The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-06-01
rhs war CLOUD in nureps.


have good reason to congratulate ourselves.
We may be ruled by IN ill.deined Caesar,
we may have lost a priceless Attorney Cen
eral; our statesmen may still too deity ham
die the itinerant carpet-bag, but we have the
surest grounds for comfort, as the French
cync assures us. in the visible miseries OF our
friends. Every mail and message from Eu-
rope brings tidings of q state of things which
may well cause anxiety to the inhabitants of
the Old World. It would appear that the
situation of June, 1870, promises indefinitely
to proloug itself A great thunder cloud of
military terrorism overshadows the whole
Continent There is indeed peace, but why?
Because despot welding absolutely an
armed nation of sixty millions has put his
veto upon war That has been the sole pro-
lection against great European conhagration-
The position of affairs indeed affords guar
antee for nothing but imminentwar. Germany,
on the one hand, is determined to maintain
a war footing and to concilate public opinion
IN its own dominions to such state OF things.
The tax upon ornaments presses cruelty upon
her. Emigration, large, secret and desperately
opposed by the government, proves with what
feelings the nation regards the enormous de-
mand upon its resources The people, apart
from captains and statesmen, find that the
having undergone terrible and, as it was
hoped, final war is only the commencement
Of new. permanent and more cruel sacrifices.
TO meet this feeling the German government
finds it necessary 10 show some cause for Its
exhausting preparations by keeping every
European Power in state of constant alarm
If il cannot prove to France as q reason for
its perpetual demands upon The country. it
indicates Belgium. Belgium, Of all countries,
as a cause for disquietude. This, indeed,
betrays the real object Of this policy. Hence
we have these effects-every nation is on war
footing; every nation not merely remains
there, but increases its forces; the alarm of
the one reacts on the terror of the others. and
We have an example in public life of what is
50 notorious in private existence-that nothing
is SO cruel as a coward.
France, on the other hand, is in this posi-
ton: The attitude of her own population and
the expenses of her late disasters, both demand
that she should carefully improve and in
crease her military resources The attitude of
other nations, from their experience of the
way in which she formerly used the powers
she had, combined with her own weakness,
compel her to mask, and, as il we're, to apollo
gize for those preparations. But, however
timd may be her voice, her rapid financial
and material recovery causes every added
regiment, every improved arm, to be regarded
as causes for nostilities by the other Powers.
Russia, again, presents to Europe huge,
dumb, semi-barbarous mass, while the
stealthy march of her Asiatic empire threat
ems the opulent, abstinent British, who, in
this way, or by an attack upon Belgium, may
be dragged into the fiery furnace. The COM
parative indifference of Russia of the present
moment TO European matters gives this the
supreme power of arbitration on the Cont
neut She has just welded it in favor of
peace. She may not WELD it SO the next
time, aud nothing is SO remote from her ideas
as any advance toward policy Of disarma-
ment. Nor is this all. The policy Of Russia
is the will of an individual; Germany is
represented by another. A death or paraly-
sis may change the whole face of the Cont
nent This in itself affords little prospect Of
security. Meanwhile the present state of
things or something like il must inevitably
continue for some years. !. may possibly. by
deft handling and excessive delicacy, continue
without actual war, but the probabilities are
vastly in favor of war. Formerly, indeed, a
war demanded some little exterior pretext,
some pretext Of broken article Of
little treaty; but We have outlived
that time. Frederick the Great though the
most cynical contemner Of human restraints
in matters Of public faith, yet would
produce some veil for his naked ambition
That seems no longer to be needed 1t APP
pears to be generally recognized that war is
matter Of convenience for any tyrant who may
wish 10 remove his neighbours landmark. If
AZ any moment il should appear to any of the
great armed Powers Tor rather the men, or
knots Of men, who hold the control OF the
armed nations Of Europe) that war would
improve their condition. war there will be.
Those who love peace can only hope for the
death of military tyrants and the succession
OF mllder despots.
A dismal prospect, truly; and indeed we, as
we sit dolefully grasping any potsherd, may
yet gaze, not without complacency, across the
ocean aud be thankful that we IRE not the
victims Of this condition Of more ancient
Christianity and civilization.
The Police Parade.
To-day the police Of the city Of New York