The New York herald., 1870-12-27
"FRENCH HONOR"
Count Bismaick's Accusations Against French
Military Honor.
National Reply on Behalf Of the French-The
Breaches Of Parole Charged and Their Refu-
tation-Appeal to King William from
the 'Calumnies' OF the Premier

TRANSLATED for the NEW YORK HERALD from the
French Courier New York;, Dec. 26.l
We are well accustomed to tho insolence Of NJ. dc
Bismarck; 0nt he mas crowned his former acts Of
impertinence by endeavoring officially to pollutc the
honor Of France. lie has sent to all representatives
Of Prussia abroad a circular, in which he tries TO
heap dishonor upon our officers and our govern
ment. Unable to justify his own acts Of perfdy and
to elude the 0dium heaped upon his head through
pursuing with unexamped cruelty an unreasonable
and unmerclful war; unable TO wash OF the shame
with which he soils his name In endeav0rlng to ruin
and extermnate country and nation who only
desire peace, he casts upon those whom he wishes
to destroy the condemnation which he himself de-
mating those against whom he exercises 1t.
The Chancellor OF the North German Confedera-
tOn accuses several ofccrs and especially General
Ducrot, Of having escaped when prisoners under
parole lie reproaches the French government
with having upheld this breach OF good faith In
having given him military command, and finally,
he declares 1t to be impossible to place any conh-
dence in an army which has not protested against
admitting periurer within its ranks, or In gov
ernment which has made itself his accomplce.
The whole OF this defamation and defamation Is
Ducrot has been both explained and tiled. 1t Is
not true that he escaped from the Prussian lines
while a prisoner on parole. Having refused to sign
the capltulation OF Sedan he simply engaged to 20
from that city to ont-a-Mousson. This he did. lie
gave himself up into the hands OF the Prussian autho
rifles, and II was not until after having thus entered
into the common rights or all prisoners OF war that
he made his escape. The accusation named brought
against General Ducr0t by M. de Bismarck is but
a repetition OF that which has before received
victorious reply when brought forward for the first
time.
Its only effect is to place another act OF perndy to
M. de Bismarck's account, for perfdy It surely Is
TO reproduce an accusation when IT Is supposed that
sufficient time mas elapsed since its 1rst appearance
for It's justification to be forgotten. Happily page
OF history cannot be erased, and General Ducrots
noble prOtestatiOn remains to u.s. as well as the no
less noble reply or General TrOchu, approving, the
highest terms, the conduct OF his Fellow officer.
se a %
my escape while under parole Of having lost my homo and
he right have shot q
Ssas
door the result would be the should have in either
soldier citizen, and leave my children other
Inheritance shall leave them memory honored by all
worthy people, friends enemies"
The Governor OF Paris replied:-
Ny DEAR GENERAL-Your conduct both before and after
nrmness which marked your career throughout In the
% Of waCh ny me 5 avs hearts You
could be construed with treaty. You gave you parole
this was all And there having Officially made yourself pris.
oner thus redeemng your parole you conceived and exc
you hoped assist Paris without loss OF time We'll does
the only cause Of complaint that public opinion Of Germany
has asan., you BE sure that he Of the P1asssn army
your letter the King himself will render you justice.
to give YOU Receive this Insurance although i is equally
superfuous from the Oldest afectionae
GENERAL TRoCHU, Governor of Paris
With NJ. de Bsmarck's permission we consider
General Trochu as good Judge as himself In mat
ters OF honor. The acts. hswever, speak for them
selves and leave no ground for discussion and IL is
sef-evident that the Prussan Minister'S circular is
purely and Simply an impOsture and a calumny. 1t
is he whs guilty OF breaches Of faith and honor 1t
is he whose word Il undeserying OF trust 1t from
hm that further guarantee than his signature must
be required In all treaties and negotiations.
As we have already said M. dc Bismarck has
argued, up TO the present tlme that he could not
Defence, as this government has no legal
powers. and his present act OF diplomacy
argument another more miserable yet and with
what objectS In srder to justify war d toutrance
thorities with whom to make peace. But this cavil.
Ing can deceive no one. That which renders peace
the government nor the pretended unworthiness Of
officials but because the conditions offered are
such as cannot se accepted, and M. de Bismarck
knows well that so long he proposes the French
government an impossible submission, that Is to
say humiliation, disnemberment and rum, it Is ri.
dlcuous to complain of the want of proper au-
thoritles to sanction his pretensions In one
sense he is right Were It possible to find
government nSaa.,,S which m would accept such
stpulate it would be torn into fragments
by the nation. Let him OFFER France honorable
peace; let him show an honest wish for the end or
Ostilities and accord us the respect due dig
nifty and our lawful interests. He win then find
call meetings and to ask the wishes OF the nation
and the nation will hasten TO declare ITSELF But
till then, let MIN cease talking OF negotiations and
parading peaceful Intentions which are but snares
aud falsenoods. He wishes, no doubt that we
should ask or accept armstice--and we
too, desire 0ne-but the difference between him
and ourselves Is this he requires impossible cond
tons to accept which would be an act OF dishonesty
upon our part; while our conditions are such as
might well be allowed.
Thus all our hope iS in courage and our arms
What Prussia desires 1--WE have already said so many
tlmes, Is the ruin OF France, the destruction OF our
power and our nationality, and all the excuses all
the caumnies, and all the subterluges invented by
M. de Bismarck have no other object but to deceive
the world in regard TO this atrocity and disgrace.
But we find also ID the circular in question
threat which, II followed up is OF nature to call
upon It's author the execratlOn or the whole civilized
world. IL says that the 'breach or faith of these
of the German authorities whether il may not be
10 subject u greater rgor those who are
among them as prisoners OF war"
The translation Of this careful plraseology is
consideration which has hitherto been shown to our
prisoners In Germany, and TO render their
lives lntoleraoie we still refuse to submit.
rms ! sous is u exactly what 1t means. It is
up to the present time, been treated
according TO the laws OF civilized natons but II we
prolong our resistance our fellow countrymen who
have fallen into the hands OF our enemies will be
subjected 10 all the rgors OF captivity. And order
TO excuse this horrible Idea they endeavor degrade
those whom they threaten TO martyr. We cannot
believe IN this extreme barbarlsm. There Is, how
ever reason to fear that IL may be serious than
we at first supposed Tor 1t Is spoken or further In
despatch from Berlin.
we shall see whether they will dare to carry out
THIS threat. And why should they not2 Our peasants
are forced at the point OF the bayone to labor upon
a. horrhe as IL would be 10 put prisoners to torture
IN order To lntindate their cOuntrymen through
dread of And pitv rOr their suferngs