The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-15
The RumOrs of War In Europe.

Ine VI w NAN ~ hhEOpas
Ffofn ne Times.
The warlike dispatches from Berlin, pub
Hshed few days since by several of our
l,ntemporaries, are not confirmed by later tele-
Trans from that quarter. To say nothing of
ibe unlikelihood that note from Count Bis
mark to the Emperor Napoleon, demanding
i,is reasons for arming, and asking the imme-
Late cessation Of warlike preparations, should
be aivulped before IL reached the French Cabi-
no, a is marvellous that such demand, if
,,ode nublic. should not have had an unfavor-
sbIe eieot upon the money market. Financial
circIes are notoriously sensitive, and are not
supposed to have a pencham for war. Yet
sirss then consols have advanced and the stock
markets were generally firm. This, in the face
~ news which must have been known If cor
rect IA a most remarkable circumstance. 1t
cannot be that credited warlike news has lost
its effect upon speculators; and yet the sub
stance Of the Berlin despatch must nave been
known i'm Europe long before night through
inoniries sent from this side. 1t is also pass
inc strange that recent dispatches contain
nothing confirming the report.
There are other grounds for discrediting the
despateb We will rot undertake TO say that
Cobut Bismark has not sent to Napoleon
,,sremptorv request to disarm or fight, but
only that such step would be very unlike
the policy hitherto pursued by the great Prus-
sian statesman. Even on the supposition that
he wished to make war on France, we cannot
believe that he would commence by delibe
rately insulting the whole French people, and
forcing all parties to make common cause with
the Emperor However divided on questions
of domestic policy, Frenchmen are always
united upon France. Among no people is
there q stronger sense Of obligation to country.
The leaders of the opposition in the Corps
L6gislatif base their attacks upon the Imperial
policy on the ground that it has been injurious
TO France, and that it leads to the aggrandize-
ment of Prussia. The people of France are
divided on this question, and are, moreover
dissatisfied with the Emperor's scheme of mill
tary reorganization. AS it would be for the
interest of Count Bismark to foment these
differences, it is hardly credible that he should
deliberately take a step which would at once
unite all parties, silence NJ. Theirs and all the
rest of the opposition, and send every French
man an eager volunteer into the ranks Of
the army.
The reported summons to disarm would be
tantamOunt to a demand that France should
confess herself defeated before drawing the
sword. Such coercion is sometimes exercised
by powerful States upon weak ones, but rarely
upon an equal. The boy who declared that
he wouldn't take any sauce from fellows
smaller than himself, acted on the principle
that governs most nations when they want to
fight. Thus England tamely submits to the
Lamirande insult from France, but is terribly
bellcose towards Spain. Besides, Count Bis
mark has always kept in mind, in dealing
with foreign nations, that "forewarned is fore
armed" Up to the very beginning of the lat
war, he contTived to puzzle not Austria only
but all the rest of Europe, in regard to his de
signs; and when the time came for striking
the blow fell without moments warning.
The military movements alluded to in con
nection with this rumOr could doubtless b
explained on other grounds than that Bismar
is preparing for war. Rastadt was an oil
Federal fortress, from which the Prussian con
tingent was withdrawn at the commencement
of hostilities between Prussia and Austria
That contingent is now sent back, probably il
accordance with an agreement with Baden, il
whose territory the fortress stands.
Prussia is already in full possession of Lux
embourg; and the people of that Duchy ar
said to be strongly opposed to being sold t
France. Under these circumstances we Sc
no reason to doubt that the steadiness of tn
European stock markets is to be accepted a
an indication that the reported demand {
Prussia upon France is untrue, and that tn
class of persons most likely to be we'll informe
in regard to international relations are cor
fdent of the preservation of peace.