Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-01-26

mV0b N~thSSV NhN AHNShASShV v
/ French sympathizers with our gov
ernment during the war of the re
Uellion. An ardent lover Of hil
country, he, is yet liberal minded
and an admirer Of what he con
cciyes to be good in other nation
alities. His views respecting thu
war now going on will therefore b.
read with interest. In a letter
written the Goth ult., to- friend il
New York, he says:
Thank Madame - and all who
are interested in us, and tell then
that the cause of France is liberty
The triumph of Prussia will be the
triumph of despotism, and will con.
demn all Europe to servitude or to
a new thirty years war. The down.
fall of France is the delivery Of
Europe to the greed of Prussia and
the barbarism of Russia.
The manner in which war was de-
clared by the Emperor has deceived
distant spectators. They did not
see that Prussia had been for long
years preparing for war, and that
Bismarck had seized the opportuni-
ty to make France fall into a ready
laid snare. But now the facts are
at hand to convince the most in.
credulous. Prussia had a million
men under arms, while France had
less than three hundred thousand
soldiers. Add to these a formida.
bic artillery and stores of muni-
tions of war, and you will see how
easy it was to crush us, in spite of
the courage Of our army.
If Prussia had only sought to
defend herself, it would have been
easy for her after the battle of Se-
dan to conclude a glorious and
lasting peace. France would have
paid a heavy indemnity without
haggling, and would have frankly
accepted defeat without cherishing
secret thoughts Of revenge. But
the King of Prussia then threw off
the mask. He had declared that he
made war on the Emperor alone;
but the Emperor vanquished and a
prisoner, he now avowed that what
lie sought was the humiliation and
overthrow of France. He must
have Alsace and Lorraine, provin
ces wholly French heart and reject
ing Prussian rule.
There were at the beginning of
the war at least three hundred
thousand Germans in France who
had found therein the means of
and often Fortunes. All
these men Bismarck made so many
spies to guide the army to the
homes of their. former employers
to plumber them more easily. And
they boast of this Was such in.
fanny ever known before among
Christian nations? To fire on bal
looms that carry family cores
pondenec, and to invent a gun for
the pecialspurpose of killing inno-
cent messcngers--is not this one
Of those acts Of barbarism that a
Prnssian alone could devise2 AS
TO their moral superiority, which
they yaunt in contrast with the de-
cline of France, / have yet to see
proofs of it. | hear of nothing
but horses stolen, cellars plundered
francs-tireurs shot in contempt Of
the laws Of war--of nothing, I'M
short, bnt pillogc and murder All
arc not quite SO abominable, and
The officers OF the guard especially
affect fine manners; but this is only !
4 superfne varnish; at the bottom
here is unmitigated barbarism,-
We have returned to the soldiers Of
and the freehooters Of
,he middle ages. Frenchmen could |
never have conducted themselves
with such brutality. All the
Ioldiers with whom | have talked |
ire tired Of the war; they are not
leluded as to their fate. and know
hat they are the victims of Bis.
narck aud King William, but the
'tIicers are pufed up with pride,
nd the hope of crushing Paris
Iraws them on as a historical
chievomcnt. AS to the old king
hat cdpo'M mystiQUe, as he is
lstly Called--he thinks him
elf doing Christian deed in
laughtering thousands of men, and
convinced that he came into the
'orld to chastise q people that he's |
one him no harm. And in Ger.
lany not a Christian pulpit, not a ,
linister, not woman has dared
tier u word in behalf of peace - 4
is n war Of races which Germany II
as kinlled, and of whioh our child +
~ Wili rre..saa the end. 1t is said
Iat the Prince Of Prussia alone
MS been moved by feelings of hu-
Nnity, but no one would heed his
oice, Mark tllat in France one I
aars always of Prussia and never I
Germany. The reason is that ?
Iere is no i'll will against Germany s
France. We would have cor, Y
ally welcomed the american fed. !
'ative union Of Germany. What 2
c oppose is Prussian despotism- r
russian arrogance-the greed and 9
lpidity Of these new Macedonions. I
e may succomb, the thing is pos II
BILE, but when we have fallen o
ngland will feel that she is moth, Z