The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-04-19
The Condition Of France.

AhO hShSy uuIacHS p!dCe0 upon
France by the terms or the treaty of
peace concluded with Germany, added
as they are to the heavy debt previ-
"nsly caused by the war, and to the
losses that followed from the war-not
to speak of the great debt she had be-
fore the war hegan--naturally lead
many persons to the conclusion that
she cannot bear them, but must sue
cumb, and sink into the abyss known
as bankruptcy. Time and the event
may justify this drtary view of the
future of France, and of all her credi-
tors. Germany alone may be paid in
full, for, let who will suffer among
those creditors, the new German En-
pirc will take care not to be in the list |
OF sufferers, asst is too strong not to he
paid to the full extent of its claim. 1t
must be admitted that the state Of
France well might warrant the worst
view that can be taken of if, if we con-
slider nothing but the present /; but if
we look back through the long course
OF French history, we shall find that
that country has been. worse placed
than she now is on several occasions.
and yet has on each occasion risen su-
perlnr to the logic of events. 1t is the
leading character of the French peo-
pie that they fall lower, and more rap
IDLY, than any other peopte--but cor
'espondingly they rise above depress
ed onditions with more speed than any
other race. The Anglo French wars
that began in the reigns of Edward III
and Phillip vi, were not in fact con-
cluded TIL far into the reigns of Henry
vi. aud Charles VII, or in hundred
and twenty years lett France in far
worse condition than ever she has since
known: and yet her recovery was very
rapid, and in the reign OF XII. what may
he called modern France was estab-
lished. Charles VIII Louis Kills son
inangurated that system of French in
PREVENTION in Italian affairs that was
pursued, with some interruptions, for
generations, and which led to many
failures and defeats, and really left
France nothing to show in return for
an enormous expenditure of blood and
gold This was followed-in part it
may be said to have been ACCOMPANY
ied-by the terrible religious-civil wars
in France, which were among the con-
sequences of the Reformation. From
the time that Charles VIII. marched
into Italy to the general recognition
of Henry w. IA King of France about
a century elapsed, and then France was
in q Tar worse condition than she is in
1871; and yet in a few years she hat, so
far recovered from the depression con-
seqnent on the long prevalence of eves
ry kind of evil in her life and her gov
eminent, thanks to the talentsand wis
dom and integrity of Sully, that Henry
Nv. became almost as much an object
of European dread as William !. of
Germany is at this time. Henry's as
sassinatiOn led to the return of bad
government for France, from the con-
sequences of which she was saved by the
vigorous craftsmanship of the great
Cardinal-Dnke de Richelien. Then
came the minority of Lonis XIV. and
the whimsical yet destructive contests
of the Fronde, which made France con
ttmptible; bat this was followed by the
brilliant reign of LOnis XIV. which
} was period of great success to France
, down to the time of the war of Spanish
Succession, Q802-l6l7) in which hel
armies were repeatedly beaten, and the
kingdom reduced to the lowest condi
tons Bad government after Louis
death aggravated the terrible evils con
seQuent an the munarch's ambition anl
! egOtism; and yet, during the early par
of the reign of Louis XIV, after he hat
reached to mans estate, France recOv
cred her strength, and kept the place
of the first of European kingdoms. Thu
3 Seven Years war was full of Disaster
2 for France, and her arms failed Oh
, many fields widely separated. Wher
| peace was made, in 1868. she was al
! most as badly off as she is in 1871 bu
: in l77S she was strong enough, aftel
! fifteen years of peace, to enter upoi
5 that war against England which led tt
5 the early establishment of American
, Independence; but the consequence o
the cost of that war was the aggrava
, ton of her financ al troubles, which
: precitated the French Revolution, tina
/, threw everything into confusion. To
, ward the close of the eighteenth cen
tury, when General Boneparte secam,
| Fist COnse1, France was in far worse
I financial plight than she is to day, ant
her fleets and armies had just under
b gone many defeats yet in n few year
the difficulties by which she had beer
att but overcome had disappeared ant
i. again was she at the head of Europe
e The blind folly of Napoleon /. led Il
a her complete humiliation in 1915, b,
, the Allies for the first time. She wa
/: much worse treated then than she j
: now treated. In 1914, she had bee
Z invaded and overrnn from the Sout
(by the English, the Spaniards and I'll,
|, Portuguese) as well as from the Eas
e and Northeast, by the Russians, til
: Germans and others; and very dies
tructive war was waged FIR som
|, months on her soil, and Paris was take
r and entered; but on whole she was Ut
y very severely treated in 1914, thong
" stripped of almost all her conquest
d In consequence of Napoleon's retur
l. from Eliza, in 1915, the nations of Ell
Il rope, with few nnimportant excep
a tons, united to overrun her territory
a and in the late Summer Of that yea
d almost twelve hundred thousand fol
e eign soldiers were on that territor,
n living at the expense of the Frencl
r, the many Prussians among them b,
ct having with the accustomed brutalii
'e of that people, stealing and seDdil
home all the "uOrtable OrOpertVN tn;