Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-01-20
Thiers.

Theirs is the ablest OF Frcnchmen, and
Que of the ablest men of the age. But
he IS not at all great man. Greatness
is half moral quality, and on this side
VI. Thiers is weakest, He has always
been an astute statesman and narrow
politician. His political creed is selfish,
his statesmanship las not an iota of
generous breadth TO it, 1t is fortunate
for the world that he did not come into
power until France was thoroughly Grip
pied, and he was old. 1t is only forlu-
nate for Frame that he came into power
at all, in that his strong hand saved her
from worse masters, the R0napartists
and the suns cUEo,tes Of the commune.
The first article Of his political creed
has always been to secure and tC main
tain the ascendency OF AdVlphe Theirs
in France at all hazards. The second
was to maintain the asccndency Of
France, the county oil Adolphe Thiers,
among the nations. No statesman so
able and SO heartless has risen in France
in generation. Before the downfall OF
Napoleon, he more than any one else,
made the public sentiment that rendered
the German war possible. He stung the
government perpetudlly by bls reproach-
es, They were permitting Germany 20
unite and to become grea', aud the unity
and greatnes of Germany were fatal to
the supremacy Of France. lie never
blushed TO declare that it was good poll
cy for France to weaken every other ma
ton in order to maintain her own con-
troll of the destinies Of Europe. lie re-
preached Napoleon III. for the only
good fruit his foreign policy ever brought
forth, tue unity of Italy. 70 the mill
tary greatness and political supremacy
of France lie inhuiRanly proposed TO
sacrifice the unity, progress, and liberty
| OF all neighb ring a'iUus. The whole
| progress of civilization, the advancement
of the human race, was to be sacrificed
to the Moloch of his national ambition.
IL =, chiefly, gosdcd the government OF
! Napoleon 10 the German war, adroitly
slipping out of the je possibility at the
last moment. And when peace was to
be made, peace more unpopular than
the war, he refused all responsibility for
tn 1t too. BY this cold-bloodeA manetI-
vering in the hour OF his country's ca
la'HltN lHIS NelSIdu OEletulsJ pOllllcldD
has attained the head of republic
which is a republic without liberty OF
self-government. He is the destroyer OF
the empire, and yet is 4 sort of emperor
i'll republic.
But not only is NJ. Theirs without
conscience. HIS revengetulnesS in pun
ishing with the most rigorous penalties
young Communists who have scarcely
attained their majority, and men ike
Rochefort, whose crimes are purely po-
lilical, has proven him also without
heart. He has almost made Napoleon
bloody coup a. etat seem less culpable.
There is but one thing to be said in his
! favor-the Commune was worse. Per.
haps the only other Instance in history
of man OF literary taste and culture
proving himself revengetul tyrant was
DIR. Francia. NJ. Theirs is not quite so
bad, but who knows what he might
have been III the seclusion Of Paraguay
If France were country one could be
certain of IN any contingency, " Thiers's
white locks aud advanced age would be
cause for thanktulness. But VI. Thier:
is better perhaps than NJ. Bonaparte or
VI. Cus, ri or NJ Robespierre.
Hedrth and Home.