The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-09-30
NAPOLEON'S OVERTHROW.


On the fifteenth of last July the
French Emperor, on a frivolous preteXt,
declared war against Prussia. The news
awakened the widest enthusiasm thro'-
out France. The nation appeared to be
crazy for war. With vastly eXaggerat-
ed ideas of their own military strength,
and fatally undertaking that of Prussia,
they looked forward to a short, sharp,
and decisive campaign, on German soil,
and to peace, dictated at Berlin, which
should make the Rhine the eastern boun-
dairy of the eInp.re. zOficers and pri-
waite soldiers, leaving Paris for the from
tier, ordered that after the fifteenth of
August their letters should be directed
to Berlin; and Minister Olivier, in the
French Senate, announced that he &C
cepted the war with light heart"
Not so did Germany make answer
"God is my Witness" said King Will
lam to the crowd assembled to witness
his departure from Ems, 'Fthat L have
not desired war; but if l am forced in
to it, L will maintain the honor OF Ger
many to the last man." His people re-
sponded to these words with a solemn
and earnest enthusiasm, to which par
allel can only be found in the great up
rising of the North after the firing on
Sumter. Minor differences and petty
jealousies were forgotten. The whole
nation rose, like a strong man from
sleep; and, before the vacillating En-
peror was prepared to strike a blow,
nearly a million of soldiers stood guard
upon the Rhine. We need not recount
the marvellous campaign that followed
unparalleled in the history of the world.
In less than fifty days after the declara-
ton of war-and less than forty of ac-
tual fighting-the military pride of
France suffered humiliation in a dozen
defeats; the empire was overrun with
German sOldiery; the capita. is threat
ened, and in state of siege; one great
army, defeated in a long series of terri
BILE battles, is shut up helpless in the
Notifications of Metz; another, number
ing hundred thousand men-the laIg-
est mum Der that ever capitLlated at one
time-has been surrendered by its COM
mander; the Prince Imperial and the
Emperor are prisoners! Well may the
victorious King exclaim, in his modest
despatch to the Queen: ''What a course,
under the guidance of God, events have
takenl"
1t were useless, when great events
tread so rapidly on each others heels,
to speculate on the probable results OF
this browning victory of the Prussian
arms, or to discuss the causes of the
French defeat. There seem to be no
doubt that Napoleon was the victim OF
gross frauds and deception from the
first. His immense armies existed only
on paper. The military condition OF
the empire was thoroughly rotten. Had
the Emperor been earlier aware of these
facts he would not have ventured upon
the war; but, unfortunately for him, he
first became aware of them after wal
had been declared. He then, as is well
known, endeavored to open up negoti.
ations with Prussia, but Count Won Bis
mark sternly replied it was ''too late
| Unable to take the initiative, Napoleon
| found himself scarcely prepared to stand
| on the defensive, and the terrible blow
| that crushed M'Mahon's army at Weiss
enburg virtually decided the struggle
Yet the soldiers of France never fought
more calamity than at Weissenburg
Gravelotte and Sedan. They have in
Cured no disgrace in these terrible de-
| feats. They have succumbed to vastly
preponderating numbers, aided by bad
generalship on the part of their OWL
commanders in the first weeks of the
war.
If all this shall bring peace to Europe
and a stable government to France
founded really on the will of the nation
and not in fraud, the world will hav,
good reason to rejoice over the result
of this wonderful campaign. The gooG
will be dearly bought, it is true. TIL,
sacrifice of life has been enormous, an(
probably the German armies have suf
fered greater losses in killed and wound
ed than the French. The most fertil,
part of France has been so laid vast,
that years must elapse before the injur,
can be repaired. But if, from the deptl
of this terrible humiliation, new Franc
shall arise, free, peaceful, more ambi
tious of the triumphs of industry ant
science than those of war-and if, as an
other fruit of this struggle, we shall SCI
united and free Germany, strong il
herself, but unaggressive. who shall sa.
that the sacrifice of blood was made il
vain? A vast responsibility rests upol
those who take in hand the political so
luton of the questions that must nov
arise for settlement. The future restswitl
them. If, flushed with victory and mad
dened by their terrible losses, the Ger
mans insist upon q territorial recon
Pense, upon placing vassal of Prussi
upon the throne of France, and reduc
ing her to the position of second-rat
kingdom, then, indeed, all this preciou
blood viii have been shed In vain. Sue
q settlement cannot be other than hol
low and temporary, and the next gener
alton will see the struggle renewed wit
fiercer hatred, and at more terribl
cost of life. But we expect better thing