The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-29
The Sword Decides.

There is profound truth in the thought
full remark of Tie Nation that there could
hardly have been better Justification OF the
course of the King of Prussia in persisting in
the prosecution of the war, after the fall OF
the Empire, than the arguments put forth by
Russia and her partisans in defence of her
violation of the treaty OF Paris. War is, at
best, but clumsy way Of trying causes; but
it does settle questions which, as yet, there
] is no other way Of settling. A treaty made
at the close of war, and which settles the
points over which the war was waged, is, in
reality, the final judgment in q proceeding
which all civilized nations are, and have
long been, trying to make as nearly judi
cial as its nature will admit. When, there
fore, q community deliberately appeals to
the sword to decide controversy with
| another nation, as Russia did in 1858, and
as France does in 1870, every civilized man is
interested in having the defeated party abide
by the result, as embodied in the treaty by
treaties to be perpetual, and nobody expects
them to be so; but everybody expects them
to last till there is some other change in Cir
cnmStances than recovery OF strength OIL
one gbe, or the loss of it on the other. The
partisans both OF the French and the Prus-
slams have, however, of late, done tleir best
to spread what The Nation calls the prize
fighters view of war-that is, the doctrine
that it is trial of military strength and skill
simply, and that, beyond settling on which
side the superiority in these things lies in q
particular year, it settles nothing, creates no
rights, and imposes no duty-not even on
the belligerent who, at his own time, and for
his own reasons, has resorted to it. Ac-
cordingly King William was severely rated
for not withdrawing his forces as soon US
the French regular armies had been defeated.
The fact that the French people were burst
ing with rage and humiliation, and made no
secret OF their determination to take their re-
venge as soon as they could recover their
strength, was to count for nothing
Russia went to war in 1858, signed some
thing called a treaty because she found it
inconvenient to fight any longer, and now
that she has recruited her forces, while those
OF her adversaries are diminished, she threat
ems war again. 1t would be difficult to over
estimate the evil influence on the worlds
progress which anything like general ac-
ceptaace OF this view OF the nature and effect
OF war would exercise. The larger armies
grow, the more human industry and inge-
nuity are devoted TO the arts af destruction,
the more thoroughly entire nations are en-
listed in armed conflict-the more necessary
it is, in tue interest OF civilization and hu-
manity, to treat war not as a game, but as
judicial process; not as means OF trying
brute strength but OF settling the relations
OF great communities to each other. 1t is
sad to think that nations should still have to
settle their place among their fellows, to
use Bismarck's phrase, BY "blood and iron, :"
but it would be infinitely sadder if We should
have TO acknowledge that battles were only
fought for show.
No treaty which France might have con
cluded, after the surrender OF Sedan, would
have been observed one day longer than was
necessary for the reorganization OF her arm
les and the moral consolidation of her
people. The conditions now are changed
for the worse, but France still refuses to adj
nit that the sword has decided that there
shall be no more inrasions of Germany, that
the Rhine is German and German shall re-
main, aud that AIsace and Lorraine must
become an integral part of the great German
Empire. And until all France reaches this
conclusion, and shows that she acquiesces in
the final judgment of the tribunal to which
she appealed, King William cannot withdraw
his lpgions, nor can his ministers offer to
patch up what would be rather a hollow
truce than u lasting aad reasonable peace.