The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-16
,2aYu2g4llR4H5I H5I,y y gnI30O1
VOL. XVIII. "N'' :
Tho War in Europe Begun.

The war cloud which rose above til
4 horizon Of Europe less than o week agr
then not larger than q mans hand, has al
ready oversprGaa Tie transatlantic III,
and burst with unexpected suddenncss
France yesterday formally declared wa
against Prussia; and already the most en-
ergste pepysnents bE the belligereatS ar
ID tpr6ftrAesss As for atBsI flrstF advantage
French troops arc hurrying forward t
] the frontier, and tho French tron.clad
arc on their way 70 the Baltic to blockad
the North German ports. If We hear les
Of movements dutG Germany there is N
reason to doubt they are equally encr
getic. ~ u 0AIgaaa
AS yet no alliances are announced. Thl
belligcrents have agreed, to respect tn
neutrality of Belgium and Holland, whiel
though German Stats z afe hot undc
Prusslan domination. Austia6sa3neS tn
attitude Of a. neutral until q third party
shaf int&fF4 .Enghhd VIII B YER
hard to maintain an attitude Of Istric
neutrality dhSd may venture Meditation
\ Spain naturally would f0rm q league will
Prussia, bit no action on hcri partis an
noanced. webcar nothing of Russia ex
cept that there Is strong feeling ut st
l
Petersburg against France-whiCll is bui
Legitimate and traditional. III. aidaa. ~
II all otherEuropean inoysB would
andback, the beligerents would be prct'
ty evenly balanced. Prussia lras the fin
est army in Europe and officers who
know how to handle it; and the Germans
will be animated with the feeling tina!
France is the aggressor and has com
PEELED war yapt9nly and without ipstifi
cations The, quality iofthe Prussian army
vas shown In ,her,cclliston with Austria
four years ago That Of France has Hol
fought sluce Solferino in 1850, Just what
the French army may now he after ten
years oi careful preparatienand culture
remains to be seen. Napoleon evidently
has confidence in it, and that ii will
do brilliant execution can not be
doubted IL the French people 81
into the war with their accus
toned enthusiasm. There is some reason
to doubt that their spirit is up to high
water mark. The recent election showed
Il considerable clement, particularly in all
the large cities, hostile TO the govern
ment; and unless NAPoLEoN's attitude In
this quarrel appears different 10 the
French people from what 1t does to Eng
land and the United States, at least all the
opposition in France may be expected to
feel lukcwarm in the struggle just begin
ming. 1t Is not to be presumed that the
press agents at Paris will be allowed tc
say much Of any lukewarmness or dis
contents that may exist. Whether
they do exist can only be judged by
general iIcts, such rs the opposition
shown by the recent popular vote, the
depressed condition of the finances, the
lr0uth and consequent shortness OF crops
md the feeling which must exist with a
tlargc portion of the intelligent class that
tle declaration of'war was mot justified
Causes like these might not 30 muOll
affect the morale Of the regular army OF
influence lis carly achievements. Tlat
army is presumed to be well drilled
lpAcLineS FeadY@ fight itsbesta " al tines
tlor what the Emperor may cail The hohoI
or glory or. France, II would be in a
protrNctell struggle, when the reserves
were drawn on and the resources Of the
empire severely taxed, that the national
LliIcSptents would APPEAR most sharply
Y Thc Prussianar1ny will ttakcthe field
not only confident in its superior discip
Ehh6 9addr equipment; bit strengthened
with, Tie feeling that their enemy Is ar
sggressor and they the defenders Of theil
sovereign's rights. A fair collision be
tween these two great armies now moving
towards each other, adding to everything
else rs they do the most fatal death-dcal
ing instruments which science has yet
devised; would bela sublime but, terrible
spectacle, tineeualled perhaps by anything
| in our own or any other modern war,
! III Prussia has the advantage in hel
army, la1I, as she doubtless has, NAroLEoN
has the greatly superior feet Indeed i
Is said France is now tile greatest nava
/ power in the world. Without interior
cncc, she will be ableto maintain q clost
blockade 6f Tho North. German ports ant
will have littlo TO fear for her own.
But it is not believed the struggle viii
HID confined totths two princspah lit Il
not improbable that Austria, Italy, Russit
and Spain may be 'obllged't0 take sides
and Il 50 the Grand Turk may find him
self driven to appeal to Eugland-asainSt
the encroachments Of Russia.
But mere conjecture Is useless, ahd can
not hope to forecast events which may b.
as unexpected and astar beyond Ordinary
calculation as the war itself was ten day'
ago. ,l....- ". ..l .t95a. t5a
CLOSING HOURS OF CONGRESS-