The Hickman courier., 1877-06-08
Are Tney Making Peace iiI
EurOpe


1t is only natural that the protraeted
nature of the military operations 10
the East should produce conflicting
impressions in regard to their iufu
ence npon the political situation u
Europe. In some quarters it has beeu
maintained that the only chance Of
aveltiDg a general European war con
sists in the speedy triumph Of the
Russian arms, whereby a peace could
be arranged on basis satisfactory to
Russia, without alfording suficieui
time or opportunity for European com
piications to arise. On the other hand
it is believed that the more the war is
protracted the more likely will an oe-
ca>iou occur for au Intervention on the
part Of the European powers in a pa
cific sense. In the kilograms we fud
consequently the most conflicting
statements given as to the effect which
is being produced by the results Of
the war SO far. The correspondent OF
the Chicago Times describes a war
fever existing in England Of which We
have no indications either in the As
sociated Press dispatches or elsewhere:
while we are told by those dispatches
that peace rumors prevail to such an
extent that an armistice is on the poiut
Of being concluded.
The peace kilograms have a far more
substantial basis. for they are cuttings
from the German newspapers, aud
where there is smoke there is generally
some FIRE. 1t is just possible that
Prince Bismarck may be entering upon
the arena of negotiations for occult
purposes Of his own. That peace isl
possible at this stage, or that even this
mysterious statesman can discover a
solution before a serious battle has
been fought on ;he Danube, we do not
Tor a moment credit. Russia cannot
retire without having secured the iude~
pendence of the provinces lying TO the
south of the Danube, and achieved
the osteDsibIe objects for which the
war was undertaken; while the un
successful nature Of the operations Oh
that river so far would tend rather TO
encourage the Turks to maintaiu their
attitude of naughty resistance than
otherwise. In a word, we are as en-
tirely skeptical in regard to the peace
rumors from Germany, as we are IN
regard to the war rumors from Eng
land aud we believe them both to be
calculated to mislead the public here .
unless, indeed, they neutralize each
other, in which case the expense OF
sending them might have been spared.
So far from the Continent calming
down, it is getting daily into more
combustible condition We have po
litical antipathies dividing the Govern
ment Of Austria and rendering a crisis .
there imminent every day. We have
moral coup dstot perpetraied 10 I
France, which must have the effect
more than ever Of throwing Italy into
the arms of Germany We have the
Chancellor of that empire coming
back to Berlin and in an unofficial,
but none the less ominous manner,
picking up the diplomatic threads
which he professed to have dropped
when he retired from Office a month /
since; and we have England more re +
served and watchiul than she was six
ago, her Administration free
from the dangers of faciious Opposit- .
on, but ncue the less under the pres
sure of powerful public Opihion,
shich has declared against entering
uto the complications Of Europe, uu
ess British interests are so paipably .
md directly threatened that the dense
Intelligence of the public can see the F
langer.
In the immediate present there is no .
.hance of peace in Europe, much less
IF England now, single handed, en-
ering into the Eastern conflict.