Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-10-08
WHY FRANCE WAS BEATEN.
Emile Olivier Rehearses a Long List
of Fatal Blunders.

of Fatal Blunders.
NJ. Emile Olivier has been inter-
viewed on the occasion OF the twenty
sixth anniversary of his fall. He re-
fuses to admit that his ministry COM
mitted any blunders, and declares that
i II was simply very unfortunate.
France" he said, was assured of
the alliance of Austria and Italy, and
this alliance we should have had, ex-
cept for the disaster and the unpardon.
able mistake Of Sedan Yes; we had
their support oven atter Reichshofen.
SO certain were these alliances that
the plan Of campaign for which the
emperor has beer so much blamed
\ the parceling out, that is, OF the army
4 corps along the frontier-was imposed
4 upon us by the Austrian military stan.
Our troops were even disposed accord
4 ing to the plans OF the Archdnke Al
bert, that we might the more easily
support him when he should arrive at
the head of the army.
But there was something better
than this, for, even IL the alliances
failed us. even If we were abandoned
by all, we were to be victorious, for
the first victory would have sufilced
10 decide the final hesitation OF Austria
and Italy, then inundated by the
support that Russia gave to Germany.
I'VE have every chance of beating
/ Prussia. The German mobilization
could not be completed until Aug. 8.
But we were ready on July 80. We had
100000 soldiers at Metz, ready to
march. The first mistake was not
marching, and this was the emperor's
fault. Leboeuf desired THE who
has been illuminated. Our infantry
was superior TO that of Germany at this
moment: we had only to cross the
Sarre, and we should have found OPP
posing us only the Eighth corps, still
In formation.
I'VE might have come down upon Il
Ike torrent and crushed the first
Prussian corps issuing from the deflles
OF Kaiserstein, The emperor did not
wish 1t. At Saarbrucken he had not
been able to stay on his horse, and
had fallen, fainting, into the arms OF
his ald-de-camp. He suffered from an
internal disease He was unable to COM
mand, and would not allow another TO
command in his stead"
According to NJ. olivier, the second
blupder. a heroic one, was committed
by MaeMahon on Aug 6, in accepting
battle Mt Worth without assuring him
self of the movements OF Failly and
Douay. Although MacMahon killed or
wounded as many Germans as COM
posed his own army corps, France be-
gan the campaign by a defeat. Still.
II was not too late to repair the evil.
But third blunder was committed,
and the person guilty of this, accord
ing to M. Olivier was Froissard who
became frightened at Forbach and re-
tired, while Bazaine said to himself as
he hesltated whether to go TO the res
Y cue. "The maitre d'ecole Is In the
thick Of Y: leave him TO extrlcate him
self alone
The fourth bnndcr, which NJ. OH
vier describes as crime. was the
action Of Baza'ne at Metz ON the lith,
10th and 18th, at Borny, Grayelotte.
and Saint Prlvat.
Firally, the fifth blunder was the
cabinet council, presided over by the
empress, and the responsibility for this
M. olivier ascribes to the Comte do
Palikao and his colleagues. He accuses
the empress Of having inhexibly re.
fused even against the wish OF the
emperor, MacMahon, and the young
prince, to give her consent to an act
which was the most obvious OF all
duties at the moment namely, 10 re-
call the army OF Chalons to Paris and
to organize under It's protection the
/ arming of the nation. BY this mlstak
en- notion of dynastic interest tho
debacle Of Sedan became possible, and,
Mr. olivier quotes the emperor as say
ing TO MacMahon Puts du'il en- EST
alnsi, allons nous faire casser Ia tetet'
London Times.