The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-07-16
Impending War in Europe.

AmpenolnS War In Europe.
The cable dispatches from Europe during
the past week have been redolent of blood
and villainous saltpeter. Spain, whose throne
has gone begging for the last two years for an
occupant, it appears, through Prim and the
Spanish regency. who are his creatures, as a
last desperate resort, offered the Spanish
throne to a German prince-Leopold of Ho-
henzolern. 1t was hardly to be supposed
that any German prince, however desperate
his fortunes, would accept such an offer The
Unborn hostility between the German and Lat.
iii races, the prime cause of nearly all the
great wars of midiaeval and modern Europe,
should enable any German prince, let alone a
protestant prince like Hohenzollern, to under
stand that 4 seat on the throne of naughty,
conceted, Catholic Spain would be anything
but pleasant one. Nordld Prim probably be-
lieve that the tender would be accepted But he
had danced attendance on the Emperor Ma
poleon for six months, begging him to interfere
and solve the conundrum of the Spanish sue
cession, and as dernier resort he played this
German card, which he knew would wake up
Napoleon like slap in the face. And it did.
What Prussian prince on the throne of
Spain. Prussia on the north of lis, Prussia
on the east, and now Prussia OH the south
Not only Napoleon, but all France rose up in
protest as one man. France would fight to
the last ditch, &C, before such thing should
happen.
Therespon Grammont, the French minister
of Foreign affairs, addressed note to Prussia
demanding not only that Prussia shall dis
claim all agency in prompting this extraordi-
nary tender Of the Spanish throne to Prus-
sian prince, but shall pledge herself to forbid
its acceptance. Prussia receives
the insulting demand very quietly. The
French papers rave like mad. The Prussian
press is as cool as cucumber and wonders
what France is so much excited about. Prus-
STA is in no hurry to reply to the French note.
Napoleon is evidently preparing for war
masslng troops at all exposed points, drawing
troops from Algiers, &c. Prussia quietly en-.
cages in the same business. Then she replies
to France. "Of course" says Bismark, "Prus-
STA knew nothing about this proposed tender
of the Spanish throne to Leopold, but then
Leopold is in no way related to the royal
family of Prussia, and the government must
let him do as he plcases about accepting this
Qulxotic offer from Spain" France replies
'But you must forbid it," Prussia responds
''We can't and won't"
Here is square deadlock. There seems to |
be no escape from it but by stand up fight.
The :act that Leopold has declined the Spanish |
offer with thanks don't seem to help the |
matter France wants Prussia to say the she |
would not only disapprove the occupancy of |
the Spanish throne by Leopold or any other
German Prince, but would peremptorily forbid |
it, and Prussia declines to say SO.
So not only throughout France and Prussia,
but all over Europe, sounds the note ofprepa.
ration for war. France is alive with soldiers
and armamcnts moving in all directions. In
Germany "thc roads to the frontiers are en-.
with men and horses moving to the
frontier There seems to be no escape from
war, and when it baeaks out, it will be no
child's play. Prussia and France have been
aching for years to lock horns. 1t will he
more than Greek against Greek when thew
meet on the bloody field.