The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-09-30
The Great Radical Leader,
Wendell Phillips, on Prussia.

with John Brown, Fred. Douglass
and Charles Sumner, the paternity
of the Radical Republican party,
and who Is recognized as its abIest
advocate through the press ami
from the rostrum, has an eloquent
article in the National Standard of
this week, taking ground against
Prussia. We quote it entire. 1t is
recognized as of such Importance,
coming as 1T does from the most
prominent Radical leader IN the
nation, that the Associated Press
teIegraphed the article entire, on
Thursday night. 1t is as follows {:
Bismarck, the ablest, most Urn
scrupulous and imperious of State
managers, had 1t in his power to
have planned peace between Re-
publican France and Prussia for the
next two centuries, meanwhile de-
laying the advance of Democracy
many a year. The first steps Prus-
STA made from Sedan to Paris de-
stroyed forever Bismarck's claim to
be thought a statesman. Ignorant
ly or angrily be f1uDS away such an
opportunity of strengthening his
own lard IN the gratitude of France
and admiration of the world. In
stead of this he did all that in him
lies to insure that immortal hate
and undying purpose of revenge,
which will breed up the next gen.
Grafton of Erenchman for nothing
else but to put the tri>color, some
day, over Berlin. The next gener-
alton of Prussia will have cause to
weep that at this hour, SO great in
possibilities, Prussia had no states>
man to reap the harvest her great
est captain, Moltke, had got for her.
The man we all thought a Suily, an
Oxtenstiern, turns out only an
adroIt manager, second lIeutent to
Moltke, and the willing tool of q
bigot King. No breadth, no fore>
sight, nc large instincts of humani-
ty, always the highest wisdom.
Ocoii u u1CO " NlAiOlClIC HGI
right to manage her own affairs
She marches to Paris to invade
Frances right to do the same. Her
path lies over the capital of the
world, the home o ftwo millions of
men, as we'll as OF science, art, lit
erature and cIviIIzation-the capI.
tai of great military nation, whose
swift defeat shows that, dragooned
as she was to the field, 1T was only
a seeming war she waged. He new.
er conquered France; he only tri.
umphcd over slavIsh refuse, which
could be bought or whipped INTO
c~ounterfeiting her. Now, I n this
insolent attempt to display his
power and parade q sham victory,
he subjects this great city to the
horrors of war. Humanity itself
would badly weep ifthe pestiIence
delivered Paris, leaving neither
peasant nor %ErlncelIng to tell the
tale at Berlin.
The tears anu curses of the civil
lied world blast the German Iaur-
els. Napoleon's fall was speedy, in
less than thirty days. Prussia's Is
quicker still. She entered Sedan
borne on the wonder, almost the
loving admiration CT the world
She left it followed by the loathIng
and contempt of both continents
She banked the hopes of the age.
A new power, born within the men,
DRY of living men, we supposed her
blood was the blood Of this century.
Her fall insults our civilization.
BloodthIrsty and greedy, IN
serupulous and overbearing beyond
the Bourbons and .Hapsburgs, the
PhIllipses, the Charleses, of bygone
days, she is not a nation. only en-
overgrown army, a herde of brig
ands 100 strong for their civilized
neighbOrs. Our barbarous South,
~1admtlng Libby prison and Ander-
~sonville in the face of ChrIstendor,
may justly call across the ocean to
the black eagle. art thou to be-
come as n with us p We rejoice
that Providence thus burries under
its own follow this new and dreaded
military power, and robs it of the
means to cripple the rising democ-
racy as it might have done had it
respect Of the world.
We sympathize with Germany,
thus disgraced by her princes, as
France. has been by Napoleon. Let
her have the Same pity extended to
her that the world gave to Paris
under the usurper's heel.
Our Government should utter the
verdict of civilization and liberty
on this bold barbarism. 1t should,
at least, protest against unoffendIng