The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-05-04
aTHE pnuss1AN ouADR1LAFERAL."


treatment of the Franco-Prussian question, in its
geographical and military aspects Inprcof that 1t
is able, but Of decided French bias, We need=oaly
mention that it is written by N. EMILE DE G1RAn-
DIN, from whose inimitable French we proceed to
translate into homoly English. !
saThe Prussian Quadrilateral" It his name appro- !
priutely given to Luxemburg, Coblentz, Saarlouis
and Mentz, has been CLEAN Of light that has dls-
sipatod the obscrrity of the question.
f. BY this these four cities will hencoforth DO;
known.
There is not asipglo person who can doubt that
if France, in April, 1867, had acquiesced IN the con-
tinuancs OF the Prussian-Q drateral, 'she would
be IN the same position as Italy was in April 1856
still submitting to the Austrian Quadriiatera!:
What Italy did for her security, France will do
for hers France can do no less tnan naly has
done. ',',' g,
And it's Prussia who has. precipitated such Q
| step BIZ her exortitant pretensions.. =. : ~:
After having broken with her oWn hands, the
| bond that cemented the German Comederaton,
Prussia showed no disposition to obey the sum-
mons made last October; for the evacuation of
Luxempurg. This summons, as Count BISMARCK
admits was addressed to Prussia ak months ago
by the Grand Duke:of Luxembourg, tthe Kline. OF
HoLand.) u :Persislng in her occupation Of thus
torress-which Isl continued only: as . threat to
France -EPr,rssia and the German people have only
to thank themselves il the question has at once
taken ardiferent aspect.
The point at issue now is not territorial aggran-
dlzemept, but national security. -;
The principle of natonaties, in the application OF
which The French Government in 1866 had, per-
haps, been even over scrupulous, must give way
before the question OF thesecur1ty and tue d1gm-
I ty OF France.
/ This scruple must not again bar onr way
until France shall have re-estabished her national
boundaries-the. Pyreneess the Alps, the Rhine,
H (from Basls to theses) and finally the ocean and
II within. this territory, thus croumscrbed, there
must not be single fortress that is not garrisoned
y NV low ~ let us Compare the line formed BY the Mo-
Isele, with the Rhine and the Saar, with that OF
1.-The Po, the Adige and the Mincio. =; ::
Ii Perpendicular to the frontier Of France flows
1.-THE Moseue, from its confluence with the Saar, by
1.-the side of Luxemburg to Coblentz. Parallel to
1.-the frontier the Saar runs from Saarlous, past
Saarbruck to- the Moselle. Behind the Saar, and
i parallel with it, the Rhine runs from Mentz TO
lIlohIaptz .=s 49,
Prom Luxembourg railroad connects with the
point OF confluence OF the Saar and the Moselle at
tCoblantz, whence it proceeds along tne Saar 70
meets with Mentz, either by way OF kaisersautern,
Neustsdt and Mannheim, or by way OF Kreuznach
| and Biugen. Back Of the fortifcation OF -huxem-
burg, and connected with 1t by railroad ID Ireves,
! Ito Coblentz and the Rhine. 49,. . "a.
III In 'front.' of Neustadt, and connected sith it by
railroad, is Landau, FORTIFIED town, resting upon
| lGermersheim afew miles OF, also fortified, whence
lEou descend the Rhine, by way OF Mannheim, to
Ment1, From Mentz you can go to Coblent2 IN
threea ways: by the Rhine, by the Mentz-Bingen-
BoppSrt Coblentz Railway or by the Mentz- -Rudes-
helm Railroad, which takes you to the confluence
of the Rhine and the Lain, that is to.say, within
tsight Of Ehrenbreltstein and Cologne: -
II TWes omit the analognes given all along by M
bE GiRARDM of tile Italian Quadrilateraf as not
Essential to our paragraphs.
