The New York herald., 1873-12-11
Marshal Baxafnc's Trial ana Con-
demnation to Oeath-What L. the

zaine, Marshal of France, has been condemned
part he played in the surrender of his army
and the fortress of Metz TO the German army
on the 25th of October. 1870. The trial COM
menced on the 9th of October of the present
year. after prolonged delays and has occupied
the attention of the public almost ever since.
II it dropped out of sight for few days
in France when the monarchists IN the
Versailles Assembly made their coup
mdnque for the restoration Of the Bour-
bons, it was because the political question
of which it was made q part was before
| France in another and more vital form. The
crime of the Marshal was committed against
France, and, under the code, deserved the
penalty which has been pronounced against
| it ; but the trial, as it took place, artfully
tried to make the impeachment Of the Empire
by the royalists recommendation OF the
latter to France as trustworthy guardians
of its honor Guilty in fact, Bazaine
was, long before his trial, condemned
by the sentiment OF wounded French
pride; and the consummation of
arraignment and sentence, for this reason,
lost much of the political force which it other
wise would have had. With the Due d'Au-
male as the presiding Judge the political
significance of the trial was manifest The
time chosen for its commencement, just be-
fore the opening of the Assembly, shows how
skilfully the tableau Was arranged. As the
grand coup failed IN the Assembly the side
show lost its political feature, and the Judge,
who might have passed sentence as one of the
blood royal now does SO as a citizen Of the
Republic. 1t shows how the best laid plans
60 aft a-gley." France has her first victim
for the rerdnche and the Empire is for
mally condemned in its most trusted soldier
and the poor credit, if any, accrues to the
Republic. Such is the political aspect of the
trial. The result to Bazaine was discounted
in these columns when the trial began. He
was found guilty because the guilt was at his
door, and because it would serve the purpose
of his judges too well to admit of any lighter
view of his case The united action of his
judges in signing a recommendation to
mercy, and the haste of the presiding
Judge in carrying the recommenda-
ton to President AIacMahon, show
what We indicated, that the monarchists
hesitate before spilling the blood of man
whose cause, politically, may be sleeping, not
dead. They wish to wash their hands of his
death as far as they can and to leave the onus
on MacMahon. What fate the latter will de-
cree to his old companion in arms is doubtful;
but there can be little doubt that if he fol-
lowed the sentiment of the French nation
Bazaine would fall, pierced by dozen bullets,
before one of the posts at Satory, where so
many of the wild children of the Red
Spectre were relentlessly shot in twos
and threes crying Viue la Cornns,tne!" But this
is world of false respects and temporary
expediencies, and MacMahon will elect be-
tween them and justice. We do not believe
that MacMahon is man likely to be moved
by popular passion The weight of appeal to
which he is more likely to listen will come
from the side of Bazaine's judges, and if the
sentence is commuted to degradation and
banishnent we shall not be much astonished
The prosecution closed bya cry for ''ter-
rible example," and the government will
probably be satisfied when it has reached
France they think will produce that effect.
We may now turn to the man and the crime.
No man in the French service could be
selected four years ago as better type of the
French soldier, as the First Empire loved to
make them. He entered the service as
a how and
rose to the ranks and from them. He was the
shining example to the fearful conscript of
the Empire, who was told to cheer up,
for, parbleu, every French soldier
carried a marshars baton in his
knapsack. Serving with distinction
in Algeria and the Crimea, he was chosen by
Napoleon to lead the French expedition in
Mexico, and was charged with the fatal work
of building an imperial throne for the Austrian
Archduke Maximilian Napoleon understood
and accepted the failure of Bazaine. His
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. had obeyed orders too we'll,
even to the last cowardice of deserting the
Emperor he had created, for the Man of De-
cember to find fault with him. few
years further on, and the creature of
the Lower Empire had the opportunity to
play false to France, that he might stand by
the cause of his master and confederate in the
crime of Mexico. He grasped the opportu-
nifty, but only made Napoleon fall complete.
1t was gratitude which pulling sentiment
outside of France may gloss over but, rightly
understood, it was that side of ''honor among
thieves" which makes them stand together
when there is chance that both may live to
plunder
The crime of Bazaine is the highest known
to French military law. The debated treason
of Grouchy was small beside the act of Ba-
zaine, although it partook of its character
Detested as is the crime of Benedict Arnold
l.. nd Liracalr fc. 4la