The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-15
AMERICAN SYMPA7HY FOR PRUS-


THE Republican press of this country has,
from the outset of the present European war,
manifested remarkable unanimity in favoring
the cause of Germany, and some of the Demo-
cratic journals have recently ascribed this
attitude to partisan motives. This allegation
is at once false and ridiculous, and ii would
have scarcely been made if few leading
Democratic organs, like the New York World
and the Boston Post, had not committed the
blunder of betraying partiality for French
interests and desire for the triumph of Ma
poleon. Having shocked the German wing
of their party by this display of Difference to
the opinions and wishes of the Celtic men,
bers of the Democratic fold, they are now
striving to extricate themselves from their
dilemma by an unfounded charge against the
Republican journals.
1t is natural and perfectly proper that men
of both parties or of each party should differ
in their views of a European conflict, which
is not necessarily connected with American
politics But there are so many obvious
reasons why our citizens should sympathize
with the Germans. that few unbiased minds
have remained uncontrolled by them. One
of the strongest is that Napoleon stands be-
fore the world to-day convicted of a base
betrayal of republicanism in France; and for
this offense, if other, we would delight in his
downfall. Liberal Frenchmen at home and
abroad see in his impending dethronement a
large compensation for all the misfortunes he
has brought upon his country, and this feel
ing is naturally shared by the Republicans of
the United States. The Republican party of
Spain regards the Emperor as the most dan
gerous enemy of their cause in that country;
the ill-starred Mexican expedition re-
minds us of the efforts of this I'm
perial upstart to establish monarchical institu-
tions on our continent, and to menace our
own Government: while in France long
line of imprisoned, exiled, and executed Re-
publican patriots are avenged by the German
triumph. Seeking power by false professions
of liberalism, and welding it with despotic
sway Napoleon incurred the undying hatred
of every man who understands what true Re-
publicanism is; and while we cherish no feel
ings of ill-will towards the people of France,
we devoutly trust that they may be rid of
their tyrannical master.
Aside from this cause for desiring the
overthrow of the Infamous man who for an
insufficient cause hurried his country into a
war for which it was not prepared, and then
from purely selfish motives became the mar
plot of his own camp, ties of race connect the
great body of the Americans with the Ger
mans and in a national contest evoke their
sympathy. Germany is to a very large ex-
tent the fatherland Of all white Americans
who are not of Celtic origin. The fact that
some of their ancestors tarried for a time in
England before seeking homes on this side of
the Atlantic does not change their true ma
tivity, nor weaken the force of the aphorism
that ''blood is thicker than water AS Ger
many sympathized with us in our
late war, the bulk of Americans sympathize
with her in the hour of her tribulation. 1t
has long been the policy of France to divide
and conquer the great people living on her
eastern borders, but since the course of
modern events has tended to promote their
union, we believe it will be better for both
nations that this union should be perfected
and perpetuated than that German dissen-
sions should forever tempt French ambition,
and thus cause bloody wars
If true repubicanism ever gains solid
footing anywhere in Europe, we believe it
will be in Germany rather than in France;
and looking at the conflict from this point of
view, it is better that Germany should triumph
than that Napoleon should gain new lease
of power, which he would undoubtedly use for
despotic ends. But even if German republi-
canism is too vague dream to be worthy of
present consideration, it is a well-known
fact that in both France and Spain Napoleon's
downfall is regarded as a necessary prslimi.
nary to any serious attempt to establish re-
publican institutions in those countries.
The hero of Strasburg and Boulogne and
the author of the coup d'etat has sacrificed the
happiness of millions to his dream of esta-
blishing Cesarism in the nineteenth century,
and it will be one of the greatest triumphs of
modern civilization to dispel this dream,
through the irresistible advance of the Ger.
man armies.
THERE is certain sardonic humor that
savors of Bismarck in the proclamation issued
by the King of Prussia which announces that
''should Napoleon persist in the forcible ex.
| Dulsion of GermanS from Frapca NO man