American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-05-15
THE FIRST BLOW.

throw q sop to the bears one day. and pat
bulls on the shoulder the next; but under
lying telegraphic tergiversation and gambs
ling manouvres, there seems to be the plain,
hard fact that war between France and
Prussia is necessity There is point of
mutual distrust and doubt, of half fear, half
confidence, to which no two races or nations
can arrive without becoming absorbed in
and infatuated with the desire to try con-
illusions and settle the vexing question of
superiority. France and Prussia have
reached that point. Both are tossed upon
the sea of popular passion; both are. so far
as the course they shall pursue, beyond the
control of their helnsnen; and like two
great ships drifting toward each other on an
angry sea, certain and disasterous collision
is only question of time.
War is a necessity TO France as q means
of working off the bilious irritation which
has been accumulating ever since the battle
of Sadowa. To let Prussia rest upon the
laurels gathered there and quietly consoli-
date her nearly forty millions of population
into homogeneous empire would be TO ad-
NIT that France had losG the commanding
lead in continental politics which with tacit
unanimity had been accorded her. Such n
humiliation is more than Gallo pride can
stand. The typical national bird invoun>
tarily ruffles his feathers and utters crow
of defiance at the idea War is a necessity
to Napoleon. No man can play with fire
with more adroitness and audacity than he;
no one can perceive more readily the mo
ment when the fire will badly scorch Or per.
haps destroy him, If it be not permitted in
some way or other to burn itself out. To
him victory on the Rhine is the alternative
to revolution.
War is necessity to Prussia, as the
speediest instrumentality for combining in
a common chr Sc the various countries which
now are but loosely united under her govern .
ment or protection. Bismark's heart is set
upuna compact German Empire, not mere
cement with which he can successfully build
up and bind together his pet project is the
blood of battle fields Neither he nor Na>
; poleon is troubled with asuperHulty Of scru
Piles. Though both are constitutionaly hu~
name and clement men-though Bismark' s
tenure Of absolute political authority is un-
stained with a single act of cruelty to indi-
yiduals, and although Napoleon sickened as
he looked upon the Sollerino slaughter
each and both of them have second ma
ture which would not shrink from sacriic-
ing the lives of millions in the endeavor to
achieve given object. There is nothing,
therefore, to hope for in the interests of peace
from the character Of the two principals in
whose hands the issue is virtually held
The problem for immediate solution is nc
\ longer, "Will there be War;" 1t is simply
"Who will strike the first blow?" The re.
sponsibilty attaching to the initial move
ment by which hostilties are to be precipi-
tated is 80 great; the account which, now.
: a>days, rulers and peoples have to render tc
the moral sense of mankind at large Is e
: exacting, that it has come to be the chiei
! end and aim of diplomacy for either side tC
force from the other the first move that can
be construed into the actual attack. An
impression seems to prevail that, in the
case of France and Prussia, the more ad
vanced state Of preparation which the latter
has attained, together with the known bold
ness and occasional choleric impotence o
Bismark, are reasons why the first sbu
should be fired from the needle gun Or
the other hand it must be considered tha
Prussia has possession Of the Luxemburl
fortresses' and really has no excuse for tax
ing the initiative, while that occupation il
the very thing that French pride is, in fact
, almost pleged to terminate. Then, though
there are discOriant elements at work il
, the newly constituted Prussian dominiun
there is ne revolutionary party, and, indeed
no spirit Of discomfort formidable enough t,
require the distraction Of war to keep it from
, fomentIng into domestic insurrection. Now
in France, the mercurial ard eapriciou'
temper Of the people Is in state that CAT
: be best described u, volcanic. They see til,
star of the second man of destiny they have
tried, looking very much as if it were on tn,
point Of waning. They see ais, and with
HE, their prestige gradually diminishing
they feel the shadow OF the great power tha
is rising by their side, ami are consciou.
that it CASES ON them the appearance, a
least Of partial eclipse; they think OF Mex
: leo, and cannot forget the paltry part theil
emperor played in the momentous militia. '
drama of last years and, in brooding ovel
, these things, the confidence they had 50 i'm
plicitly placed in Napoleon, inyolunlariy
oozes out OF them; their admiratio of hi'
astuteness and administrative skill eyapor-
! stes, and their abiding faith in his good for
tune vanishes away. They are beginning
to circulate mots des salons malicious, bit
ter favored jokes and this, with your
Partisan, is tue first step toward downright
contempt.
: Napoleon is perfectly well aware of al
! this, and, being profound judge OF Frencl
human nnature-especially the weak side o
, it-he is also aware Of tue fact that there i