The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-05-23
The Franco-German Treaty.

4 s'JrealleS are uhuc w uC oAOL""' w
saw the satirists, and certainly not witncrt
reason. For whenever the will of an auto
crat or the temper of a nation becomes res
tive under the restrictions of q treaty, they
easily find protest FOR setting the contract
aside, just as lawyers have always been able
to drive that proverbial coach-and-four
through any act of Parliament. To be sure,
the volators of a treaty must be prepared to
fight. And for this reason it has come to
pass that treaties are binding only on weak
States and minor powers The great and
strong are law unto themselves. 1t is sad
to be forced,to make such an admission, for
it seems all but concediDg that might makes
right. But as long as human nature re-
mains as it has beeE"heretofore. and as it is
now, we fear that constitutions, laws and
treaties, however carefully framed, and how
ever hedged round with checks and balan-
ces, pains and penalties, will be but tempo
rary--mere compromises; the work of a
hoarG of experts, formulating accomplished
facts, nothing more. A treaty, therefore,
may be considered binding for the time
being, but cannot be considered fnality.
The treaty OF 1915, perhaps one of the most
Iabor.ously constructed compacts between
nations in the annals OF history, was, doubt
less, the best agreement it was possible to
make at the time by the high contracting
powers represented at Vienna; but before
! many years had elapsed, one after another Of
those powers found what seemed to them
good reasons for picking holes in it, till at
last tile old instrument was found to be all
tatttred and torn-in fact, past mending
There has now been another shuttle OF the
!; cards, and the map of Europe has once
more been reconstructed, though not by Ma
poleoa, whose fingers for years had strange
itching for this job. History here again re-
peats itself The Treaty of Vienna, the
most important of modern times, as we have
stated, followed the downfall of Napoleon
the First, and the Treaty Of Frankfort is the
result Of the fall Of Napoleon the Third.
Time must iell how lasting this latter COM
pact is to prove. It's element OF strength
lies ir the fact that it is the. legitimate out
growth of the struggle for nationality, ene
of the leading factors in the history OF Euro
pean. civilization Of the present century.
Little by little has this great temple been
constructed. First, we have the war for the
Independence of Greece; then the revelation
ending in the establishment of the Kingdom
of Begun; next Ibaly struggling for au-
tenomy tired of being mere >"geographi-
seal idea;" and lastly Germany, "unfying
"hersslf"-as the phrase awkwardly has it.
As matter of course there are heads bruis- |
ed and bones broken in these struggles for
new boundaries. Where there is victor |
there IS always victim; and war is rough |
game. Individual rights, or the law OF ma
lions, are not unfrequently set aside, or
reckessly trampled upon, when found in the
path ID The object sought.
This is the case in regard to the treaty
just concluded between Germany and France.
Alsace aud Lorraine are 10 be Germanized-
not merely upon the nationality principle,
for il it we're left 10 The plebiscite, the dwell
lers IN those two Wovineespight fake hinto
their Leads TO choose to remain Frenchmen.
Military considerations require the annexa-
ton; though "natonality" is given as one
of the reasons for the step; and hence none
but tile German-speaking provinces OF
France have been annexed. The German
people entertain the hope, sincerely, We be-
lleve, thai by kindly treatment the con-
scious ness OF their German nationality will
be revived ih the people OF Alsace and Lor-
raine. The recent events in Paris have GER
tainly facilitated the task of the German
statesmen; and the growing lustre OF The
German Empire will also have its effect.
Thus we read that already in StrasbourS
meeting of about ninety maires has been
held, ut which series of resolutions we're
adopted asking for the establishment OF
complete University in their city, and also
for the Immediate representation of the peo-
pie iu the German Parliament.
If the new provinces, US. is likely 10 be the |
case, will suon he completely Gernanzed the
transfer OF about 5000 square miles and over
one and hall millions OF inhabitants some |
what affects the rektive position of France
and Germany amoug the Great Powers of
Europe. Frauce, which before the war had
3S, 0G0, 600 OF Inhabitants, will be reduced To
about sc, 600, 900; Germany, which had like
wise 3S, Goo 600, will be raised to about 40, !. |
600, 900. This disparity, it will be seen, is
after all not very great; md, as far as it
depends Oh population alone, France is very
far, as some of her distressed sons feared,
from being reduced to second rank power
Even now when her foreign colonies are
counted in, Sue has population consider
ably exceeding that OF Prussia. The impor-
tauce Of The territorial change, which mas
now been fnaily ra lied 10y the Treaty. OF
Frackfcrt uan only be appreciated if We
consider that Germ my, while the equal OF
Frapce in population, displayed strength
infinitely superior, and that, therefore, the
transfer of two uf The most fourishlng prov
;non, ~ H,.,no., ,puot thtS cun,rori. |