The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-06-21
Tho. War i'm Eurupe.


,bringes MS the, "details OF afhe. news
brought by the City Of Paris TO the,
7th instant. The principal items
were published by telegraph. The
subjoinea article on the, war is from
the London Tsmess of the 5th instant:
1t is with the deepest regret we
announce that the hopes Or settling,
by conference, the disputes which
now, agitate Europe, must be aban-
doned. The French Government
has telegraphed to enr own that in
consequence of the persistence of
Austria In imposing conditions which
would make the discussions nugatory,
the conference will not be held.
1t would, indeed, be- q mockerv to
cali together the Representative of
the great powers, ON terms which
would necessarily involve their imme-
date separation We fear, then, that
matters stand rs they stood three
weeks since, and tl1at-it now rests
with the armed powers to compose
their disputes bynegotiation between
themselves, Or to resort to the final
arbitrament of war We can only
hope that the former counsel will pre-.
vail, but everything must now bc
done by the powers themselves, for
the functions Of the neutral States
are at an end
This decision of the Austrian EN-
Peror will be termed by his admirers
tirmness, by his enemies perversity.
We have no desire to Judge harshlv a
sovereign who has certainly receircd
much p''ococation, but tits to be re-
GREETED that Austria should, for the
second time within seven years, seem
to be the. cause of a European war.
The error Of her policy will he proved
by the temper in which her foes will
receive tlIe news that she has stran-
gled the Conference. Wherever
there IS one who wishes her i'll,
whetherit he in the conclaves of Prus-
sian politics, in the public places of
the Italian cities, or i'll the house
holds of her disaffected PROVINCES
there will be JOY when it is told that
mediation is at AL end, and that on
Austria the blame is made to rest. If
the Emperor had retained an agent
of Count Bismark as his adviser, he,
could not more effectually have
served the policy of his opponents.
Now that the Conference is dream
of the past, there will he many ready
to declare that if it had been held it
would have worked wonders. 1t will
be described rs n potent instrument
of reconciliation, which would GER
tainiy have settled all the differences
OF the Continent and placed the ma
tions III new harmony, had it not
been for the ohstinacy Of one incor-
rigible dynasty. Such will. no doubt,
be the chorus of Prussian, Italian
and Frenchman, AID it is impossible
to deny that they will have some
ground for their invectives. The
re':Y small chance 'chich Tie Conference
gdre Of maintaining peace mutie it all
the less accessory for Austria to abstain
from attending ii. If she wishes for II
war which shall punish he,. h.eoche7.ous
German adversary, it could not have
been prevented, it could hardly have
been delayed, by letting the plenipo-
tentiaries meet and find out for them
selves the impossibility of settle
ment. We have never attached much
Importance to the Conference, save
so far as it gave the public opinion of
Europe the opportunity of pro-
nouncing officially on the matters in
dispute, but to appear to reject and,
as it were, to fear this harmless dis
cussion, diminishes the moral weight
of any power. It will be said that
the cause of Austria must be bad
when she seems afraid even to listen
to the opinions of disinterested states
men.
That there should be room for this
accusation is the more to be regretted
since, in the opinion of impartial
men, the cause of Austria might be
very forcibly defended. In Germany
she is, or was till few days since,
completely in the right. Assuming
that the Elbe Duchies form part of
the Confederation, she has uniformly
demanded that they should be dis
posed Of in accordance with German
public law. The Austrian Govern
ment has been supported by the
minor States. and by the public
opinion of Prussia itself, in the part it
has taken, which has been only to +. Sist
an indefensible and shameless aggres-
sion. Were the German question
the only one involved in the war,
every right thinking man would be on
the side of Austria. There is, I'M
happily, the Italian dispute, also, yet
even for the holding Of Venetia the