, 1866-05-28
THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE.
Energetic PFuteht or au EnE1Ish Liberal
OrEans

be asked and obtained Of the Government as
70 the policy at present being adopted by the
Foreign Office in fhce Of the now imminent
apparent cxplicftncss and caudor the ques- |
tfon which was asked Of him. The Govern.
mcut have given good advice TO al parties.
They arc ready to give what are chilled Their
good offices" ii anybody ssks iDr them OF
probable. No actual proposal for general |
European Congress has been made; but the !
matter has been talked over aud il t'under I
consideration We have lntiniated to the |
In tho rendering Of ''good o1iccs " II there |
should Eeem any chance Of these leading to |
satisfactory rrs:llt. But her Mafesty's Gov. |
crnmcut consider that It would be nndcs1ru.
bic TO enter alone into negotiation with Pow
crs which are On the verge Of war.
Now this Inst assurance p1cascs us best Of |
all. We should be still better pleased If tho |
Government had declared the undertaking OF |
such negotiations undesirable whether alone |
OF In company. Let It's Iy nil mcaus keep out |
OF congresses and swear against umtcAhle in |
terFentions: The theory that ali Europe is
rem to whom VIC stand in fotv lMrtatis and |
whom We are bound to keep In good order
ought to be at least as obsolete now as that |
OF tue balance Of power: The Times is re-
markallc 1or Its way Of dealing With all for
cign difficulties whatcyer-the simple plan Of |
4 q"arrri ac Insane and maniaca1ly tAirstlug |
Tor each ot1nr's blood, ami tllcreupon admin |
istefin. lcctnres which upon that very theory |
are obviously thrown away. Comtc's tleo-
r.. Hucklc's theory. Dar"in's theory
principles in tic minds Of these Phi.
losoplen. than is tho foreign in.anlty
theory in the mind Of the 7iaes. Now,
this sur, of thing Ii well enough In splash |
Ing leading article. It may seem to certain |
Aa.a 1t.1rn 4,
nou.,cc the u,sunity Of the New Euslauders |
to-day and the Germans Tomorrow and thr !
Italians the day aflur in pompous newspaper
columns, and it docs nobody any harm. But |
We sincerely trust that our Government will |
give up once forali acting upon this theory
and assuming any tute1a%e over tl1c supposed i
mantacs. Nobody mole sincerely wishes that
war may be aycrtetl linn VIC do. We deeply
regret that Italy should think herself driven |
TO take action. Nc Ieprohate the conduct |
OF frnssia; VIC have little sympathy with
4Au*tria. AL this it may be necessary That
English journalists should at sucl, crisis say
and explain and justify But We trust ltic
English Government will he cautious about
delivering lectures which nrr sire to
he disrcgardcd, aud will abstain Alto
gether from taking any steps which
would afford even scmblarce Ola willing
ucss 10 enter inlu engagements. 4 man
mnst 1c more insane tlan the maddest Of tue
foreign nations whom the Times lectures eve
~ day, il he supposcs tint a diplomatic re-
| Inonstrance could uow check Italy, or that an
| essay OIL tl,r wickedness ot a.grcssion con}d
have any eject upon the mind oi Count lis
/ mark. To quote we'll known phrase Of
| the late President Llncofnfs. tue pope's Bull
would be quite rs cllicacious against 4
cu'tlet. ffwar is now inevitablc, rs there
! seems too much reason to believe. it IS only
| so just because foolish Or r:pacious GoyeEtl-
| Mcnts in former days chose 10 settle affairs
which did not belong to them at congresses
and conferences, by diplomacy aud Juggling
l ktntccraft. As Ill overloaded stomach ntlst
be discharged Of ils undigested contents
somehow 't!s a. tnn before tie 1a, bod; body s eau
must be. DISCHARGED ot its horrij1c
load Of inligestibic Congress work before i,
can settle down to peace. Docs ans one sup-
pose tint if the most solemn and influential
Congress ever assembled IN i foreign oilicc
were t. decide that Italy ought to give up
woud clamor one whit the less loudly ior
what they believe 10 lie sl.eiv national right
anu, indeed, the necessity Of their national
existence: Does any Que suppose that either
| PsnsssA or Austria would consent at the re-
! quest If half dozen elderly diplomatists to
/ rlay second to ttr other in German affairs
4 Congress which does not mean to c:iiusce
its dcc,ee$ would in such Il crisis he i dill
liunler i Congress which intended to en-
force them would be luon=traus crilnc.
Above all, let lis III she present moment
have no private arrangements with I'll,
tlnse who profess IN utter dIstrust Of thf
policy vi that f;oscEnincnt. Indeed, We tllinl
tic foreign policy ot Fraaee Is Auw en tl.s
whole tar more candid and straightforward
, tlt:ln it Was in tue days of Louis Philippe
tut the position and the niMs Of France il
Europe arc qute different from onrs, a.ld car
not possible be- made to harlnonizc with ours
; Mark the significance Of the words spoken il
+ Paris by tie Emperor Napoleon 10 TN
e Auxerre dcpntation on SuAday-thc ont,
- public word, uttered by him durint
. the present mo1,lcntous crisis III pr,
claims llis dric>tation for 'thc treaties Of ISIS
, which ii is now sought to make tie sole !,asi
\ | Of our foreign policy" Naturally anil jMstl,
i lie dcte>ts ihc,n; and llc has often sail
:, so brtore. hui who ean fall to Apprecia1
y the Significance Of his reiterating lis hatrc'
= for them at tlc present moment: VIC, tou
: condemn them but We have no persona
+ ends to ,,aln by ,tprootiny the last rc5,sains
The work they dil-and Ae has. What pos
sil,lc harmony tN actiun cau there bc at suc]
Il tnonlcnt between Us and linn: We ll:ay
+ not fought asainst +iustria; We never htlpc
D Italy. Nobody expects lis to take any shar
b in tile grt*at struggle which seems likely i
c open. 1t will be altogether our own tauit
!. | NC arc in any way dragged into fts Let Ii
:. resoin,eay from tue very beginning proclaim
If Ill absolute neutrality. by our intcrierenc
= we can serve nobody; we may injurc man
= and ourselves rs we'll. The i,npcnlins wa
= is II" result OF chance or caprice. Ii Is
!. conflict Of influences which must ONE day @
"a u1Aerc CONT intu collision. Either Austria Q
Il Prussia must snccunlb In Gcr1nany-two sta,
II keep not their motion In ono sphere. Ital
T. will hare Venctia-.nust have 1t, tue Italian
Of say with one vticc-or perish. Can we sctt|
these questions ly State papcr-can We su
}. pend the laws Of politcal combination BY
4 protest: We may thinR the Italians unwis
Int ~, =
ia Ina.liacs. OF the cscarcd lunatics OF our us.
Mt Inns. Let us remember what our diplomae
r. did TOR Poland anu tOr Denmark; and let I
:. not forget that the internecine war now app
=, rrntly Imminent between Austria and rruss
:, began III cordial alliance. Italy asks, we l,
-. 1--we, but one favor at orr han1s-to 1,e i
;" atnnr. III tlr own Interest as well as hers
H. iur the sakc OF our own honor as well is Ii
N 1riendshtp-let as grant that most reasonat
~ rtqucst.