The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-16


Prussia and to make her an accomplice in
spoliation have been incessent. The Luxem-
burg affair was terminated by Englands ao-
cepting the burden of new guarantee. But
after this had been done, the first thing that
France did, according to Count Bismarck,
was to propose again that she should be
allowed to conquer Belgium. It is distinctly
stated that the draft treaty in the hand
writing of M. Benedett was subsequent to
the Luxembourg affair. The organs of the
Prussian Government go further, and state
that there are other revelations to come that
Prince Napoleon, among other things, went
to Berlin and suggested that there were eau
tons of Switzerland where French was the
language of the people, and that in Piedmont
French ends and Italian begins.
All this undoubtedly shows that designs
most fatal to the peace of Europe have
foated through the minds of the Emperor
and his representatives 1t is impossible to
believe that M. Benedetti was acting entirely
without his masters knowledge, or to doubt
that schemes for sharing plunder on a gigantic
scale have been proposed in the last five or
six years by France to Prussia. But there
are two observations which it is we think,
important to make. The whole of the blame
cannot be made to rest on France. Even if
the French assertion that Count Bismarck
intimated wish to appropriate Holland is
untrue, yet all bH6S6 OVerGureS OF SpOllilClOn
cannot have been made time after time with
out encouragement. To say the very least,
Prussia led France on to make them, and re-
iected them in such q way that
they were soon made again. In the next
place, when last Monday the Times published
the treaty it augmented immensely the i'm
portance of the publication by positively
stating that within the last few days since
the present quarrel has sprung up, France
tba off 10 fnrb 70 tha
purposes of Prussia on condition of Belgium
being given to France. This was most
astonishing and alarming, for it would have
stamped France as guilty of the blackest
treachery towards England, to whose friendly
aid France had just appealed, and it would
have made us almost necessarily parties
to the war. But, happily, there is
no evidence whatever to show
that the assertion was true. On the con-
trary, Count Bismarck, who would have been
sure to produce all the evidence he could Of
any recent design of France on Belgium, has
none to offer, and contents himself with sur
missing, on what he calls good grounds that
| if this treaty had not been published, the
French Government would now at this very
moment have been proposing to Prussia that
| as they are the only two powers in a complete
state of military preparation, they should
unite against all the rest of Europe, and map
| out new territorial arrangement of the Con-
tinent exactly as they pleased.
The publication of this treaty, and the
whole history of what happened during the
period covered by the English correspond
ence, have not injured France as much as
Prussia probably calculated they would injure
it. The origin of the treaty and the circum-
stances under which it was drawn up are SO
obscure that conjecture cannot move alto
gether in line favorable to the innocence
and honesty of Prussia. The assertion
that France, if this treaty had not been pub
lished, would even now have renewed the
offer, is only an assertion, and is open to the
obvious criticism that, if Count Bismarck
could have reckoned on France commit
ting such a gigantic blunder, he would
certainly have let her commit it,
and would not have had the draft printed in
the Times SO soon. The whole career of
| Count Bismarck, too, inspires conviction
that he is the kind of man to whom unscru-
pulous proposals would naturally be made.
1t would be very interesting to know whether
the King of Prussia had ever seen or heard
of this treaty in M. Benedetti's handwriting
before this week. We confidently guess that
it was as pew to him as to every one else,
and that it was only one part of long series
of intrigues between Count Bismarck and M.
Benedetti, of which the King of Prussia knew
next to nothing, and the Emperor just as
little or as much as he thought conve-
nient. For the moment. however, the effect
of the publication of the draft treaty has been
beneficial to Belgium. 1t has strengthened
the national jealousy of all attempts to put an
end to Belgian independence; and it has called
forth from France distinct assertion that
the Emperors honor is pledged not to violate
the neutrality of Belgium while Prussia re-
spects it. Count Bismarck, in the same way,
has committed himself at the outset of the
war to strict pledge not to let the war lead
to the dismemberment or weakening of neu-
trail nations. England is at the head of the
neutral nations, for no nation longs so earn
estly to be neutral as she does, and the Gov
eminent have used and will use their utmost
influence to maintain inviolate the neutrality
of Denmark, Holland, and Switzerland. AS to
Belgium, the mind of England is thoroughly
made up to defend it if it is seriously me-
naced. 1t will be very necessary not to enact
the part of policemen suspicious of every act
and every movement, and seeing deep de-
signs of fraud and robbery in trivial and
accidental movements or incidents. We
need not even say much about our helping
Belgium, as if we were the sole guardians of
Belgian neutrality, and as if we were chal-
lenging France and Prussia, and especially
France, to dare to touch our little friend
This kind of neutrality is q sort of neu-
trality that may give very unnecessary
irritation, and lead to the war which we all
long to avert. A calm and dignifed reserve
ought, as Lord Granville said, to be the atti-
tude of England. We think both France and
Prussia know perfectly well, and we hope
Belgium knows, and we are sure we in Eng
land know, that we are determined to help
Belgium if necessary But SO long as this is
known, it will produce much more salutary