The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-17


Europe.
Nobody would have any fair right to be
surprised if the London despatch, which
limited at new complications in the arrange
ment upon which the peace Of Europe now
rests, should prove to be a mere canard, and
equally little need any one be astonished II
this vague report should turn out to be the
first limitation given to the world OF the
entire failure OF the endeavors to patch up
and keep together the peace which armed Ger
many is resolved to rupture at one time or
another not far in the future. Out of the re-
lations of the Northern Powers to one another
is to come the next war, and the CORE
spondents naturally deal with this topic of
great interest and give all they hear-all
the rumors of negotiation and all the projects
and schemes that TEEN in the whisperings OF
the negotiators. They must give, therefore,
much that is mere speculation, mere win
moved out fancies and the report that COM
plicates the relations of Germany and Russia
with story of Sweden may be one of these.
On the other hand, they will sometimes be
the first 10 see the DRIFT of events, and they
may have had that success on this occasion.
Only few days since the peace OF Europe
was seriously endangered, as is now recog-
nized everywhere. Germany, urged by the
war party with Moltke at the head, was pre-
pared to require of France material guaran-
tees against the result toward which oil the
war preparation of the French government
confessedly aims. No one in France gives
himself the trouble to deny that oil the
activity OF the republican government con-
templates another war with Germany and is
intended to get the nation in readiness for
that conflict Indeed, this is the common
boast of the nation. But Germany meets this
case with blunt indifference to diplomatic
nonsense; and recognizing that in all wars
the real cause is one fact and the pretext
another fact, is disposed, in an original spirit,
to supply to history the example of one war
in which no pretext was put forth, but in
which the cause was given in its naked coarse
ness. She was disposed to fight France
merely because France was not ready to fight;
she wanted to interrupt the preparations for
war by the very conflict which those prepara-
tions contemplated more remotely, and she
would have done so if the other nations had
been as Indifferent to peace as they were in
1870. But England protested, and Russia
opposed with such direct purpose that the
war cloud seemed to pass away. England's
Intervention was SO positive that the journals
in sympathy with the government have rather
boosted over it ever since.
But the war party was as little
pleased with the loss of the war it
sought as it would have been if the
peaceful result bad been due to a less august
mediator than the Gar, and it has very pos
sbly succeeded in disturbing the relations be-
tween its government and the Russian EN-
peror The visit of the King Of Sweden to
Berlin may have had more than an accidental
relation to this endeavor 1t is q scarcely con-
ceivable contingency that the Prussian Court,
in the use of all its faculties would sacrifice
good relations with Russia for any equivalent
that Sweden can offer; but where violent and
ambitious parties prevail it is the essence Of
the case that no court ever is in possession of
all its faculties. 1t is led by pride and passion,
and views possibilities only on their more
favorable side. 1t is, therefore, not quite out
of the range of likelihood that the antipathies
incident to the geographical and clinical re-
lations of Sweden and Russia have been used
by the war party in Prussia to weaken the in
duence of the Gar at Berlin, and if they have
succeeded in this the peace of Europe is less
certain than it was few days since.
England at least is treated with great bit
terness at Berlin just now, and is apparently
held accountable for such an influence with
Russia as prevented the latter from asserting
to war; and the argument in a Russian
paper that the respective interests Of England
and Russia justify their alliance is not with
oct significance in this connection. As Berlin,
st. Petersburg and Vienna all seem to see
John Bull and the Northern Bear on the best
of terms, there can scarcely be much enmity
between them. And If the Prussian Chancel-
lor looks forward to a contingency that
might place Russian army Of observation on
the Prussian frontier the course he would
very likely pursue would be to excite the am
bition Of the new Swedish King in the hope
to divide Russian attention by a Swedish
force with its face toward st. Petersburg.
THE SILK SMUGGLING CASES we're all post
poned yesterday. In the case Of Lawrence
the United States District Attorney awaits the
decision Of the President with regard to the