The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-09-10
A Napeleonist Journal. on tho French
Defeat. IS.


The Courier des Esats Unis, the lead
ing Frenoh journal in this country, ad-
luits that the defeat is final. It says:
1t is useless to disguise the truth. The
army which has not surrendered, but
has been surrendered to the enemy, was
the flower of our military population.
| With McMahon destroyed and Bazaine
helpless, France has left countless masses
fanatical with patriotism, ready to throw
themselves blindly upon the mouths of
the Prussian cannou; but she has no
longer an army.
New masses. however. full of conf
denco, are helpless against military
science, discipline, and, above ali,
against modern arms. Once it was men
who made war; bravery supplemented
number; enthusiasm made heroes. Now,
it is rifed cannon and perfected musket-
ry that fight; the nun is no longer more
than tho attendant of the weapon; he
counts for but one, and courage without
numbers only makes victims.
All France, with her 100000 of
young men from twenty to thirty years
of age, rising rs one, extemporized into
soldiers. and hurled in full career upon
the solid, intelligent, well-armed, disci-
tAihSu llaSS VI ItlC FlClOIlOuS lFuSSluQS,
would throw itself on butchery, aud
would not drive back ono step the wall
Of steel before her.
No doubt France will receive with n
cry of fierce wrath, like tho lion fallen
into ditch, the story Of the surrender
signed i'll her name; and that tho first
movement will bo n levy of tho whole
people and leap towards new combats
But this first frenzy over. cool reflection
will come to throw an ice sllroud on this
heroism, and We doubt if any man Gun
be found to take the lead in bringing on
new conflicts, that is to say, the respon-
sibility of new disasters.
The people OF Paris aud the com.
manders of the besieged plnces, nay,
every manly heart TINT has its hand on Il
flag staff, may refuse to submit and de-
termine rather to die than to suffer the
Prussian flag to stand on the ramparts
they guard; but there will be no one to
organize this resistance, which would be
suicide; no political party which will
risk, on this bloody resort, the future
before it; no one who does not know
that France has no right to commit
suicide; that she belongs to the world,
to civilization, to humanity, and that ut
least one chance of success would he
necessary to Justify the horrors which
would result from continuing a war that
could no longer be aught but m uu-
broken series of ravages, waste, slaugh-
ter and ruin.
We cannot tell what counsels will pre-
vail In the fearful cmbarrnssmcnts into
which France is plunged. Not today
nor tomorrow will calm and reflection
come out of this chaos. Some days
must be allowed to appease the hot
fever of this hour. Then will come the
time OF great resolves. Who will take
them? Doubtless the natural repre-
Chambers, who will find in their patriot
ism the solution of the immense pro-
blem of re-establishing peace on the
least sad conditions for the pride and
the Interest Of France that can be OBJ
tanned.
| The fate of the Empire is Sealed. Our
first defeats were the signal of its fnll.
Napoleon III. is no longer more than Il
phantom, and his dynasty dies with
him. What will succeed him is the
secret Of the future.
Nor is 1t our part to predict mt u glance
what changes these great events will
bring to the political, moral aud mate
rial condition of Europe. One promi
nent fact, however, seems to us to be
fixed; it is that this atrocious butchery,
this frightfnl spectacle given to q tremb-
ling world, this accnrsed holocaust will
put an end to war. Prussia takes up the
sceptre Of military greatness fallen from
the hands Of France. but it is broken
sceptrc. No longer the emblem of aught
but dead power; of glory, indeed, but
glory that does not shine on the future.
No longer is it its arms that shall give
supremacy to nations, and Germany,
united by the victory of Prussia, will
hereafter be neither greater nor more
powerful thau yesterday. if her aggran-
dizement is not the signal for liberal
progress of humanity. Her flag will
not be more glorious, if it is only to
continue to shelter effete institutions.
The struggle henceforth is no longer
between the material forces of the na-
ton; it is in their moral development
their civilization and their Liberties.
Thus France, even mutilated, if it must
be SO, will still remain, we hope, the
great leading and glorious nation. The
day when, by the fated march of events,
n day doubtless not far distant, the des-
tiny Of the people will no longer be left
TO the chances of batt1a. tho 6ov vLan n