New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-20
VAR TOPICS,

Secretary OF State, Will uOuDlleSS Teler uoJ OhIy
to the Alabama claims, but also to the course he
must pursue in the existing state of European
affairs, and in any exigency that may arise.
He may at any time find himself compelled to
undertake extremely important duties; and,
though he can always telegraph from London
to Washington, and obtain instructions for any
emergency through the cable, yet it is well
that he should be able to take proper inltla-
tive. and act upon well-defned principles. 1t
is all the more necessary that Mr. Frelinghuysen
should get to London as soon as possible be-
cause of the fact, which we have learned from
Washington, that there has been some sort of
misunderstanding between Mr. Motley and the
State Department. There is no doubt that
Mr.. Motley will, under all circumstances, do
what seems to him for the best; but, in view
of existing and possible complications, it is
extremely important that our Minister to Eng
land should be in full accord with the Execu-
tive in regard to all matters of principle and
detail. I'VE hope to hear of Mr.. Frelinghuy-
SENS departure before the close of the present
week.
The French Emperor has never shown
himself to be great General. The only i'm
portant war in which he took part was the
Franco-A Austrian war of 1852 He then showed
himself to be a blunderer and a man possessed
of but few military resources. He was saved
from disgrace by the prompt action of one of
his own generals and by the imbecility of the
Austrian commanders His leadership in a war
against Prussia would not, therefore, be a very
formidable matter.
We have by cable from Paris the plan of
campaign for the French army. 1t is really
very fine. The army will first enter Hesse
and then occupy the City of Frankfort from
which it will sweep all the Prussian territory
left of the Rhine. 1t will next march through
Prussia which it will first proceed to conquer,
and subsequently will reconstruct. This is
almost as admirable as the plans of campaigns
which used to be got up in this country by
some of our newspaper strategists in the first
year of the war against the Southern COnfed-
eracy. First, let us march one gigantic
"army through the Southern States from
Richmond and another immense army from
"Cairo down the Mississippi Valley; let both
"armes meet at Newt Orleans, hang jeff Davis
"tO sour apple tree, raise the American flag
Sin triumph all round, and wind up with a
grand barbecue The trouble with these
remarkable American strategists was that they
did not take the Southern Rebel force into
account and the trouble of the French STRAIT
egist of the Nbert6 is that he does not take
the Prussian army into account. We assure
him that as long as he leaves it out of the
calculation we cannot have proper respect for
his plan of campaign.
The German Committee which held meet
ing the other night at the Liederkranz Club
rooms adopted a number of resolutions, one of
which was "That it is necessary to protect
American goods and merchandise on the
"seas, and that inasmuch as the Paris treaty
"has been adopted and agreed upon by
France, we think it right that the Govern
"ment of the United States should insist upon
:" its execution" 1t must be remembered that
the American Government can take no part in
enforcing the execution" of the Paris Treaty
or Declaration of 1866, for the reason that it
was not a party to the Declaration, has always
refused to sign it, and has declined, for itself,
to be bound by its terms.
Some people are happy in the thought
that, in case England should become involved
in the FrancO-Prussian war; we Americans will
then have an opportunity of paying her back
for her treacherous conduct toward us in our
own war, as shown especially in the Alabama
privateering business. They think there will
then be a chance for Our bold marines to fit
out privateers and prey upon English COM
merce over all the seas of the world. We
rather think, however, that though the En-
glish Government permitted its subjects to
outrage our rights in the most fragrant man.
ner, the American Government will enforce
its own laws quite regardless of this fact.
Moreover, none of the European Powers likely
to be engaged in hOstilites can, under the
the Paris Declaration, issue letters of maroue
to priyateers, either from America or else
where. There may be good opportunity, be-
fore long, however for our Government to
press the Alabama claims upon England by
very effective arguments.
1t appears that The London Post is skepti-
cal about the news from Paris and Berlin. and
goes so far as to ascribe the bulk of the dis
patches to SPECTATORS. We ourselves believe
that large proportion of the dispatches ema-
mating from Paris have been got ND by the
spectators on the Bourse, assisted by their
cOnfederates in London and Berlin. The re-
port of the Prussian advance into French ter
ritory, the subsequent report of a battle, and
numerous other reports, have turned out to
be false; yet all Europe was agitated by them,
and they were the means of furnishing rich
harvests to the spectators. They have been
as effective in New York as in Europe. II il
mainly through them that gold has been forced
up, to the profit of the Gold Exchange and
the damage of our business and other interests.
Those people who were most startled. a