The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1871-02-02
Paris.

kE 1872 f
around Paris. The Union and Ameri-
can, of a recent date, editorially SAYS,
that the hll of the city dis likely toproye
the virtual close of the War. 1t will re-
lease an immense German army to over
run and %subiugate the Provinces. An
indefinite prolongation of the war Nj Int
be possible if the self-constituted Com
mittce of Safety-Gambetta, Favre, ct
als.-cUmmanded the confidence of the
French people. But such doesnot seem
to be the use. Lyons, Marseilles, and
all Southern France have remained as
O%pathotic as if they were located beyond
the Pyrenees. We have been told the
Bretons were enthufcd, hat we have not
heard of n single regiment of Brctons in
the fight anywhere. In military tactics
it is universally conceded that to change
front in the face Of the enemy is n most
hazardous maneuvre and in politics We
may assume that to change the form al
government III the face Of an invading
enemy is an imposSibility bordering on
criminal absurdity. France, with her
forty millions of souls, has proved pow
crlcss, from the after want of organiza.
ton. But there is for France vet n
brighter side to the picture. With
peace restored it may be found that
France has suffered less than Germany,
and will recuperate more rapidly, be-
cause her resources" remain untouched
from the very want Of organization that
has overwhelmed her with defeat.
1t is safe to assume that the aggress-
i've Germans, among a hostile people and
distant from their base of supplies, have
suffered greater losses, both in assault
and in the hospital, than the retreating
French, fighting behind Notifications.
But IL more important item is the char
acter of the losses on either side. The
German armies are soldiers /; the French
armies are raw recruits. Take the stu
alton before Paris, for instance. Out
side, We see the very choice and flower
of tho German nation each man of
them killed, is IL loss to his country not
to be estimated in dollars. But inside
OF Paris what DO VIZ see? 4 mere armed
populace-no pick Of men, but the old
and young, the strong and fecbla, Of
Paris and the immediately surrounding
district. And among these we note Il
large proportion Of restless radical agi-
t~ators, whose utter destruction would be
IN immense relief to France.
The imperial armies We're, perhaps
picked men, so far as they went some
100000. But of these, 10000 surren-
dercd with Sedan, and 10000 more at
Metz so that the large majority Of the
imperial armies are saved to France, and
are doubtless faring much better i'll pris-
on than the victorious Germans III the
field. Few doubt that Bazainc's design
in surrenderiug was to Withdraw his
soldiers from the Republic and we can
hardly credit Napoleon with any nobler
motive at Sedan. An opinioni is gaining
ground that Napoleon was forced mo
the present war unpropared, by the clam
ors of the mob of Paris, and that King
William has been really doing Napo-
Icons work before Paris. On this thcO-
ry we may yet see the French prisoners
marching side by side with their Ger
nan captors in pursuit of Gambetta's
p%cripathetic government. AtOll events,
it would seem that thus far the German
have been more severe in the quail
itv of the material lost, as well as mum
bcrs and that if peace be soon restored
France will develop n more speedy re-
cooperation Of energies than her victor.
Prussia is wise, therefore, III securing
the close friendship of unimpaired Rus
sia. Let her be sure that tho friendship
is sincere, and that the Bear does not
take advantage of the exhaustion which
must follow the immense losses of the
youth and prime of Germany on the
soil of France"
Since the above has been placed in
type we have received through our ex-
changes, the sad intelligence of the Ca
pitulation of Paris IN | the surrender of
the forts around the city. A full ac-
count of the capitulation will be found
in another column Of this paper.
Sol! Goes.
An instance Of the impunity with
public funds can be stoleu under
the present Administration is given i'll
the San Francisco correspondence of the
Chicago Tribune.