attempt to dis
guise the fact that the proclaimed objects OIL
, tho war have been to o great extent sacri
feed. Yet it would be unjust to deny thu
something 10 gained. A large, populous ant
wealthy province IL finally wrested from Aus
tria, and forms part OF the most powerful
Italian State. Italian nationality has becom
question of prime European Importance
] md can mayer R0Ain aink intn n auhnxdinat