The Placer herald., 1859-06-25
to see sure guarantee Of the impotence Of
Italy to menace the peace Of the world.

Italy 10 IneHaCe tue ped OF tue WOTIu.
But the House Of Hapsburg had not for,
gotten its ancient motto, and was determined
not only to retain Lombardy, which had de-
scended to it from the Inheritance of Charles
V, and Venice, which had fallen into its
hands in the chances of the last Napoleonic
war; but also to use Northern Italy as its
level for making all the Peninsula its own.
1t lost no time in beginning operations; it has
never ceased to prosecute them. The most
formidable engines of Austrian influence
have been systematic attempts Of the Italian
sovereigns to crush their people back into
the recognition of "Divine Right" and to
kill the hydras of "iberty and law" through
out their States The ink was hardly dry
on the Conventions of Paris, when on July
10Th 1915 Austria signed a "secret treaty"
with Naples, binding the King Of Naples to
''rue his dominions in accordance with the
years later, in 1920, Naples forced her King
to grant her a Constitution. Austria then
appealed to this secret treaty, and BY virtue
of it marched an army into "ndependent"
Naples, suppressed the Constitution, and estab-
lished that Austrian tutelage which has en-
dured, with the brief interval of a few months
in ls4s, up to this time. In 1921, Sardinia
demanded Constitution. Into Sardinia
likewise, Austria marched acithout secret
treaty and restored despotism there also.
An outbreak at Bologna brought Austria
into the Papa States, one or another OF
which she has never since ceased to occupy
The Grand Duke Of Tuscany is sty;c ly Aus
tran by family, and has therefore heen left
comparatively uncomplimented by the arm
ed presence Of his kinsmen. With Parma
and Modena, in ls47, Austria concluded
treaties allowing her to take armed posses
sion Of these whenever military prudence"
should require it. Within the last forty
years, therefore, Austria, from ruling five
millions Of Italians in one corner OF the
Peninsula, has advanced to practical con-
troll over the whole Peninsular, with the sim
Gle exception of Sardinia, in which State lib-
ertv has established itself; and has held ts
own with Incompatible spirit and good
sense.
On formal grounds the, Napoleon H., has
clearly been right as European sovereign
in protesting against the steady infractons
Of the balance of power in Italy of whicl,
Austria has been guilty. In these protests
he has simply echoed the less tle,srnaiNed
language held from time 10 time by his pre-
decessor Louis Philippe, anu by the English
Government His right to protect Sardinia
from and invasion Of Austria, is demonstra-
bic on these overt grounds alone.
AS n French sovereign, Napoleon however,
has other and even stronger reasons for his
present action, not the less respectable that
they need not be automatically put forward
The course of Austria in Italy, while it
threatens all the powers concerned in the
freedom OF the future welfare of France,
France has nothing to fear from Italy, if the
Italian States defined by the treaties of Wen
ma be really independent From Italy, as Il
fef of Austria, France has everything to fear;
and the French monarch would be recreant
to his trust who could suffer the process be,
gun in 1915 with Naples to be consummated
with Sardinia in 1850. Should Austria, in
tho war which she now incites. be wholly
driven beyond the Alps, it is idle to suppose
that Italy would be transferred to the dolnin-
ion of France. The same reasons which for
bid Italy to be Austrian forbid her to be
French and Napoleon ILL., is not the man to-
throw himself madly against the combined
feeling of Europe 1t would be rash indeed
now to speculate upon the consequences of
such strife rs impends in Europe; but we
may feel more than confident that the result
of thorough humiliation of Austria in Ita-
ly must be the inauguration of such career
Of Independence and nationality for the rest
of Italy as has been so gloriously begun by
the gallant people of Sardinia and Pied
mont.