The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-11
NEW YORK HERALD FRIDAY SEPTEMBER H. s68-TRPLE SHEET

the undisputet head of the North German Confedera-
ton. anu N the event Of war she eau command
the forces OF the South German states Her present
object, therefore is 10 consolidate her cOnquests.
She Is perfectly well satisfied with the status G,0,
and her only desire is to prevent its being altered for
the worse For this purpose time is the surest ally
she can have. Time will make IL increasingly dini-
cult for France to reract her tacit and informal
cognition OF the recent changes in Germany. Time
Will by degrees identity the annexed territories with
the old Prussian provinces. Time will draw tighter
the links which bind the several members OF the
Northern Confederation to each other and develop
the latent sympathies OF the Southern populations
On all these grounds Prussia desires peace Neither
the King nor Connt Bismarck disposed 20 hazard
the advantages they have gained by war In which
however IL may begin, France will in the end he
their opponent. They are too proud OF having made
her. No doubt there is war party In the court,
but its influence with the King Is daily declining,
and its real head General Moke, is longer pos
tive on the point as he once was. III Prussia
meant to fight France at all she should have
fought her In the autumn OF 1868. Then the
possession OF the needle gun had made her sol
diers the best armed troops in Europe. Now the
new weapon has shared the common fate Of inven-
tons and has been superseded by something better.
or course Prussia may again try her hand at i'm
proving the machinery Of war, but it must be re-
membered that ,oht,e Il took her t,centy years to
t,oO gears to make 100000 Chnssepots. And it
must be remembered further that this latter process
cost France e. 600 900 and that Prussia has neither
the same money to spend nor the same readiness to
spend IL.
In the opinion OF the Journal des Debats the mo-
tves which induce Austria to wish for peace are
should lose what she has gained, Austria lest she
should lose what she has kept For Austria the
the treaty of Prague the end OF all things. But
to attempt to regain her old position would at this
moment, only bring upon her fresh misortunes and,
conscious OF this, she waits, with that ndOmitabe
patience which Is the characteristic OF Austrian
policy until better times shall come. At present she
has no army, no money and no credit. Her
government cannot even turn ttS thOuUhtS to the
supply OF these deficiencies; 1t Is fully occupied in
dealing with the difficulties of the internal situation.
Not that Austria Is deficient In resources: the
trary they almost fnexhaustible. But then they
are largely under the control Of the privileged classes
and where they not the differences of admins
ration in the provinces prevent their being turned
the best account If were to break in Cen
trail Europe this autumn Austria could hardly bring
900 men into the field, and these would be badly
armed, badly prOvsionedin short, badly cared for
in all ways Austria needs radical reorganization,
and before this can be achieved the political prob
lens which now absorb the attention OF her govern
ment must he got out Of the way. The worst Of
these-the 1unrarian difticultv-has been disposed
OF after a fashion; but the settlement is still
pertinent. 1t has lasted just year and quarter and
that it has done this much Is chiefly owing to Deak.
Now Deak is in bad health and talks OF retirement.
When he is gone there will be one left to lead his
party, and the advocates OF union with Austria may
again have to give way before KOssu'h and the
party OF independence Thus even the Hungarian
question can hardly be regarded as cleared or; and
when it Is the Bohemian difficulty remains. The
CZechs have the aspirations as the IIungarlans
and II favored by circumstances, they may prove
equally hard to deal with. Nor ought the discomfort
OF the German provinces accustomed as they have
been to direct the administration and shape the
policy OF the empire, to be altogether forgotten.
From its st. Petersburg correspondent the Journal
des Deb0ts derives q not dissimiar account OF the
state Of Russia The Russian government is more
reticent than the Austrian and the country is less
visited by foreigners: and these two facts have com
bined to keep the credit OF the empire from declln
ing to the same extent. But though Russia will
be Colossus in the future, when her 10000, 900
200 900, 900, she is not Formidable TO-DAY Her
armv is i'll organized and i'll equipped her finances
are in utter disorder. and In one respect she Is In
worse plight even than Austria, since she will not
look her affairs in the face. Scarcely any gold or
silver remains In circulation. and In provinces
tirey CARRIED on BY barter. Even the troops are
paid in paper, which Is not eXchangeabe except at
considerable discount. For the time Russia Is one
huge chaos. Her old institutions disappearing
and the new have not yet got into shape. The evils
under which she suffers have their roots in the char
acter and habits OF her people, small and great. II
they are TO be cured civilization must take the place
OF barbarlsm, and such substitution as this is not
effected in a day.
newspaper IL virtually compelled to leave unnoticed
the one factor which, IN the opinion OF the rest Of
her neiGhbors, as well as for herself France is no
longer sef-Roverned community. Her ablest jour
She is only ANXIOUS to avoid IT, and that neSer ner
interests nor her honor demand that she should
assume more aggressive attitude; but these state
ments universally felt not TO touch the real
question. Peace. SAYS the Journal des D5batS, ia
secure, unless the imperial government takes the
initiative In an opposite direction. But then the
action OF the imperial government In this "a in most
other matters. viii be determined by personal and
dynastic considerations, the force and direction or
which IL is difcuit n not impossible, for any but ts
chief to estimate. consequently feel that the
elaborate ANALYSIS which our contemporary has
given us il still incomplete. And even within the
sphere which IL professedly embraces there are
points OF some importance omitted. AS concerns
Russia, indeed, there no data from which to con-
clude whether the correspondents OF the Journd,
DIES Dbdts have have not told us all that Is to be
known upon the subject. IL seems clear that the
NOTED by peace: but to what extent the passions
either OF the Car or the people, may thrust this
consideration into the background requires kind Of
knowledge which il not obtanab'e out OF the
country, perhaps not In 1t. with regard to
Austria the conclusion of the Journal des D6bnts
Is beyond question up TO certain point Baron
Beust VIII certainly do nothing either to provoke or
TO precipitate war. How he would stand affected
towards a war in which Austria was not concerned
as principal might perhaps, depend on his opinion
OF French sincerity. This IL probably true OF ut
least one party throughout the South German States
In England the desire for German unity has been too
often mistaken for desire to he annexed TO Prussia
The two sentiments are certainly distinct In them.
Selves and II the enemy Of Prussia could be trusted
not to appropriate German territory this distinction
might vet he fruitful in serious practical consequences
IL Is with respect TO Prussia that the reasoning OF
the journal 9oS DebdfS seems least satisfactory. IL
will have been noticed that s conclusions are oil
based on the assumption that time will necessarily
be on Count Bsmarck's side-that each month, as 1t
passes, VIII make the annexed provinces more
contented with their subsection, and the
Southern states more eager to be Incorporated
into the Northern Confederation. As to the first
OF these postuates, no foreign opinion can be
worth much. II Hanover wanted to be again indie
pendent, or Hesse to have q less autocratic
protector, they would naturally not say so until
there seemed chance OF saying so with effect.
As to the feeling OF the South, the evidence so far
as 1t goes. is OF an opposite tendency. The attrac-
ton OF the South German states towards Prussia
seems TO have been partly that or paralyzed aston
ishment at her military success, and to maintain
sentiment OF this sort in being there must usually be
constant supply OF the cause which originally called
1t forth.
AUSTRIA,