The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-09-07
A Talk will. Ksismaagch.


The following is an account of conversa-
ton with Count Bismarck by special cores
pendent of the Tribune;
l had long conversation with him only four
days before the victory of Sedan. The SUBJ
stance of it l am at liberty TO make public
After little talk about the war and inquiries
as to the recovery of his son, who has been
slightly wounded, broke the ground ny ask
iug Count Bismarck what were likely to be
the conditions of peace demanded by the Prus-
sian Government.
He answered at once with great apparent
franknass and the clearest manner, Il need
hardly remind your readers that Count Bis
marck speaks capital English, so there could
be no possibility of my misunderstanding him)
"rhere are three courses open to us, he said
swth regard to peace with France. We must
stop the possibility of another so unlocked for
ami uncalled attack by the French nation or
French Government on our common father
land. No minister who failed to do this could
hold office for a week, for the opinion of all
Germany would be against him. There are as
have said, three ways OF stopping the attack
on the Rhine provinces. First, we might make
Ais9ce and Lorraine neutral State like Luxe
| emburg or Belgium and extending from the
former country to Switzerland, and SO separ-
| ating France and Prussia by q group of ne u
trail States. But, confess, it appears to me
| that the neutrality OF the existing small States
is already so fficult to protect ana is at every
moment capable of SO many and such danger
Gus complications that do not think it would
| be worth while to make more neutral States,
| and with them new duties and dangers. Sec
| oudly, we might annex AlSace and Lorraine
| and hold them as conquered territory, but
/ am sure that this would not be looked on fav-
| orably by the majority of our German fellow
countrymen. We are all most anxious to COM
| plete our unity, but We don't want any people
| among us who are unwilling to be members OF
| the German nation. That Alsacians would
| be most disoyal subjects of the King of Prus-
| STA in spite OF the great majority OF them speak
ing the German language and being of leu
| tonic origin there can be no doubt. Thirdly,
there remains to us then third course, and that
is to take Strasbourg and. Metz and to keep
| them. 1t is achdt zoe shall do. Strasbourg partic-
ularly is absolutely needfu for the protection of
| South Germany, which is at the mercy of a
French army So long as France possesst s
| StrabOurg there is nothing to stop French in-
vading army. Now it would be very unfair if
we were to leave our South German brethren
| unprotected alter they have fought so bravely
and we'll by our side in this campaign. Then
again, by holding Strasbourg we could always
| prevent any movement on the Rhine. We
| should be able not only to march an army by
the valley oil the Marine on Paris, but to take a
| French army marching on Mayence or Cob
lentz in flank and rear. SO we have beseged
Strasbourg vigorously, and when we have got
| the old German TOW II back again we shall make
a Gibraltar of it,"
But allow me to suggest" / said "that the
cession of Strasb0nrg is not thing to which
France will be easily reconcied, all the more
because it IS, as you say, the key of France on
| the east"
"My dear SIR was the reply, "you have
been with us con tinually since our entry into
| France. l have heard you constantly Hing
| French. Now have you not clearly seen that
it would be difficult for the French to be more
angry with US er our victories over them than
they already are? No, not if We were en-
camped in the Bots de Boulogne itself, and
Just because they are, and will be for many a
| year TO come very sore against us, we must
take care not to leave in their hands the means
| of doing us mischief. When you meet a
drunken man in the streets what do you do il
he is mischevous? You call policeman
don't you, and Metz will have to be held by po-
licemen, and good stout ones, too"
sit is curious" I remarked, "how much the
! French do hate the Prussians and what stories
they tell and believe about you. I have lived
| a great deal in Paris aud | know there are told
as facts some fables which are all but incredi.
| ble"
Yes answered Count Bsmark, eve have
| taken the place of the English of twenty years
ago but as they come to forget their hatred of
peri dious Albion so they will have to find
some day or other that there is some good in
us also. 1t seems as if the French nation stood
in constant need of bugbear to vent their
| wrath upon. For the moment we are the bug
| bears"
i veDtnred then to say,'T see that the people
are in great frieh in England lest your excel
lency.. should cast a coyetous eye upon Hol.
| land"
"Yes, am aware that is an English idea,'
| replied the Count, 'brt like other English
ideas it is not accepted out of the country of
its BIRTH We want nothing ia Germany that
| is not German and Holland certainly is not
| German. Already Posen is looked upon with
no friendly eye by many of my countrymen as
a non-Teutonic province. There is no fear Of
| our taking Holland-as little as there is OF the