Idaho semi-weekly world. (Idaho City, Boise County, Idaho Territory) 1867-1868, 1867-10-26
s Ellli aFteklp Motld,
THE 1MpEND1NG WAR IN EUROPE.

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A great war in Europe is inevitable. Those
who place the slightest trust in the assurances
of peace which the rival governments are con-
tinually making, forget the maxim of Talley-
rand that the use of speech rs the conceal
ment of thought. Those who choose to take
the word of French OF Russian Minister for
get that truth is the one especial virtue which
a continental statesman cannot afford to prac-
tice. All great wars in Europe have begun
with proclamations of peace, so that the very
phrase of international amity" sounds IKE
the report of a gun. The nearer the war, tue
more earnest the protestatlons OF goods VIII L
and the governments remind US OF prlze-hght-
ers who, lust before they beat each other TO
RELY, exchange the warmest hand shaklngs ana
most cordial smiles We have had more IMAM
one instance in this generation OF royal rulers
congratulating their subjects upon the pros
pect of a long and happy peace at the very
moment when they were preparing their ar
mics to invade somebody else's territories
g France desires peace; all her interests are
bound ND in undisturbed commerce, manutac-
ture and art She will make any sacrifice to
avoid war; This is the manner In which the
Emperor talked at Amiens. / have crossed
France with the Empress from Strasburg to
Dunkirk,. and our hearty and sympathetic re-
ception everywhere has filled US with the live
lest gratitude Nothing, perceive with pleas
ure, can shake the confidence which, for TWEEN
ty years, the French people have placed ID me.
They have estimated at their real value, the
difficulties | have had to surmount.- The ILL.,
success of our policy across the ocean has not
diminished the prestige of our arms, since ev-
eryWhere the valor OF our soldiers 0vercame
all opposition. The events accomplished In
Germany have not caused QUE country to de-
mart from a, calm and dignified attitude, and it.
relies with. Justice upon the maintenance Of
peace" Yet all this reliance upon the perpe-
tlity of peace did not prevent Napoleon from.
buyino irOn-clad war vessels in America to in.
crease navy already superior to that of Eng
land. Nor did it put stop to the unusual ,ac-
tivity in reorganizing, drilling and. arming ev-
ery branch of the service. The camps of the
French are as busy as their manufactures.
Immediately after the triumph OF Prussia,
measures were taken to organize the army up
on O basis of $4,000 men. Prussia, equally
emphatic in her protestations, has been as sig
nifcant IN her actions. The avowed policy OF
Bismarck is the consolidation of the North
German States into one grand military power,
of which Prussia shall be the head, and it is
notorious that his schemes have for their I'M
mediate object the detachment of the South
German States from the influence of Austria.
France is arming Prussia is arming; and the
needle-gun is to be met with the Chassepot rife.
Austria is sacrificing the hereditary policy OF
the House of Hapsburg to gain--what she has
never had-the effective support of Hungary,
and aniassurance that Hungarian troops could
Be depended upon in battle. Italy, and even
Switzerland, are adding to. their materials OF
war, while that vast and semi-barbaric power
which overhangs Western Europe like threat
ening cloud has already announced that the
Sultan must revolutlonize the whole system OF
his government. Every movement of Russia
against Turkey has been the prelude to great
continental struggle, aud, of all her movements
the late demand is the bOldest. And war does
not result from the action of the Gar as much
as his action is governed by his knowledge Of
the future Peace may be preserved by mir
ncle-but miracles are very rare in politics /;
and if there is any significance in facts, the
editor OF this paper was right when he lately
gave his opinion, in his Paris correspondence,
that war was the settled purpose Of the Euro
pean Powers, and that France and Prussia
would meet on new battle-feldS before Spring.
The music Of festivities and the songs of peace
are heard throughout Europe; but beneath the
rejoicing strains is heard the sounds of trum-
pets and the roll of approaching drums The
silence is like that of bright morning when
two great armies meet, and, while the birds
sing and the bees hum in the clover, await for
few brief moments the command to fire and
the word to charge along. the line.