Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-08-02
Discussion OF the Peace of villa
EraHca by the London Times

Franco by the London Times.
This abrupt and disappointing termination
OF the noble struggle has naturally filed
both the covert and avowed enemies of free
dom and progress with unwonted exuItation.
The friends of despotism and intolerance,
the aristocracy patisans of Hapsburg rule,
the supporters of the holy alliance, and the
Papal throne, are almost beside themselves
with sudden joy. 1t is Jubilee for Austrian
Grand Dukes, italian Cardinals. French
priests and En- glish Peers. All this is natural
enough, but there are others besides the
avowed and real enemies of progress, who re-
gard the peace with a kind of satisfaction.
Many sincere friends of the italian cause look
upon it with kind of sardonic pleasure. as a
fulhilment 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 pro-
dnce no good result. The peace is no doubt
avery bad one, but they are not disappointed
as they never predicted anything better, and
can only marvel at the ignorance or creduli-
~ OF those who imagined the Italian cause
would be really served by q selfish and
arbitrary rule liker Louis Napoleon. Look
ing at the conditions of the peace, they turn
? with an air of triumph and exclaim, che has
betrayed the cause as we always expected be
would" We have no wish to share this
VI w w dCC6pb Tie
grounds on which it rests The cause of
Italy is dearer to us than the fulfillment 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 result
than to condemn the whole effort as an utter
failure. The peace is notoriously imperfect.
and we have criticised it as it deserves. This
h0e bran
of the alliance around u.s. More than one
correspondent of this class has written in a
tone OF mingled congratulation and censure.
They heartily approve our condemnation of
the peace and the author of it. But while
hailing what they regard as an altered tone
In reference to Louis Napoleon, they express
their surprise and regret; how we could ever
have trusted and supported him the an
swer to this is short and simple
We have never trusted or supported the
Emperor of the French, in the sense referred
TO by our own correspondents. From the day
he first assumed the purple, his character and
conduct have been unsparingly criticised in
these columns. The judgment formed on both
seven years ago. has been confirmed during
the interval by fresh acts of tyranny, and re-
peated over and over again, and we have
hitherto seen 40 reason to change it. His best
impulses are obviously of more selfish kind
~ oSbiOhs oltcu sDEluS HUH QueetiOH-
able motives TIE help the great cause of
Italian nationality is emphatically good ac-
ton, to be welcomed by all lovers of freedom.
When Louis Napoleon offered such help. we
In common with the greatest Italian states
man, willingly accepted it. There was a GER
tain peril in accepting help from such quar-
ter, but while the need was urgent, many
reasons conspired to render the danger small.
HIS tdelity to his engagements, we were
M n INy 4 L
ened self-interest Had he. according TO his
promise, freed Italy from the Alps to the
Adrlatic, he would have effectually humid,
Austria, have established a powerful friendly
Kingdom on his Southern frontier fixed him
sell and dynasty on the throne of France and
gained at least the admiration of patriots in
every part of the world. He has to a great
extent thrown this great opportunity away.
De has stopped in mid career ..and hastily
patched up miserable peace when he might
have gloriously concluded a noble war; But
we believe In doing so he has betrayed himself
quite as much as the cause he championed
lie is uniaithful. 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 dubious and partial.
A latent consciousness of this turks in the
mendacious and apologize tone of the Impe-
rial manifesto just issued by the Emperor to
his soldiers. 1.-The principal aim of the war
is attained" runs the proclamation, land tia
ly viii become for the first time a nation"
Italy, however. has always been, save to men
OF the Metternich stamp, nation. The war
was undertaken not to create a nation, which
as Austria herself has found il utterly beyond
the power of the sword, but to make nation,
already existing, independent. That it has
JAILED to do, as the next sentence of the proc
lamation proves :"Venetia. it is true, remains
to Austria, but will, nevertheless, be an Ital-
ian province. forming part of the Italian
This is certainly very like adding insult to
injury After promising to liberate Venetia,
it was bad enough to leave her in the grippe
OF Austria, but to insult her with the asser-
ton OF fictitious independence is an aggra-
walton of the injury. How Venice can be
Italian it is difficult to see. Aus
trian rule is unhappily an iron fact, while the
confederation is at present myth, and may
never become reality. The next sentence
OF lhe proclamation is even more insulting.
g The union of LOmbardy with Piedmont
creates for us a powerful ally who will owe to
us its independence" Nor is the daring as
sertion that Italy will hereafter be mistress
OF her own destinies" at all more truthful
The whole proclamation is indeed a poor at
tempt to disguise the fact that the proclaimed
objects of the war have been to a great ex-
tent sacrificed. Yet it would be unjust to
deny that something is gained A large, pop
ulous and wealthy province is finally wrested
from Austria, and forms part of the powerful
Italian State. italian nationality has become
question OF prim European Importance, and
can 'ever again sink into a subordinate or
even secondary place. The spirit of the peo-
pie OF Italy has been stirred. and they have
learned IN the brief campaign what NAV be
done by united, well-organized and resolute
eiiort. These are results of permanent value
which even the hasty and ignominious peace
cannot destroy.