The New York herald., 1870-04-22
European Problem rho Po'tieai
(,risis In France.

| ia TIE light OF our extensive European coire-
spondence. reveal state of things which
cannot ccrainly lie regarded as iair Illus
tra,ioa OF beauty and order OF Cosmos
The nations seem to be on the eve OF another
serious outbreak Is it that the appointed
days Of peace are ended? Since 1866 the
temple Of Janus has been Shut has Mars
b come impatient? There is trouble in almost
every naion IN T. rope, nor can il be said chat
any one nation il on good terms with any
| ether. From Rome 10 81. Petersburg, from
London to Cpnstsntinople, the Oh Coctincnt
has the asp of vast and troubled sea.
Reform movements are everywhere, bsceuse
the adTance o. Intelligence, she growth OF
healthiul and vi;orou pablic sentiment, has
made peop cs imperDus aud rulcrs conciia-
ory. Nor is popular discontcn. more marked
than is national ambition. All over il lis felt that
sweeping and radical changes are imminent.
The old is parccpt bly, passing away, and mca
per into the future with eyes ex )rcsslve OF
unc rtainty and alarm.
True to her ancient character, France towers
up proudly and prominently am NJ the nations
and reveals the general situltioa. The French
people fight for political liberty the Emperor
struggles hard for his dynasty, and the resuI;
is compromise, of which the Sen0tns Con-
sultum is the expression. Wnat the Emperor
thinks and means to do wo know air ady
| with to!erable amount of accuracy. What
! the people think and mean to do we shall
| know, If the latest arrangeme ITS aro carried
| out, on the morning Of the 9Th OF Nay. That
| he Emperor is going as far in the way of re-
form as is compatible with his own interests
and the interests OF mis- family few intelligent
minds will refuse to admit. At the same time
no lover OF constitutional forms finds it easy
to reconcile the ple5tscite with free paramen-
tary gov rDment. IF the Emperor really means
to govern France as a constitutional sovereign,
by and through the agency of a free and un-
fettered Parliament and responsible miuis
try, this direct appeal to the people, if not
avoided altogether, might and ought to have
been made in another way. In the United
States or in Great Britain such course as
the Emperor has resolved to follow would be
impossible. That il is possible in France only
proves that Napoleon is, and means to remain
if he can, the master OF the situation, and
that Frenchmeu are wholly unused to
parliamentary forms. As it is, however, the
pIebiscite is regarded by many as al insult to
the representatives Of the people; nor is it at
all impossible that, remembered in this light,
it may yet bring forth bitter fruit. We do
not feel justified in saying that the strikes
which are crowdlng the streets Of Paris with
thousands upon thousands Of workingmen,
and which in numbers proportionately large
must be crowding tho streets OF every city in
the empire, are bcgotten Of politics, or, in
other words, that they are political in their
origin ana their object; but we can and do
say that on the eve Of great national test
Vote vote which touches the heart and con-
science OF every Frenchlnan, and which
involves consequences of the mghtiest
import-we do say that in such circumstances
this universal uprising of the woriingnea Of
France is to be viewed with alarm.
However this purely national question may
be scttlei ia France there Will sill be loft
open other ald serious International questions.
in making up bis budget of possibilities and
probabilities. In spite of growing inirmities,
we are told by some facctious correspondents,
he can still mount his horse; and we may well
rest assured that there is, if need be, fight
enough in him to make big trouble ia
Europe-big enough. at least to make French
men forget domestic politics. II is this which
gives importance to the recent speech Of oae of
his )uncllors Of Safe. When Gueronnere-
who may or may not be wise man, who may
or may not lie specially in the confidence OF
the Emperor-3ad '.that France may be con-
tent each Power mast be in its proper place."
he might or he might not be pleasing his imperial
ma ter; but of this there can be no doubt, he
was expressing French sentiment and crafty
ing French vanity. 1t is this same Lning-
this determination Of the Emperor to win,
if he should run all the RISKS Of q
European WARWICK gives significance to
the troubles in the Austrian empire; to the
movements in South Germany; to the eau
tious, cunning and persistent policy of Prussia;
to the grumbling of Denmark about the unful
filed conditions Of the treaty of Prague; to the
watchful attitude of Russia; to the strangely
inconsistent talk about arming and dsarming;
a1d, above all, to the folly of Rome in pushing
the infallibility dogma to vote, and thus
strengthening the North German Confedera-
ton and aiding Prussian ambition by multiply
ing the anti Romanists who speak the German
tongue.
There is nothing more true than this, that
all Europe is now looking to France and
watching the progress of events with view to
necessary action when the time for action
comes. Nor is there anything more true than
| this, that Napoleon is watching Europe quite
as much as he is watching France.
| He scans the whole horizon and sees