The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-07

them together, in their incipient weakness,
by unanimous resistance to a great danger.
But if the war is to go on, the sympathy of
the American people will no longer be on the
side of Prussia. No American regrets that
Prussia has humbled and dethroned Napo-
leon: but if she throttles the infant republic
and attempts to strange it in its cradle, she
must look for sympathy to some other quarter
of the world than the free republic of
America Despots and tyrants may keep her
in countenance in so unhallowed an under
taking, but the liberal public sentiment of the
whole world will be against her.
WAS NAPOLEON BETRAYED?
From the NJ T. Times.
If the French entered upon the present
war with Prussia anything like as well pre-
pared for the conflict as they were supposed
to be, the unbroken series of disasters which
they have encountered seems most unac-
countable. The report of Napoleons in
sanity, which was current after the battle of
Woerth, was supposed to be confirmed by
the constant utterance of the Emperor of
the words, 'I am betrayed" CT am be-
trayed;" and yet there is much to justify the
belief that he has been most wofully de-
ceived. Under the Army Reorganization act
of 1868, the French army was supposed to
consist of the ''Active Army" the "Army
of the Reserve" and the National Garde
Mobile, so that its total strength on q war
footing amounted to nearly eight hundred
thousand men. Four hundred thousand of
these soldiers were supposed to be always
ready for active service, the reserve of four
hundred thousand being available at short
notice. Despite these figures, however. the
French do not seem to have been able to
bring together force of more than the re-
puted strength of their regular army to check
the march of the German invaders. The
inference is irresistible that Napoleon was
deceived as to his actual military strength by
officers whose interest it has been to obtain
large appropriations for troops who existed
only on paper.
If the French ever had any system of mill
tary spies, its management has been most
execrable. While the Prussians seem to have
been aware of every contemplated movement
of the French, almost as soon as it was con-
ceived, the latter appear to have been utterly
uninformed, not only of the plans, but even
of the whereabouts of their adversaries
Without any spies, a well-ordered cavalry
should have been able to give information of
the near approach of such a large body as
surprised the forces of BaZaine at the first
battle of Metz. Seventy thousand men-the
Prussian strength on that occasion-could
| not have been concealed in barns or
orchards; and if the French scouts had
been deployed as they should have been, it
attack to have been surprise. In the mat
ter of arms also, there must have been much
| deception, for the supply of Chassepots
| seems to have been most inadequate. So
destitute was Paris of all arms that we learn
! recently by the cable, q purchaser of three
hundred thousand stand of old muskets was
induced to sell them back again to the gov
eminent In some cases, also, we are in
formed that in many companies there was
| IN
stories, too, are told of the part played
by the late French Minister of War,
General Leboeuf, in securing the adop-
tion of the Chassepot as the French
arm. 1t is asserted that Leboeuf was
directly interested in the award of the con-
tract, and that it was by his efforts many
superior weapons were excluded from COM
petition. The promptitude shown in accept
ing General Lebnuf's resignation in the
early days of the war undoubtedly sprung
from a conviction that he was not to be relied
upon, for MacMahon, equally unfortunate
was retained and trusted. When it is re-
membered that this Minister of War was
second in command to the Emperor, it was
indeed base betrayal on his .part to deceive
master who had loaded him with honors,
and who placed implicit reliance in all his
reports
The French commissariat has also been
supposed to be one of the best in the world,
but the result shows utter inefficiency in its
management. At one time the officers and
men of MacMahon's army were reported to
be half starved, and that, too, while their line
of communication with Paris was uninter-
rupted, The Prussians, on the other hand,
were abundantly supplied with their war
sausages Of smoked beef, and their war bread,
so that the German troops Jared we'll, even
when unable to levy contributions upon the
country through which they passed. The
more we learn OF the actual state of affairs
with the French, the more evident it becomes
that had Napoleon been fully apprised of the
condition of his army, he would no more have
dared to declare war in 1870 than he did in
1866, unless he was actually crazy.
THE NEW ARBITER OF EUROPE-THE
GERMAN CONFEDERATION.
From the n, Y. Herald
The power and the glory of the NapoleoniC
dynasty and of France as the arbiter of Eu
rope are gone. The crowning disaster OF
Sedan has been as decisive in the displace
ment Of France as was Sadowa in the humi
liation of Austria. The achievements of the
great Frederick in building up the power o.
Prussia are dwarfed by the triumphs of hi
livins successor. In 1866, within the shor
space of six weeks, Austria, with her German
allies, was prostrated at Sadowa, and the out
growth Of that astonishing campaign was th,
expansion Of Prussia into the North German
: Confederation. Within less than six weeks
} in 1870, from Saarbruck to Sedan, in the mos
astonishing military campaign of modern
} times, France has been beaten as she wa
! never beaten before, and one of the immedi
, ate results foreshadowed is the expansion o
the North German Confederation into tn