The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-02-20
THE PACIFIC
SATURDAY. February 20.
OUR PARIS LETTER.

The Arnim trial is as important for Germany
as it Is interesting for France, not that sympathy
one way or the other is expressed either for the
accuser or the accused. The most frantic Prus-
saPhobist could not approve Of a high public
funetiOnary appropriating to bis personal use,
documents essentially the property Of the State.
since the State reclaims them, and not destined
for publication til some Carlyle q century hence,
Is allowed to investigate them. In diplomacy, as
indeed in not a few events Of life. much must be
transacted behind the scenes, and as Madame de
Stael observes, politics like cookery, must not be
examined too near. Jules Favre, when Foreign
Minister. created not a little inconvenience by
making use Of contemporary State papers on the
Roman question, when France had no further use
OF his moist eyes. One may curse Bismarck in
France, and stand aghast at his ferocious plain
speaking, but il is impossible not to admire his
terrible combativeDess and unmereiful style Of
hard hitting. But every man is as God made
him-and often times a great deal worse. On
reflection, there is nothing in Bismarck's policy
towards France, but what France ought TO expect.
Ii is his interest to see her divided, and to prevent
her from making serious allies. liz should be the
daily duty of France to read, mark, learn, and
lnwardly digest this attitude to close her little
Guelf and Ghibeline qnarrels. and make friends
OF the mammon. In the revelations OF the diplo-
matte documents on Comte d'Arnim's trial, there
is sufficient to drive two nations into war, and
no blue, yellow, or green book, would dare to
publish such a quantity Of old women's, but not
the less irritating, gossip on public events. Pro-
coed as Germany may feel from her strength and
victories, there is a shadow falling across her
chamber door; she is painfully and sensitively
anxious respecting the resuscitation Of France.
No party in France can feel itself cOmplimented
by the disclosures Of the German Foreign Office
perhaps Gambetta there was regarded as the most
important political figure IN France, and the Bo-
napartists as likely to best serve Prussian inter-
ests. What a Rasmyth hammer knock on the
head this for Imperialism Poor Theirs is
treated with scant ceremony. How Nine. de
Rothscbild must weep and gnash her teeth, at the
Duo Decazes, considering her to be a person of
" defective education" She insulted the German
Ambassador by Declining to sit next to him at the
Presidential dinner table. She denied the soft
impeachment Of wishing to be disagreeable, and
the Ambassador accepts a lady's n~egations as
equivalent to excuses. The Germans seem to be
astOnisbed, that socially the French avoid them
as 1t they had the plague. Partisan society said
to Comte d Arnim, 81 will buy with you, sell
with you, talk with you, and so following; but
will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray
with you" The defeated as a rule never have
very gushing relations even after the space of
four years, with their conquerors and Bismarck
went out of bis way to humiliate the French: he
dragooned them into peace and dragooned them
after it. In bis treaty there was neither gener-
osity nor ehiyalry and in his subsequent rela-
tons he spared neither sneers nor snubs for the
vanquished. The latter touched the French more
deeply than their military defeat the more 50 as
they are not-yet, in q condition to resent. and
they may be excused in asking Germany to remem-
Der, that history may yet have to record, France
was not the only country having a jena and Wa
terloo. In the swearing of a witness, the process
appears to be very solemn at Berlin the oath is
administered after the witness has been examined;
on a signal from the President, the audience
stands up; the party to be sworn, equally stand
ing, raises up his arm, and slowly repeats after
the President the formula of the oath. sv.
Home politics are forcedly quiet, according to
the general mot dOrdre, to abstain from rows till
after the holidays. There is not the slightest
new sign that any m0duS Tirendi has been arrived
at, to endow the country with organized institu-
tions, and which it sadly wants. Indeed every
thing is excellent in France, save her politics. 1t
anything, the prospects of a solution are more
remote than ever, for moderate Republicans have
relapeed q little into doubtfulness. There is
nothing certain but the Marshal, and nothing
more uncertain than his Ministers. Good inten-
tions are as plentiful as honest men, remember
politically speaking. The wish is very general,
that the curtain would rise on the last act of a
very tedious Parliamentary drama. The Assem-
bly, has voted well on the question of Superior
Instruction, by allowing the church to found
Universities, not exactly controlled by the state,
as is the single University the country possesses.
Il has also accepted the principle of allowing
others to establish Universities, so long as they
will not violate the law, nor outrage public
morality, and it is to be hoped that all schemes
may be subject, not to the changes AMI chances of
administrations, but to public opinion and free
criticism. To accord liberty to opponents, is
what has vet to take roo: in France. Anxiety is
felt about the state of the revenue, which has
ever a deficit the general taxes are inadequate to
meet it, and it is as difficult to reduce expenditure,
as to discover a new source of imposts. The
patent tax, which is levied on traders, is so
heavy, that small houses to escape it, affiliate
their affairs on a central establishment, and even
to escape the penny stamp on receipts above ten
francs, shop-keepers give two receipts, for two
sums under the ten francs. Perhaps public opin-
ion ie right in treating with something like solemn
silence the strange report by a Committee of the
Assembly maltreating Garibaldi's campaign in
the east Of France during the war; the ex-trium.
virate was as unsuccessful as French Generals,
and deserved just like them, to be overlooked.
Public opinion here does not back up the report,
animated no doubt by political hostility, and the
Republican journals are only wasting powder and
shot in bombarding Garibaldi's enemies. The
General himself must by this know. he made a
great mistake in quitting his goats and his pump
kins at Caprea, to draw the sword as he did.
However, a man who risked his life for France
during her invasion, should be remembered, indie
pendent of his opinions which he is free to enter
tain as other people theirs-in the good graces of
French patriots. The Assembly will soon be
occupied with the important subject of the ratio
Of officers in the army to Its wants. The COM
mission appointed to study this grave subject,
composed of the highest authorities in the coun-
try, recommends that France do adopt the systems
approved by other nations, and not to be squeamish
because these reforms may be even after the
German model. The Romans never hesitated to
appropriate what they found to be excellent
either in the weapons or the strategy OF their
foes. The commission recommends, that only in
time of war ought the army to have its full COM
plement of officers. by drawing on the reserve for
the extra number required thus, during peace,
only the number strictly requisite would be re-
tanned. The Government, at nearly the twelfth
hour, produces its scheme, Jack in-the-box fash
ion, which is exactly the opposite, and exacts in
addition an animal extra military expenditure of