The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-07-02
THE WAR BEGUN

THE WAR BEG UN.
Although we have no news as yet of any
armed encounter of the hostile troops, and
the roar of the opening cannon has not yet
crossed the seas, war has been declared in
Germany; the armies of the Confederation
are being mobilized the Prussian troops have
entered Holstein, and still later have march.
ed into Saxony and Hanover. There are ru-
mors also about an engagement near Leipsio,
but this lacks confirmation. There may still
be hopes of peace, though we see none. When
Prussia first assumed her present defiant atti.
tude, it was hoped that resort to arms may
be avoided by the mediation of one or two
friendly foreign powers. Next we heard of
the European Congress, which again raised
the hopes of the lovers of peace; this also
having failed, the meeting of the Diet at
Frankfort was looked to as the last resort
and there were some even who thought that
the decided disapproval of the policy of
Prussia by the Confederate representatives
might deter that power from pursuing
course 80 arbitrary and un- German.
We did not share those hopes. B1sMARK,
who controls the destinies of Prussia. knew
how unpopular his course has been at home
At least it Ito be supposed that he is con-
scious of the odium in which he stands among
his people, when he found it necessary to
turn the members of the House of Commons
out of doors, and shut up the Chamber. We
know also, that an attempt at his life has
recently been made by a young enthusiast;
and that peace petitions come tlocking in to
the King, even to this day, from every city,
town and hamlet of the kingdom. To go to
war under such circumstances, with a great
foreign power, is q most unusual and highly
hazardous course. According to the Articles
of Confederation, adopted in 1916, all diff
culties arising between German powers are
to be left to tho arbitrament of the Federal
Diet at Frankfort, whose decisions are final
Austria was willing all along to refer the
Schleswig- -Holstein imbroglio to this tri-
bunal; but Prussia, apparently having no
confidence in the justice of her pretensions,
uniformly refused this reference; and when
Austria at last convened the Diet and laid
the question before it, BIsmARK held that
her course was equivalent to declaration of
war, in consequence of the violation of the
agreement made between these two powers
by the Convention of Gastein,-where it was
resolved, that oil disputes arising between
Prussia and Austria in relation to the settle
ment of the sovereignty of the Elbe Duchies,
were to be earrangod by themselves, and not to
be laid before the Diet. .m~r p ~r
BrsMARK appealed to the people of Ger.
many, 1. e., he proposed a German Parlia.
ment, members of which were to be elected
by universal sufrage;-a general convention,
by our ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS extra-constitutionaI
assembly. We cannot think that the Prus.
sian Premier entertained any hopes of secur-
ing the appreciation of such body; or that
he seriously intended respecting its decision,
II adverse to his policy. What his real aim
was in the proposition, we have no means of
knowing; but most probably nothing more
than to gain time for tho execution of his
projects in Holstein.
The German Diet has met, and by O. con.
siderable majority declared in favor of Aus.
tria. Prussia, therefore, now stands arrayed
against all Germany,-from twenty-five to
thirty millions of her natural allies: and this.
too, as we have seen, at ti,ae when she
Kings government is most unpopular all
through his own dominions. The easus bslI
is 80 trivial, so manifestly unjust, tha. We can.
not be surprised at the course the minor Cor.
man States have adopted. Prussia goes TO
war purely for territori al aggrandisenent,--
which has long since ceased to be just end