The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-29
VICTOR HUGOS IDEAL EUROPEAN
REPUBLTC

THE full text of the letter of Victor Hugo to
the European Peace Congress, which we pub
lished yesterday, deserves an attentive perusal
on this side of the Atlantic as we'll as in the
Old World. The reforms he advocates and
the blessings he hopes for at some indefinite
future period are already substantially estab-
lished on this continent. His first aspiration
is for the creation of a European Federal
republic, to be called the United States of
Europe This form of government has been
so firmly cemented here by the late war that
no conceivable contingency can destroy it.
However parties may differ, none dare
assail the Union; and while the utmost free
dom of opinion prevails, it is understood on
all sides that hereafter the utterance of seces-
sion sentiments will be the sure precursor of
political death
Hugos next aspiration is for liberty, which
he defines to be the first want and the first
duty of man. Here universal freedom now
prevails The abolition of slavery has been
followed by the establishment of Gordon of
free States in every portion of the republic,
and the baneful influence which formerly
tainted the political action of nearly half the
nation has been destroyed forever.
''Frontiers" are said to be the moving
cause of war, discord, and misery in Europe.
Here we have an ocean-bound Republic, sub
iected to scarcely perceptible inconvenience
from the comparatively unimportant contigu-
GUS territory to the north and southwest.
The lines established during the war by hos
tile armies foreshadowed the terrible obsta-
cles to free intercourse from which we have
happily been rescued forever, but which con-
tinue to hamper and impoverish the people
of Europe.
From frontiers spring large standing
armies, and from standing armies, gigantic
wars. Here the immense cohorts which but
few years ago made this country the scene
of terrific warfare have already gone through
the process which Hugo happily styles 'the
reabsorption of the soldier in the citizen 1"
The soil which lately trembled beneath the
tread of a million of armed men has now not
as many common soldiers in the field as it
had officers at the close of the war, and their
duty consists mainly in garrisoning forts or
battling against savage foemen who are rapidly
disappearing from the face of the EARTH
Victor Hugo contends that if the standing
armies of Europe and her mercenary civil
officers were abolished, her people would be
endowed with $4,000, 600, 900 per annum.
From large portion of this burden we are
free. But, unhappily, corrupt politicians
have either created among us host of un-
necessary officers to eat out the substance Of
the people, or they have countenanced ex-
orbitant fees and unnecessary expenses, and
they are public enemies scarcely less danger
GUS and exacting than tyrannical kings
and pampered aristocrats. However, the
voters have at all times the remedy for mani
fest evils in their own hands, and when they
rise up in their majesty, they can easily sweep
the horde of plunderers into oblivion, and
obtain here, much more readily than in
Europe, the "deliverance which contains the
solution of all !"