The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-07-02
Fer the Ottawa Free Ira1er.
Reconstruction.

IN al article published by me in the
FREE iEADrE Of the l-t inst intimat-d
laat, a; 4 future time, ! might give some
development 70 the idea therein con-
tanned. II IS NY purpose IN this paper 10
very briefly fulfil that intimat!ou.
The grounds upon which ! assumed
the Union could ret in any event lie re-
stored, and that the present progress Of
events tended, and unless their direction
was changed, wou.a inevitably produce,
the establishment Of two hostile govern
ments over the territory Of What was the
United States, and that This result would
be accom- panied, also, VII. domestic iLsUro
rectiens, deyaststioEs, and murders in
h,ti. =. -4zatians- zui especially in the section
OF Inc y, Tih that. on the other hand.
even if that were possible, it would he
nearly as fatal 10 the liberties Of the north
as 10 those of the south. aut therefore not
in any event desirable. were briefly these:
tiad that, IN 4 period of three years,
au.i with population Of ,A.liy millions.
nearly three millions OF men have been
lai.e-i to arms on the one side and the
other. 20 settle the QVarrs! that has arisen,
and that, neither On the one SIDE or the
ether, has any decisive military or lolit!-
cal success indicated wha: the result Nin
De, but, if decis i've success on either side
has failed 10 Indicate a result. the want Of
such success itself nearly demonstrates
what the Enal result VII! be And it i
thus that il tends to demonstrate it.
Three millions, in a populttion Of thirty
mIilioas. called TO arms within three years,
is, believe, !: not the greatest levy that
vas ever made in the wsv.d, certainly sur
passes any that was ever made in Europe,
probably in ancient. certainly IN modern
times. When Eapoleon became the ruler
Of France, then as nov the most martial
nation Of the world, her population was
.just about thirty millions. In the whole
fifteen years during which he remained
her ruler, he never levied more than three
millions Of soldiers from the reputation Of
old France, that is, France with her
boundaries rs tney ware under tie Bour'
beus.
Now, beg leave TO submit to the con-
siderat.on OF every close ana intelligent
reader of the history OF Europe, from 100
10 1918, twenty five years, a aporossos!tlon
that does not seem to have struck the at
tention of any of the learned historians
who have so faithfully delineated to Us
the military and political history OF Eu-
rope during those twenty-five years. IS,
from. the abyss of 1893. 20 BECOME the
most powerful nation of Europe, ard near
" or quite the arbitress OF the politics Of
Europe, and while all admit that it was
10 the genius of one man alone hat this
proud resultwas due, yet all coteR,y yoTaIies
and historians seem to have adopted the
conclusion, that it was by the military
resources that he had at his disposal, and
welded with genius as a Great Captain,
never surpassed if indeed equalled, that
he made France the most powerful nation.
and himself the most powerful Hulcr IN
the world That conclusion | believe
not to be well founded. To me it appears,
that it was to the political talents rather
Of General Bonaparte,-of the First Con-
sul--of the Emperor, that the greatness Of
France, and his own greatness was more
copclusively due | cannot shere enter all
the reasons for this conclusion, not more
indeed, than barely,,to ailude 20 very few
Of them.
The treaty Of Campo Formio by
which General B1uaparte secured 10
France tho result of his first three italian
campaigns against Austrla-that treaty,
every one may know was made ty MN
without authority, and in direct disoOe-
dience to Tie orders of his government
He made it, because he knew that treaty
vorld secure TO France the glorious results
of his campaigns, and that tie treaty the
rovernment devised TO be made would
not Besides, it was his able administers
ton OF The civil affairs of the Italians, by
which he made friends Of them, that he
secured the fruits CT his victories. He
himself said, his victories would have been
anmuIled, If he had left hostile though
vanguished population in his rear. But 1t
was entirely aside from his Office and duty
as a general, that he did all this Ills
success at Austerlitz would have destroyed
him, had he not known how to secure It's
fruits by the treaty OF Vienna. lie was
ia imminent danger of destruction when
his successes in Germany and Poland, had
carried him. in 1906 to the banks of the
Nieman. but his political talents enabled
him to give full effect to his victories, by
concludinr IN the middle of that stream,
the treaty of Tilst. But when. SIX years
afterwards, success had eiiaced from his
Judgment, the great principles by which
he had attained it, and led him, in an evil
memeEt, to stake all upon his military
genius, he advanced victorious 10 Moscow,
and under the walls of that great capital,
fought and won the battle of BorodIno.- -
But that victory sealed his fate as surely |
as defeat would have done, and its even !