The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-04-13

| take part from the outset, or into wucn
any one that escaped at the inception would
be drawn ere the close OF the titanic struggle.
Naturally the alarm begins at Berlin. 1t is
proyerbially believed that the man in the
crowd who shouts ''stop thief!" most Justify
is in all probability the one who has the
stolen property in his pocket; SO it is the pro-
moter of every scheme OF ambition that can
be realized by arms who now raises his voice
to deprecate in the councils of the Continent
the needless conduct of half q dozen minis
tries that are about TO precipitate the collision
| of nations 1t is one of the singular incon-
sstencies of human conduct that the great
| Prussian Premier-so blunt SO downright, so
outspoken in his declarations of the doc
trine of blood and iron, who has
shown SO little regard to many of
the cherished prejudices of humanity
seems yet to care enough for the opinion of
the world to wish to dissimulate the most i'm
portant points Of his policy. and consequently
adopts Machiavellian fancy in making all
the wars he wishes to wage appear as if forced
upon him by others. There is but one OBJ
vious explanation of this point, so inconsistent
L .
that the object of these tactics is less the
world than the German Emperor Without
Williams consent his Chancellor cannot
make war, and Williams consent cannot APP
parently be had unless the war is made TO ap-
pear as the only salvation for Prussia from
the Vaccinations of her enemies.
But of that possible war, against which
he prin
marck is the sole promoter, and the encroach-
ments of Papacy are the pretext. But what
is the real object? AS 10 that our Paris de-
spatch gives hint of what is in the thoughts
of people in Europe, that the real object of
the new battle is the host of gigantic shad-
ows'' that have dominated the great brain of
the greatest of modern statesmen. 1t would
be a strange Nemesis if the unpai alleled
| leader who has raised Prussia to her present
splendor, who has created in our own time
what was the growth Of centuries in another
time, but who has believed more than any
man in any age ever did in the omnipotence
| of mere force, should become the victim of
! his own dreams, the monomaniac Of tremen-
dous ornaments
Although q case for war cannot be seen on
the European horizon there are no doubt
many inmical signs that an overburdened
brain might torture into threatening spectres.
Perhaps the conference of the Emperor of
Austria and the King of Italy is more political
than has been given out and now we learn.
also, that the programme by which the EN-
peror William was to have gone to Italy has
been changed and that visit is given up. Are
the kindly relations of Austria and Italy
brought about by the pressure Of common
apprehension They would not dare
lust vet to make the true cause of
their kindliness known if this be it, but it is
pretty clear that the aggressive tendencies Of
the northern Power have some relation to this
| effect Prussian remonstrances, it is we'll
/ known, we're made at Rome on the subject Of
the Pope, and it was suggested to Italy that
the law OF the Papal guarantees was too lib
cral toward His Holiness and that it would
be appreciated at Berlin if there could be any
modification Of that law. Visconti-Venosta
replied that the law was a treaty made by the
new kingdom with a Power TO whose tempo
rallies Italy had succeeded, and Us such was
invioable. II the great believer in the appli-
cation Of military force would go across the
/ Alps with representations like this how much
might naturally be apprehended by those
who at Vienna not only live at peace with
the Pope but guarantee certain ecclesiastical
rights. And if one Power is really menaced.
and another sees that menace applies equally
to her and only waits its turn for fulmina-
ton, it is, perhaps, but natural that the SOW
ereigns Of such Powers should confer person
ally on some convenient occasion, and at
least as natural that great intelligence con-
stantly scanning the horizon for threatening
possibilities should find some significance in
such a conference. just in time, too, to add
o fresh tint to tho complication comes the
remonstrance Of the Pope to his Catholic son
| of Austria against Prussian aggression, while
the reply Of the disciplined Kaiser Of Sadowa
is as mild piece Of advice as Bismarck could
expect under the circumstances. 1t has been
repeatedly thought that the Russian Chancellor,
who in different vein i not less sagacious than
his Prussian rival. and who has equally, or in
a greater degree the confidence of his En-
peror, has disliked the German tendencies on
the frontier Of those Russian provinces which
bear now the same relation respectively TO
Russia and Germany that Alsace and Lor-
raine bore to Germany and France before the
late war; and it has consequently been specu-
lated that he might not be averse to quad
ripple alliance to which France would be the
fourth Power But If the power Of Germany
is to be broken in war in the experience Of
the present generation it viii not be by such
q combination II in the time Of Fredenck-
when operations could be kept secret, when
the movement Of hostile army was first
known through its arrival at the threatened
point--if in such an age combination was