The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-03-11
FRANCE AND PRUSSIA.

SS* a ssa /
The murderous scenes now being |
acted in Europe are but the repe.
tition OF similar ones which have
cursed the world for ave thousand
years. They make us blush and
hang our heads when We remem
Der that We are men, and that men
can be 90 much like Wild beasts. or
worse than wild beasts, as to do As
the French and Prussians have been
doing. @
II there ever was Z UNSTABLE war,
this certainly is not one. On the /
part of the French, ct least, it il
simply q war Of ambition, Of res
taliation and of conquest. And
such wars will continue to be wag-
ed until public sentiment is cor
rected,-until christianity is ap-
piled to the Intercourse of nations
as we'll as to that Of individuals,-,
until the Christian ministry and
the Christian church will speak out
in clear and ria2ing tones with re
gard to the curse aud scsims tot
war, as they have done with regard
to dneling. intemperance and slave
ry-until these gigantic prepare
tions Of war cease-until those
who do the quareling are left to do
the fighting also--until men refuse
to be the tools OF designing dema !,
gogues, and tho Instruments Of
human slaughter. - ss.
Why this fratricidal strife which
is filling hundreds Of thousands of
homes with woe, and watering Eu-
rope with the life-blood Of its ewn
inhabitants2 One reason Is the
immense preparations for war
which are continually on band the
standing armies Of Europe. embra-
bracidg some 5000. 900 Of mem,
the guns, and cannons, aud swords
and other implements Of human
destruction which are constantly
being manufactured. Can any one
fell to see that il these war prepa-
rations exist they will be used7
We nigh. as we'll talk Of q drunk
en- christian. or Of red-hot ice -
| to talk Of maintaining peace while
standing armies remain. That
preparations for wars produce,
rather than prevent them, is q
| proposition as clearly demonstra-
BILE as any one OF Euclid. Indeed.
Kings and Emperors find it neces-
sary to employ their standing ar
mics against each other, in order
to prevent them turning upon
themselves and hurting :hem from
their thrones This, undoubtedly
is one of the principal reasons
which induced Napoleon to wage
: this murderous war against Prus-
sia.
| Another cause of this terrible
strife is the false notions which
prevail with regard to the necessi-
sity of war, and the false theories
on which governments are con-
structed. 1t seems to be taker
for granted that nations mus
maintain toward zach other q bel
ligerent attitude-that the prosper
ity of one is the misfortune of th,
other-that one nation must no
be pc permitted to become NOR,
populOus or more powerful thar
its neighbors, lest it swoop dow
upon them and swallow them up-
that the people OF sll other coun
tries are like wolves. against whom
it is necessary to he constantly Of
guarg, and hence that govern
ments, and even the heads Of gov
ernments alone, mast have th,
power Of declaring war. Now VI
have no hesitation in saying tha
the power Of declaring and waginl
war is one which no governm en-
and especially no single individus
like Napoleon ought to possess
1t is 4 power which the people CO.
not delegate to their rulers, be
cause they do not possess it them
selves And il they did posses
it, they would seldom or never e1
ercise it if left to decide the ma,
ter by q majority vote, afte. Am
pie time to consider the conse
quences.
We say, then, let the people Q
different nations decide for them
selves whether they VIII imbru
their hands in each others blood
Let the fathers who are 10
torn from their families and she
! down on the baste-field--the son
Who are to he dragged from thci
homes and made targets for bul
lets-the wives who are to be vic
: owed. and the children who are
be orphaned decide this questio
of war. and not ambitions Count
and Emperors, who will never On
| fer from its ravaRes. What natul
al right ave Napoleon and Kin
William to compel their subjec,
to slaughter each other merely b,
cause these crowned heads have
. foolish quarrel2 II they canns
settle it In any other way, why M
shed their own blood in singl
combat, instead Of meanly askin
, 1000, 900 Of their subjects to do
for them9 Aud What right hay
the people to delegate to Other
} authority to require them to vic
, late every command Of the dec,
J logue, and every precept of tn
Saviour? II Col has made
I wrong to steal, and burn and mu
} der, can the command of any b,
, man bein Z make it right? IL theI
no higher law which va are boun
to obey?
W. a ~ ~ Ho ,,.uoh ~ .~,>~a~k az