Luxembourg, Mentz, Co6lentz ano saa[ions'
thanked by the Rhine, and supported by Kaiser
Il slnutern Landau and Germersheim, In possession
of four rapid means OF communication. with one
another, being able to go down to fortified Cologne
to reach Berlin in few hours railway travel osG
| Cologne, Hanover and Madgeburg; by Coblentz,
Cassel, Erfurth and Leipzig; BY MentS, Frankie C.,
lWurzburg and: Ghep1aitz; by Landau, Mannhelm
Coburg and Merss1drg, by a magnificent network
emburg, Mentz, Coblentz and Saarlouis, with Ger
i mershs1m and Landau deeply rooted upon German
soil, are dagger, ever &hrestemng at the heart or
Frsnee just as dangerous, to say the least Oh ~
as Was the Austrian quadrilatera to the heart of
4 fstPrussia look seriously onthis view. OF the
case II she would not have the French take pos
session OF all the fortresses which. are directed
! AGAINST them and Threatened France Gn the left
\ bank Of the Rhme let her evacuate Luxembourg at
once. Let her soldiers, who occupy tho fortress
i without right, in violation Of the unquestioned
sovereignty Of tho Grand Duke, and at the pro:
i nodnced disapprobaeon OF the tnha6itants, at
4 once retire. with or without drum or fife, and give
place to the masons :saho must Tase the
I WALTZ L r--i '-.fE -. .rI":i"-'' .-'.''- 80
i We We may be ahead of Prussia. Every delay VIII
increase the liability OF Piusa1a 81 sgd .Rasarla, to
l The conduct Of Prussia, to speak plainly, betok-
! ems not only madness, utingraItude also. =.
f Yes, ingratitude! For without the neutrality OF
France, no treaty Of alliance could have been con-
! Il 4 1kaIv
Yes insEsiras kEs5 had 1S Fsnse @ aos fsmalmsa
Eoaa a efsISsbitans; 4nvp e5enfnsad sto@insasute
herself with Hustrias thirty y-seven millions not to
Hesse H EaadnS Badan add Wurtsmberga
7 Yes, mgrattudeI For, without the neutrality OF
4 France, wonld not the. Governments OF Prussia
4 and Austria be still exchanging endless notes on
4 the spirit and the letter Of the Convention OF
Gastein?
j Yes, ingratitude For but for the: neutrality Of
ssF France, the now famous needle gun would still
=: have to make it's decisive trial. SadoWa would not
have covered the Prussian army With g,orys ann
Il Prussia in 1857 would still have. had the Same
ii boundaries as in 1856. .:y....
t,t Buoh being the case, how could Prussia SO far
forget all these signal services, and even lose
-Ean regard for the Just suscept1iLnes o. s.a sae
lust demand q Holland and: of France after III ;lo
IMardiis DE EIVALETTE, French Minister OF For
egn Affairs, had addressed hls circular OF the 18th
September last, why did Prussia sslu walt lor
once Complied with
III Having now had time for reflection, and being
informed Of the current of opinion In Manss' s:,'
4 persist in her refusal :, :.
I And such aggression will be deemed deolara-
ion Ct war. :. -: ~; =:
X And in case there is war, in presence OF the for.
Eeigner in presence ofithe enemy. and In view OF
r;ol 70 ri all
!: lion on uestions of internal policy would at once
tbeome effacad, and all recriminations be senced.
Fl It is all very well to discuss questions before we
tight butt once in the fsla discussion b;s AZ
But the mssns;to victory is. the: French: army;
4 whether more or less numerous, matters not; nor
Il whether it; is armed with one species OF gun OF
:. another. The main point is that it be animated
+ with the spirit which celebrities the soldier; that
: we make our soldiers know and feel thst we are
to back them; that they rush on with holiness and
alacrity, carried away by the national elan.
heat, for on it depend the dignity Of France, her
honor, her independence, and her integrity
81 We hate war more than ever; more than ever do
We look forpeace; but If Prussia, which holds il in
her hands the issue Of peace or war, shall make
war inevitable, the whole responsibility must fall
exclusively and Justly upon the Prussian govern
ment; and if not upon Count BISMARCK, it must
rest upon King WnlLAa. ii i;:r;; II;
Iberty-a peace fertilized by credit peace such rs
We have desired and spoken Of for thirty years.
woufd We doubt not, sooner or later, conjured the
perils which were obliged to follow an armed
peace-a peace established without system and
without ideas; without grandeur, glory or liberty.
i But our voice not having been listened to-; is no
7 reason why imam option betwsen war badly con-
Quoted and war well fought, we should choose .
i war conducted gaildly rather than aresolute sys-
q One need notlave been prophet to have fore
seen and foretod that war must certainly follow
the p6Hdyiof 1858, 1868, and 1866. p5 I;
Fortunately our troops have returned from
Rome and from Mexico: Would that they could