Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1871-01-25
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At no previous time since the COM
nencement Of tho war has the causs
If France sesulsd In b desperate .
asst would sppsar by the
late advicss. Wien the Emperor sur
rendered himself at Sedan, the dtsas-
.rous day for him was, in many minds
a propitious one for France. The I'M
preston in this country at least was,
that the war was one of Louis Napo-
Icons seeking, and that, with his fall,
it would soon be brought to- close.
The Emperor himself declared that 1t
was q popular wal; that it was one
into which he was driven by the de-
mands of the French people. Ger
tainly events since have not refuted
this declaration. For there Is not In
all history the record Of. hostllities
moro gailantly maintained against re-
and continuous defeat. What
ever may be alleged of the ~ineficlency
of tho French new levies: whatever
may be deduced as to their conduct In
battle, from the circumstance that VIC
tory is a stranger to their arms in this
struggle; there is one consideration
which indicates anything but def
cheney in courage-and that Is the
readiness with which the French forces
have returned to the contest when all
the a~ntecedents Of the war have almost
assured them of defeat. They have
fought with desperation; their long
roll of dead and wounded shows q des-
perato spirit of resistance. All this
would seem entirely conflrmatory OF
Napoleon's declaration. Had it been
a contest into which the Imperial Gov
eminent forced the nation, certainly
that nation, while destroying his I'M
ages and defacing his efigies, would
have discarded his measures. Napo-
leon is declared deposed; but the war
has been maintained with eXtraordi-
nary vigor, and Paris has submitted to
siege in spirit which should disproVe
the charge that the French are incapa-
BILE of endurance. The French people
have in this persistence indicated the
declaration Of the Emperor that the
war was not an Imperial, but a ma
tional, undertaking. What possible
reserve Of expedients Trochu may
have; how "out of the nettle danger
he may pluck the flower Of safety;"
what supreme expedient he may have
left for the last crisis, cannot be I'M
agined. The probable state Of things
is, that he has no latent resources or
untried expedients, but that the strug-
gle is now one of simple desperation.
10 all the ether disadvantages must be
added the fact that Paris cannot act In
concert with the nation outside OF Its
Notifications. The city lies entirely
at the mercy Of the b~esiegers, unless
the French forces outside n raise the
siege. Of this the defeat of Chauzy
leaves no hope. The sorties Of the
garrison of Paris are only brave but
useless rushes upon death or defeat.
Meanwhile the rain of ~projectiles from
the Prussian batteries Is destroying the
lives of soldiers and non-combatants
alike, and the treasures OF art and the
triumphs of peaceful science are re-
duced to n wreck, less sad only than
the loss Of life and the ruin Of the peo-
pie for generations. Everything now
indicates such q national humiliation
and complete conquest as takes the
memory back centuries for Its parallel.
Even peace now would seem only to
introduce domestic anarchy rs the
ruinous complement Of foreign war.
If ever there was a time for the de-
cided intervention Of the other Euro
pean powers, the present is such a
time. France should be saved from
suicide, aud made to understand that
her anomalous position relieves her
from further hopeless resistance. And
Prussia should be induced to withhold
blows upon q fallen antagonist too
madly brave to confess defeat. As it
Is, a fearful amount Of national en-
nifty is garnered, even should the war
now cease; and every days continu-
ance adds to the dreadful legacy of
hate which both Prussians and French
mel will bequeath to the coming gen.
erations.