The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-08
DIPLOMATIC SECRETS.
From the n. Y. Tribune.

From the N. Y. tribune.
For the credit of the French nation, we
wish these scandalous revelations of the Sc
crets of the empire might be brought to a
close. Ever since the palace of the Tuileries
has been to let, we have been entertained
with endless stories of the disreputable char
acter of the late tenant, till we are lost in
wonder that the ownsrs of the building
should have allowed him TO stay in it so long.
1t has been shown by documents rifed from
the secret cabinet that Napoleon was both a
TOue and an imbecile, vulgar even in his
vices, and weak in his wiekedness. He was
afraid of his own people. He did not pos
sess their confidence, and he well knew it,
The highest aim of his policy was to cheat
them, and he never quite succeeded in doing
so. Intrigue was his passion, bat he never
attempted an intrigue that somebody did not
outwit him. The latest revelation of his in
capacity comes, it is supposed, from Nj.
ThIers. A pamphlet entitled A. Ihters ct Sa
MissiOn en- 1870 has just been published
at Tours under the name of Sidney Renouf,
but the real author was evidently some one
much better acquainted than that clever jour
nslist could have been with the secrets of the
French Foreign Office. From this pamphlet
we learn how complete for years had been
Bsmarck's success in working Napoleon;"
how the willy German statesman managed to
shape the policy of France in the interest of
Frances foremost rival how the Prussian
Ambassador at Paris was allowed constantly
to overrule the Emperor's own ministers;
how Napoleon was induced to give his assent
to the war of 1866, and was outmaueuvred
in the treaty of peace which was ostensibly
concluded by bis intervention. Sadowa was
a blow from which Napoleon never recovered.
From that moment, says the pamphleteer,
''there was no unity in any of his plans. His
policy became ftful and incoherent. One day
the boldest schemes were broached. Another
day cowardly fears prevailed. He attempted
to secure q cession of territory from Prussia,
and the attempt ended in his own humiliation
and the conclusion of the compact between
Prussia and the States of South Germany.
Having thus strengthened his rival, he went
to war, neither in seli-defense, nor in defer
cree to popular clamor nor on point of
honor; but to revenge the incivility with
which the King had spoken of him personally
| in an interview with III. Benedict
| If Napoleon was such an utterly weak and
| contemplate creature as these post-m ortem
revelations depict him, the world wall be
curious to know why France submitted to
! him for eighteen years. He notoriously had
no military genius, and though it used to be
the custom to credit him with wonderful poll
| tiCal ssgacity it has been evident for some
years that hs had none of that either. Unless
we accept as of general application the truth
which has been so often illustrated during
the war, that Frencbmen would rather be
humbugged than moi, lit is impossible to under
stand how great nation should allow itself
to be degraded by follies which it needed so
little judgment to detect. For the honor of
that great majority which ratified by the ple-
biscitum the misdeeds of the past and as
sumed the responsibility for the crimes of
1870, patriotic Frenchmen might well beg
| that no more of these shameful revelations
/ should be given to the world.