The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-01-24
The Hopeless REGISTRATION Of Franoc-IIer
Drying Necessities fer Peace.

on French SOIL On this Continent who Ia the
man who is not sick Of it2 All the world over,
where is the man who can think, who can say,
he is not tired of war which has degcnerated
into butchery? We do not blame the
French people. We do not blame the Ger
mans. We do Motive dare not-blame King
William, or Bismarck, or Motke, or the Crown
Prince, or the Red Charles. We dare not, so
far as we know the facts, utter a single word
against The Germans, generals or soldiers,
who have figured In tails war; 1t was war
forced upon them. II was war which they
did not provoke. 1t was a war for which
they were not unprepared. Its war-thanks
to PTu ssia--in which Germany has revealed a
power which large portion Of the reading
public did not believe Germany would or could
reveal. But facts are facts. Germany for
once has put forth her strength, and poor
France Is like the pugilist In the prize ring,
who, in the last rounds, which in this case
have been numerous, rises but to be knocked
down again. The knock-down blows have
been so numerous that the whole civilized
world begins to feel pain and anxiously asks
itself the question whether it Is not time that
the vanqushed should recognize defeat and
the victor should have his laurels2
Let Us look at facts. Let us consider the
news Of to-day. 1t Is now over Eve months
since this war was entered upon. During all
those months France has not won single
| victory--we do not forget the baptism Of fire
and the heights Of Saarbruck. Since then
how numerous have been the struggles
and how numerous the French defeats
Woerth and Wesseabourg, and Grave
lotte and Sedan, aud Strasbourg and
| Metz and Tcul and Laon aud Mezieres and
the narnberless other fights and victories north
and east and west have revealed the weakness
Of France and the terrific power of Germany
under Prussian leadership. When this war began
most men believed that the campaign would
be short, sharp and decisive they believed
also that the end of the short, sharp and de-
cisive campaign would repeat another Jena
| and make another Napoleon master Of Ger
many. How completely all such calculations
have been bafied The baptized Prince has
been with his mother the Regent for the last
four months an exile or refugee In England.
All the best French generals have been made
Prussian prisoners. Scarcely less than five
hundred thousand of the veteran soldiers of
France are looked up in German strongholds,
the willing or unwilling recipients of German
hospitality. The improvised government
which, as we think, betrayed France, has i'm
provised new armies, under new generals, and
revealed not little French pluck;
but the improyised government and the
improvissd generals and the improvised
armies have disappeared like chaff before the
| wind when the German forces have appeared.
| After Sedan, what was not expected from
Sirasbourg aud Metz? After the fall Of Stras-
bourg and after the fall Of the maiden fortress,
what was not expected still from the Govern
nent Of National Defences Gambetta inspired
| great hope. We can afford to forget Napoleon,
| the captive ct WilhelmshDhe. We can afford
also to forget the exiled Empress at Chisel-
hurst. But what has Gambetta done to save
France ?-or Jules Favre ?-or Trochu? Poor
| Trochu, much against his will, is locked up in
Paris. So also is Jules Favre, If he has not
obtained safe conduct to attend the London
Conference. Aud what has become Of the
wasp who edited In Laaternes Gambetta,
we know preferred balloon escape TO life in
Paris. But what has Gambetta done? Tours
was grand centre, full for a time of hope for
France. History will not refuse to admit that
Tours did well. But Tours had to be
given up for Bordeaux and to-day Tours
and Bordeaux may we'll ask what they have
done for France? The Army of the Loire and
the Army of the North and the Army Of the
East were all the creations Of the Govern
ment OF National Defence; but De Paladines
and Chanzy and Faidherbe and Bourbaki, not 10
speak Of Garibaldi and the others-where are
| they all? As we have said before, look at the
| news Of to-day. Can anything be said to con-
vince the public Of the misery of Paris and
| the hopelessness thereof? Sortie after sortie
has failed. The sortie Of the 10th, the details
| Of which we have given to the American pub
| lie By special kilograms, has proved more dis
astrous than any or all Of Its predecessors.
| Chanzy, with Gambetta at his heels, fees to
Cherbourg and the sea. Longwy, the last
| lingering hope of France in the NORTH Ia in
| flames. Bourbaki, who was to give life to the
| east, is demoralized aud helpless. 1t Ia a sad
and painful res,snaS of facts. But facts are
| stronger than arguments-more potent than
| any eloquence-and the painful conclusion must
| be accepted What is the conclusion? 1t is
| none other than this-that France is hopelessly
defeated, and that the prolongation Of the war
is revoldng to the common sense Of mankind.
It Is not TO be denied that the prolongation
| OF the war is due mainly to Gambetta and his
SGT. We can forgive Trochu aud we can for
give Jules Favre because they have not been
in position to know the facts. Gambetta,