Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-09-13
BISMARCK INTER VIE WE'D.

| The following account ol IL coHNciSatiol
with Count Bismarck was telegraphed from
London. How much it reports of truth
may be better known in few days.
| had long conversation with him on the
subject only four days before the victory Of
| Sedan The substance of it, am at liberty
| to make public. After little talk about the
war. and inquiries as to the recovery OF his
son who had been slightly wounded, broke
Lground by asking Count Bismarck what were
| likely to be the conditions of peace demanded
by the King of Prussia's government. He an
swered at once, with great apparent frankness
| and in the clearest manner. l need hardly re-
mind your readers that Bismarck speaks capt.
tai English, so that there could be no POSSIBLE
ty of my misunderstanding him. There are
three courses open to u.s." he said, with re-
gard to peace with France. We must stop
any possibility of another SO unprovoked and
uncaled for attack by the French nation
or French government on our common father
i land. No minister who failed to do this could
hold Office for week, for the opinion of all
Germany would lie against him. There are,
as have said, three ways of stopping the at
tack on the Rhine provinces. First, we mlght
make Alsace and Lorraine neutral States ike
Luxembourg or Belgium, and extending from
| the former country to Switzerland, and so sep
|
trail States But confess it appears to me
that the neutrality of the existing small States
is already so difficult to protect, and is at
every moment capable of so many and such
dangerous complications, that do not think
it worth while to make more neutral States
and with them new duties and dangers. Sec
ondly we might annex Alsace and Lorraine,
and hold them conquered territory. But 1
am sure that this would not be looked on IA
vorably by the majority of my fellow-country-
men. We are all most anxious to complete
our unity but we do not want any people
among us who are unwilling members of the
German nation. That the Alsacians would be
the most disloyal subjects of the King OF Prus-
STA in spite of n great number of them speak
ing the German language. and being OF leu
tonic origin, there can be no doubt Thirdly,
there remains to us, then, as the third course,
to take Metz aud Strasbourg, and to keepthem.
This is what we shall do. Strasbourg, partic-
ularly, is absolutely needful for the protection
of South Germany, which is at the mercy OF
a French army. SO long as France possesses
Strasburg, there is nothing to stop the French
invading army. Now, it would be very unfair
if we were to leave our South German breth
rem unprotected after they have fought so
bravely and well by our side in this campaign.
Then, again, by holding Strasburg, we could
always prevent any movement on the Rhine
We should be able, not only to march an army
by the valley of the Main on Paris, but to take
the French army marching on Mayence or
Coblentz, in flank and rear. So we have be-
sieged Strasbourg vigorously, and when we
have got the old German town back again we
shall make Gibraltar of it," ''But allow me
to suggest" said, ''that the cession of Stras-
bourg is not thing to which France will be
easily reconciled All the more, because
| it is, as you say, the key of France on
the east" may, dear SIR" was the reply,
''yom have been with us continually since our
entry into France; i have heard you constant
ly talking French; now, have you not already
seen that it would be difficult for the French
| to be more angry with us for our victories over
them than they already are? No, not if we
were camped in the Bots De Boulogne itself.
And first, because they are, and will be for
many 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
drunken man in the streets, what do you do,
| if he is mischievous? call the policemen, don't
you? Well, Strasbourg and Metz will have to
be our policemen, and good stout ones, too"
| at is curious" remarked, show much the
French do hate the Prussians, and what stories
they tell and believe about you. l have lived
great deal in Paris, and know there are
told there as facts some fables which are all
Dut 1ncFGu1DiS. les, Souue bis-
marck, 1--WE have taken the place of the Eng
lish, so nay 2Oyears ago, but as they have come
to forget their hatred of perfidious Albion, so
they will have to find some day or other, that
there is some good in us, also it seems as
if the French nation stood in constant need of
a bugbear to vent their rage upon. For the
moment, we were the bugbears." ventured
then to say, 81 see that people are in great
fright in England lest your excellency should
cast covetous eyes upon Holland" yes. l
am aware that is an English idea" replied the
Count, ''but like other English ideas it is not
accepted out of the country of its birth. We
want nothing in Germany that is not German,
and Holland certainly is not German. AL
ready Posen is looked upon with no friendly
eye by many of our countrymen as a non-Teu-
tonic province. There is no fear of our taking
Holland. As little as there is of the'French
taking Belgium"