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

but was viewed as one that might anu shouiu
be solved. on the basis of Austria retaining her
Italian POSSESSIONS if she would only consent
lot to interfere with the rest of Italy.
/ shall not now enter on the task of show
ing that it is the strangest of all strange mis-
con- options to believe that Austria may be left
in the possession of Venice and Lombardy, and
that she could be bound by any treaties, by any
arrangements, not to exert the preponderating
influence of her position on central and south
ern Italy, In the direction of that principle OF
unmitigated despotism in which the House of
Austria lives, and moves, and has its being.
To show this, / should have to refer to diplo-
matte documents, which ought not to have
escaped the attention of contemporary statesmen,
but which would carry me to greater length
than l can afford on the present occasion.
Therefore / will only remark that, unless it be
explicitly understood throughout Europe that
the maintenance of Austria in her ill-gotten
Italian possessions does not enter into the in
tents and purposes Of England, no proclama-
lions of neutrality viii preserve your country
from, sooner or later, being drifted into the war
in consequence of entangling alliances, for
which it is manifest that mighty influences are
at work. Hear.
1t is strange sight to see what is going on
in Germany. That the German nation which
hardly ever was united in any single purpose,
should appear ready to sink for once all dissen-
sions, in the determination to resist supposed
dash of the French at the Rhine-this, my Lord,
Justly commands the appreciation of every SEN
sible man. There is, however, much of false
alarm at the bottom of that agitation, as it is
perfectly absurd to suppose that the French
Government, having already one war on hand,
could mediate an attack on the Rhine-an at
tack directed, not against Austria, but against
Prussia and the confederated minor German
States-an attack which would be sure TO put
a mighty European coalition in battle order
against France. The fact is, that there are in
huences at work to turn the patriotic feelings
of the German nation to the profit of the House
Of Austria, for maintaining their foot planted on
the neck of other nationalities, which have as
much right to assert, or to reassert, an indie
pendent national existence, as Germany has to
maintain hers. Cheers. But, believe me,
gentlemen, in spite of the prevailing excite
ment, the noble instincts of the German nation
could never be deluded into the disgraceful part
Of being made the ediet de bOpredu hangman's
assistant of the House of Austria, for ensla-
wing other nationalties, unless it was supposed
that Englands Government sympathiZed with
Austria, that EDgland's Government thought
her entitled to retain her Italian possessions,
and was favorable to the idea that the integrity
of her dominions should be maintained. Hear,
hear. Unfortunately it has been proclaimed
in Parliament, by the official organ of Eng
lands foreign policy, that Austria has strong
claims on your sympathy, because she is kin
dred in race to Anglo-Saxon England Laugh
ter Well, am bound to remark, in all hui
mility, that this pitiful appeal to your commits
Grafton happens to be very unfortunate dis
play of proficiency in photographic studies.
The unnatural compound of heterogeneous ele-
msnts, formed by long series of usurpations,
which goes by the name Of Austria, is so far
from being German, that, Though at the last
census of 1851, the Government of ustria EN-
ployed both artihce and terrorism to establish
for their dOminions the character of German
nationality, they found it impossible to raise the
number of their German subjects higher than
to about seven millions out of population Of
thirty-seyen millions. Hear, hear In fact,
Austria is the only Power in Europe which has
no national character; it is Of no country, of no
race-it is just dynasty, and nothing more !;
it is simply the House of Hapsburg-nO, not
even that; everything in that accused House
is usurpation, down to their very name; they
are not Hapsburgs, they are Lorrain-V aude
mOnts, rebellious crown officers of France, as
Napoleon | used to style them--not they, but
the Lords Danbigh, of the House of Fielding,
However, since such declarations of sympathy,
coupled with recognitiOns Of the pretended
rights of Austria, went forth in an official man.
ner from the English Government, it is not to
be wondered at that the impression prevails
throughout Germany, and throughout the Aus
TRAN dOminions, that, in spite of the declaration
Of neutrality, England will come round by and
by, and, in one way or another, will find out
some pretext for either directly supporting Aus
tria or assisting Germany in supporting her.
Hear, hear This impression exerts such a
detrimental influence on the spirit of the op-
pressed nationalities as | am sure every liberal
minded Enghshman will lament On the other
hand, it pushes Germany into a false direction,
which, if not checked in time, will, sooner or
later, first entangle England into untoward COM
hinations, and then drift her, under some event
ual pretext, into the war. / think it, therefore,
urgent that, while approving of the policy of
impartial neutrality and strict non-interventiOn,
the public opinion of the Englgh nation should
emphatically repudiate the idea of lending,
under any circumstances, her support to Aus
tria against the emancipation of the nationali-
! ties oppressed by her. Loud cheers.
! | now come to the pretended inviolabiHty of
the treaties of 1915. 1t is the more important
to have the mist of prejudices cleared away in
this regard, as it can admit of no doubt, that
should it so happen (which God forfend) that
| England were to depart from the principles Of
neutrality, it would be done in favor of Aus
trait would be done on the ground and un
der the pretext of the inviolability of the trea
ties of 1915. 1t is woeful to remember, my
Lord, that the sovereigns who, on pretence Of
asserting the liberties of Europe, enticed the
nations to shed their blood in streams fol
nearly a quarter of century, and to waste
away the prosperity of generations for the
preservation of dynasties, at last requited the
deluded nations, at the Congress of Vienna
by selling and bartering them like cattle anC
by treating Europe like an allodial farm. Hear
hear. Thus it is that Lombardy, thus it is
that Venice, the Fairy City, robbed of its Clio
rious independence Of thirteen hundred years
standing, were tossed over, like cricket ball
into the grasp of tho. House of Austria. Hear
hear. These last forty-four years of Italian
life, with their grOans, with their ever-growing
hatred and discomfort, with their ever-recurrinl
connections, conspiracies, revolts, revolutions
with their scaffods soaked in the blood of pa
triots, with their horrors of Spielberg and Man
tua, and with the chatting anger with which thu
words, q Out with the Austrians," trembe OF
the lips of every ltalian-these fOrty-four year
are recorded in history as standing protes
against those impious treaties. The robbet
protested loudly enough against the compac
of the robbers. Cheers. Yet, forsooth, W
are still told that the treaties of 1915 are nvc
liable! Why, l have heard it reported tina
England rang with merry peal when the ster
inward Judge, Conscience, led the hand G
Castlereagh 20 suicide; and shall we, in 1885
be offered the sight of England plunging int
z the incalculable calamties of great war, 70
no better purpose than to uphold the accurse
? work of the Castlereaghs and from no bette
t Austria safe? Cheers. Inviolable treatie
indeed Why, my Lord, the forty-four year