Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-07-21
The Great Struggle.


days, or PERHAPS hours. After the
sad lessons which the great Napo'
leon taught them, the Prussians
have known that celebrity of move
ment is everything in war. Two
or three great, decisive battles will
be speedily fought, and the strug-
gle will be over.
With which belligerent power
should our sympathies settle I? Ger
tainly with the one which is the
least to blame for bringing on what
public opinion declares is a cause
less war. France demands that
Prince Hohenzollern shall not be
permitted by Prussia TO be candi-
date for the Spanish Throne. AS
it is the perpetual boast Of the
French Emperor that he holds his
Throne by the suffrage or choice
Of the French people, it is slightly
inconsistent that he is unwilling to
grant the Spanish people the same
freedom of choice themselves. If
the Cortes, composed of the repre-
sentatives of the people of Spain,
see proper to select German
Prince to rule over them, it would
seem to be nobody's business but
their own. But Napoleon Ill. hay
ing laid down the proposition that
Il neighborng though independent
sovereign power, should choose a
ruler to suit France rather than q
ruler to suit herself, demands, not
that Spain but that Prussia shall
settle the question Of the Spanish
succession to suit the wishes Of
France upon that subject. Because
Prussia maintains a mastery dig
nifty and silence and declines to en-
gage either to promote or thwart
the schemes of French ambition,
France threatens to declare war
At this juncture, Prince Leopold
solves the difficulty by declining to
he Il candidate for the throne Of
Spain Here the whole controversy
should have ended. Had France
stopped here it would have been
considered a diplomatic triumph
on her part because what she asked
was in substance secured. But the
unprincipled dynastie ambition Of
a Bonapartc and his insane desire
for the glory won by war caused
him to make the furthur preposter-
GUS demand that Prussia should
place u perpetual injunction upon
Prince Leopold, restraining him
forever from being candidate for
a foreign Throne. After refusing
to hold any communication with
the French Ambassador on this alb
surd subject, the King of Prussia
summarly dismissed him when at
an improper place and time the i'm
pertinent Ambassador demanded
the Kings purposes and intentions.
No one supposes tnpt this jNseta q
able snubbing Of French diplo-
matte agent is the real, though it is
the alleged cause Of the war. 1t is
a war on the part Of France for the
leadership of Europe, a war waged
to gain that supremacy over Prus-
sia which Prussia has for seven
years exercised over France, q war
for national aggrandlzement and
glory at the expense of the
hated because the most cunning
and ambitious rival of the
would be imperial autocrat of con
tinental Europe,
We should sympathize with Prus-
sia in this life and death struggle,
because in no respect has she
shown herself in the wrong, be-
cause it is a contest between a Ro-
man Catholic power and Protest
ant power, a struggle between pro
gress and reaction, between Ger
man liberalism and universal edu,
cation, and French imperialism and
popular ignorance, because it is an
unprovoked war for the conquest Of
Rhenish Prussia on the part of
France, and hence foreign to the
spirit of the age,and lastly, because
it is a contest hetwoen a Nation
that gave us her sympathies and
moral aid in our struggle for Ma
tional existence, and one which
was heart and soul in sympathy,
not to say in league, with our enc
mics. The great uprising in North
Germany, the demand Of the entire
population Of Prussia that arms
shall be placed in their hands to
march against France, the unparal.
leled ovation Of a thousand loyal
subjects Of King William on his ar
rival at Berlin,are significant omens
Of victory for the Prussan eagles,
The opposition of ten Of the ablest
Of the French Chamber Of
to the war, carrying with
them also the opposition Of four Of
the leading journals, does not augur
well for that unity Of sentiment and
action which alone brings final vic
tory and an enduring peace, France
cannot bear up against tie arms of
Prussia and the moral sentiment Of
,he world. 10, S. journal,
We are informed that Gen. P,