Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-09-21
The Greatest Folly Of the Age.

! napoleon IS prisoner hnonB tH'
Pruesians and the more we study
this disastrous war, which has dos
troyed the Bonapartes if not ruined
France, the more striking is its re
semblan CO TO the escapades Of Louis
Napoleon at Strasbourg and Bou
logne Ii was undertaken with the
same reckless indifference to facts anc
the samo contempt for all tho proba
bilities of the case as were those two
notorious adventures The leading
statesmen of France, the French Leg
islature, and all intelligent French
men were perfectly aware before hand
that France was not able TO make
war against Prussia, and that her ar.
mics could not cope with the Prus-
sian armies; bnt they were all car,
ried away by the determination oil
the Quixotic old Emperor, and by that
natural instinct which leads every ma
ton to support its Government, for a
time, at least, after il has once become
involved in controversy with for
eign power. To Mr., Theirs alone be
longs the credit Of having dared to
stand up IN his place 10 the Legisla-
tive Corps, afteral the preliminaries
had been gone through, and when the
sanction Of the Legislature was alone
necessary TO the commencement OF
hostilities, and theft and there to pro-
claim the truth that war was viola.
tion OF common sense, that failure was
certain and success impossible.
War was formally declared by
France on the 10Th of July. But only
fortnight before, there was a debate
in the Legislative Corps upon the
number of conscripts which should be
drawn in 1870 to recruit the army
In this debate the facts in regard to
the Prussian military system, the
forces which Prussia could bring into
the field and the actual inferiority OF
the French army, were fully set forth
by men lf such authority as Marshal
lie Beuf Minister War, Mr. Theirs,
the Count Dc la Tour, and Mr.. Gar.
nicr.Pages. 1t was demonstrated
that while the French standing army
contained but four hundred thousand
men, with reserve of four hundred
thousand liable TO be called out in
case of war, and a Garde Mobile com.
posed OF unframed young men from
twenty to ;wenty.ninc years Of age,
described by the Minister of War, as
"an inert force existing only on pa.
per" the armies of the North German
Confederation, and the States allied
With PRUSSIA and subject to the same
military system, amounted to five
hundrcd thousand, all trained soldiers /;
and in addition to these all the men
up to brty years Of age in the entire
population, in numbers not less than
half million more, aud none Of them
without some knowledge Of military
discipline.
Thus il was stated, a war between
France and Prussia would be at the
very outset simply conflict between
hall million Of soldiers ready to take
the field on the side os Germany and
four hundred thousand on the side OF
France. But to exhibit this discrepan-
cy in lbs full proportions,it was shown
| in the debate that while the French
army has to furnish at all times 40,-
/ 600 soldiers for service in Algeria,
aud 10000 gendarmes for service as
police throughout France, the Prus-
SLAMS suffer no such reduction. So
that while the Germans could at once
put into the field half a million OF
skilled fighting men and have their
reserves of halfa million also ready
for action 10 an incredibly short time,
the French could only furnish at the
outset three hundred and twenty
.hoisand. while their reserves requir-
ed much longer period in order to
become prepared for use.
i Bat this difference between three
hundred thousand and five hundred
thousand does not sufficiently ex
press the inequality between the two
powers. BY the greater promptncs'
Of tie German system OF bringing for
ward the reserves, a sufficient number
OF them at once became disposable foi
garrison duty, for guards along tn,
lines Of communication, and for the
/ thousand other details Of service
which so greatly diminish the effcc
tive force Of an army; and in this re
spect also France was inferior. Al
Mr. Thiors, the highest authority OF
such a subject, said in his debate =:
"With four hundred thousand ctfcc
tive men we must not believe that w
have four hundred thousand men 4
lake under fire. This number must b
) diminished by al least one half Thus
while the Germans could easily cnlcu
late upon bringing into the field TO
. actual lighting the full effective fore
3f half million, the French, accord
ing to Mr.. Thicrs, could not at th
beginning Of the campaign bring an
! ler fire more than two hundred thous
and men. The justice Of his estimat
, is fully confirmed by the result Of th
present campaign. The whole Frent
force that was drawn up along Oh
boundary at the beginning Of the wa
T, and after a month Of active prepara
: ton was something above two hur
, ircd thousand IL certainly did no
.upass two hundred and fifty thol:
and men. OF course their defeat b.
J. he prussian half million was fore
doomed: and what we have now vii
messed is but the demonstration 9
what was stated in this debate.
The ouly voice Of hostility agains
Germany manifested in this dcbat
was that of Granier de Cassagnac-
l. When the Government was urged b
Garnicr Pages to reduce the army h
exclaimed, "Ict us take the Rhinl
and then we will diminish our arm
by two hundred Thousand This
the only solution" But this oxclam;
ton was not approved in any part {
the Chamber. The gravest words
\ the other side. however were thos
l. uttered by Mr. Thiers. "We desil
!, peace" be exclaimed, because a wa
F" "a lux x.o,,fA ba N universal wa