The New York herald., 1871-02-05
The Armistico-Tho Coming French Nm
tiOsal Assembly-What u the Pr0spcctH e

tiosal Assembly-What is the Prospccts
The present armistce in France (of which,
by special cable dispatches, we published the
full text yesterday ends on the 10th instant.
Meantime the elections for the National AS
sembly will be held in Paris to-day Sunday,
and throughout the various departments on
the 9Th "wednesday next, and the Assembly
will meet at Bordeaux on the 18th Sunday
nexD. The Assembly, an organic body which
we would call a national convention, will con-
sist Of seven hundred and ifty-three deputies,
and the elections, in spite Of Gambetta, are to
be open to all parties and all sorts of can
didates-to the imperialist and Orleanist as
well as to the republican. The Assembly will
be charged with the important task of recon-
structing the government of France, but, first
of all, with the consideration of the German
conditions which await II as the conditions of
peace.
These terms, ii is understood, will embrace,
at least in territory, the surrender of Alsace
to Germany, which will include the great city
Of Strasbourg, the removal of France entirely
from the river Rhine and Rhine valley, and
to the western drainage of the Vosges noun
tains. Next, France will be called to meet
the demands for the surrender of twenty ships
| Of war, colony in Cochin China, and cash
indemnity of two thousand millions of dollars.
holding Metz and other fortresses of Lorraine
as material guarantees" for the fulfilmept of
these other conditions With this budget of
heavy demands upon it what will be the re-
suits from this forthcoming National Assem-
bly, of France? Very little time will be
allowed the members of the Assembly for
useless debates. They meet on the 18th, and
they must decide by the 10th whether it is to
be peace or war, or u request for an extension
Of the armistce.
The issue is doubtful; but the Assembly
must resolve upon peace or war by the 10th
inst, or ask further extension of grace. BY
the first article of the armistice, which covers
the land and sea, it ''is terminable everywhere
on the 10Th day of February, at noon." The
| second article provides that 'sthe armistice
| thus agreed upon has for its object to permit
the government of National Defence of France
the words, ''freely elected'), which will pro-
nounce on the question whether the war shall
be continued or what terms of peace shall be
made" This article further provides for the
meeting of the Assembly at Bordeaux, and
that ''every facility will be given by the com
manders of the German armies for the election
and meeting Of the deputies who will compose
the Assembly" This is the exact text of tn
main article of the armistice, as furniShed
from our special correspondent at Berlin. 1t
will be observed, too, from our dispatches Of
this mornings issue, that Count Bismarck in
tends to have a square election, or the i'm
perial Corps Legislatif dispersed by Gambetta
and Company on the 4th Of September last.
The armistice, then, has for its object the
election and convocation of National AS
sembly to decide upon the question Of peace
i or war. Count Bismarck wants nothing more
| than a responsible government with which to
! treat; and this Assembly, freely elected by
the French people, and acting in their name
and by their authority, will be government
enough for him. He clearly expects that the
Assembly will first consider the terms of peace
which he will have to offer; and evidently with
a treaty of peace his business with the As
sembly will be finished. So that he
gets his terms of peace from this
responsible body he does not seem to care
whether they recall the Bonapartes or
the Bourbons or establish the republic.
Indeed, Count Bismarck only asks that the
present government Of National Defence shall
be backed by a National Assembly in order to
give it the essential element OF national re-
sponsibiity in the all-important matter of
| treaty of peace. He made the same PROPOSE
| ton for an armistice soon after the beginning
| of the siege of Paris, but Favre and Company
would not listen to it. Outside of Paris and
the other large cities of France they had no
| faith in National Assembly fresh from the
people. We perceive, too, in the absurd at
tempt of that audacious demagogue, Gam
beta, to exclude the Bonapartists, Orleanists
and elder Bourbons from the elections, that
he, at least, fears that otherwise the republic
| will be superseded
The Emperor William, on the other hand,
frankly tells his people that, while he hopes
this armstice will bring peace, he is by no
| means sanguine of this much-desred issue.
He fears that the war may have to be resumed,
with new trials to the brave hearts of the
Fatherland; and so, while he is prepared for
peace, he is still preparing for contnu-
ance of the war. But why should France,
in her present helpless and hopeless
condition, resolve upon this suicidal folly?
Why, with Paris starving and de-
pending for food upon the enemy from day to
day, with the French armies destroyed, driven
of, dispersed or demoralized, with Northern
France eaten out and laid waste by the armies