The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-09-11
The Situation ia france ).

this. time, and that it's warmest friends are
exceedingly Respondent as to it's future.
France has been out-numbered, out-gener-
aled and, worst OF all, betrayed. Her best
armies have been swept from the field, the
elite of her soldiery are dead or in .captiv-
ity. Prussia, triumphant and conquering,
Is sending her hordea to the walls of Paris,
while the whole country lies PROSTATE be-
fore her. She has to choose her road,
and there is no spot OF France which she
cannot approach unopposed. One can
hardly see at first glance why she should
not simply invest Paris and pronounce the
rest of France annexed to Germany.
What is to prevent her from demanding
supplies from any province of the country,
and enforcing her laws in the civil courts
of the nationf Paris would soon be starved
into submission without blow, while any
attempt at opposition elsewhere would be
crushed in an instant.
We do not think that Prussia would
hesitate for a moment to adopt the Yankee
policy towards the South in the late war,
and devastate what she could not conquer.
Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Val
ley would be afamous precedent for success-
full occupation. If any province of France,
for instance, should fail to furnish the
Prussians with ample supplies, or should
permit a single man of it's population to be
seen with q musket, this would afford a
good excuse for punishment, and it's terri
tory would be totally ravaged; not a fence
left, not a field nor house remaining I'M
consumed by fire, not one shelter in the
whole province where a woman could hide
herself and her baby from the weather.
With starvation in their families the men
could not fight if they would.
This would be mode of warfare
not permitted among Christian nations
prior to the date of our own American
war, as stated above but so brilliant and
effective an example might very we'll be
followed ard permitted in this enlightened
and progressive nineteenth century. Let
France be wiped out by any process what
ever, and there would be q universal ex-
ultation among the crowned heads and
royal families of Europe, who recognize
that country as containing the germ of
European democracy. Let France be put
out of the list of nations, as Poland was,
and England is relieved of her ancient
enemy, while all countries ambitious of
pre- -eminence in art and manufactures, are
freed from this most successful rival.
There are several things, however, which
stand in the way of this coEsummation.
First, there is the old policy of the balance
of power, which would be totally sacrificed
by any such result. This, we think, would
not avail France much under the circum-
stances.
republication has held the whole power of
Europe in check before now. There is
something terrible in its energy and daring
when once aroused. Besides, il has allies
allies even in Prussia, in Italy, in Spain,
among the people everywhere. The diver
sion in it's favor from these sources may
become formidable, in fact fnanciers are
element has come upon the stage. They
foresee popular uprisings and revolutions,
and fear generel war, upon the conse-
quences of which it will be impossible to
calculate.
We rely principally, however, for tie
safety of France, upon it's nationality.
Nationality has an almost inextinguishable
life. 1t is nearly impossible to crush out a
people. Suppressed in one place, resist
ance will break out in another. In
small and scattered fragments at first,
bands will finally merge into larger bodies,
until armies are in the field, all their
members being veterans. In the meantime
supplies are withheld from the invader,
provisions are secreted in unapproachable
places; if small parties Of the enemy scour
the country they are cut off, if armies
move they will not find supplies enough on
their route. They must finally rely upon
home for every thing necessary to their
support, and that will prove too remote
and too expensive. Such an enormous
army as will be requisite to keep down a
population embracing eight or nine mil
lions of able-bodied men cannot long be
maintained by any country.
The only question is, will the French
people submit to the losses, the suffering,
the poverty and partial ruin necessary to
such resistance. We are confident that
they would undergo four-fold as much for
national honor and independence. Time
will tell.
CAUSE OF THE Wharf.-The war cores