The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-11-12
The War Cloud in Europe.

D
1870, the latter power now finds herself
completely isolated, while of the four States
virtually leagued together, two arc prompt
ed by strong motives to profit by her I'M
lucky situation.
Even before the reconciliation of Italy
with its old enemy, the state of things in
Europe was by no means favorable to the
French Republic The league of the
three Emperors is believed to have been
reconstructed, and although it is officially
averred that such a convention is the frm-
est guarantee of peace, this has not been
the teaching of recent history. While
the former compact held good in 1870,
France was left without an ally, and would
have been incapacited for many years
from reasserting the pretensions of first
class power had not Bismarck miscaleulat-
ed the extent of her resources. Again, in
1873, it was only through the interference
of Gortchakoff, who thus virtually broke
up the league of the three Emperors, that
Bismarck was prevented from redeeming
/ his bluuder by second mutilation of
! French territory. As a matter of fact,
then, these tripartite alliances have here
tofore been dangerous for France, aud
they are not less SO now that the latter
power represents the main obstacle to the
general expulsion of Nihilists and Social
lists from the Continent This should be
plain enough, and the point to which we
would chiefly draw attention is the aggra-
waited character of the peril which seems
to menace the French republic since the
triple league has been transformed into a
auadrilateral alliance through the adhe.
sion Of Italy.
There is no doubt that France eompre-
heads territory which, if considerations
drawn from geographical situation and
identity of race, language, aud history are
to have any weight, belongs to Italy. We
refer, of course, to Nice and Savoy and to
the island of Corsica II is true that
French laws have been enforced in Corsica
for some hundred aud twenty years, but
| they have not awaited to make Frenchmen
of its inhabitants As for Nice aud Savoy
which were coded by Victor Emanuel, by
way of purchase money for Bombardy, their
! inhabitants have never ceased to deny the
right Of their former sovereign to cut them
I of from their countrymeu, aud thus violate
the very principle of natioualities for
which be aud his ally, Napoleon III, pro-
| fessed to be contendiag. An attempt TO
/ incorporate these countries with the peniu-
sular kingdom would be extremely popular
| in Italy, aud it is noteworthy that, in pro
/ portion as the clamor for Trieste aud the
/ Trentiuo has died out, it has been replaced
/ BY a demand Cor expansion on the west
/ Indeed, the French annexation Of TuniS,
/ by putting an eud to the dream Of Italian
/ conauesis in North Africa, has compelled
( the QairinaI Government 20 look for ter
ritorial gains on the continent Of Europe
alone.
But il may be said that Italy is no,
strong enough to attack France, nOsEith-
standing that a considerable part Of the
I latter's military force is occupied in Afri-
ca. This is true, aud the weaker State
would never venture on hOstilities anless
I il had positive assurances that, either az
the beginning or at an early stage Of the
contest, Germany would interfere. III
such 4 pledge wcrc fulfilled, it would mat
ter ht,le to the Italians whether or not
their troops were beaten BY the French 10
/ the first engagements, since If their Ger
man ally we're victorious ia the north
I they might safely count on reapsog \
share Of the fruits Of victory, as they did
in 1866. Bismarck, Of course, could jus
I .ify his ,urse in seeoading the claims Of
Italy on precisely the same principles as
those which Napoleon III. put forward 10
1889, when be helped Cavour against
/ Ausiria, aud again, in 1867, when he tried
to annex the French speaking provinces
7 OF Belgium as an offset TO the great az
! grandizemcnt Of Prussia Unqucstionably
I the great political creations os our day,
the unity Of Italy aud the uaiIy Of Ger
many, are reeognilions Of the theory that
T the men speaking the sane language
should belong TO the same nation. 90
this theory Italy has quite as much right
to Nice and Savoy, and, We may add, to
4 Corsica, as Germany had 70 Alsaee, which
had been sandered from her for nearly
two hundred years
4 The dangers 70 which the French re-
public Is exposed 10 consequence Of the
( quadrilateral alliance are enhanced By the
strong motives urging the Italian aud Ger
man Governments 10 regain popularity az
home By exslgiDg the military prestige or
expanding the boundaries Of the natioo.
The burden Of taxation iE Italy, which Is
out Of all proportion to the resources Of the
people, aud the bad faith evincea By the
Government ia refusing 10 extend the sut-
frage except in limited degree, have seri-
ously weakened the hold Of the Sayoyar3
dynasty upon the country, aud have sig
nally furthered the intFigues Of elericais
on the one hand aad Of rcvolutioaisis on
the other Ia no way could the Italian
Government 50 ctfectually escape its Inter
ternal embarraSsments aud recover It's pop
alarity as by resolute attempt 10 regain
Nice and Savoy-an attempt which, with
/ Germany's assistance, would have may
chances of success. On the other hand,
the German Chancellor, in view Of last
weeks elections, has even more reason
than the Italian Government TO wish TO
divert for a time the popular mind from
questions Of internal policy TO foreign CON-
plieations Another great triumph for the
German arms aud further aceessions to
German territory might so far renew the
influence Of the Chancellor that he would
be able to carry out his schemes Of centra-
lization without the heavy sacrifices which
otherwise he may have to make to the
clerical party 10 the Rsiehstag.
There IS another point of view from
/ which the accession of Italy to the tripar-
tite alliance may be regarded. The vast
armies maintained in Germany aud Italy,
at cost which neither country can afford,
are alleged to be Indispensable for nation
al defence But one obvious method of
selEdefenee and one which Frederick III.
never failed to practice, is to weaker your
neighbor 1t is hard to conceive of more
favorable conjCncture than the present
for the application of that method to France
by the German and Italian Governments.
~ Y San
Death Of Singular Character.