The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-22

made natlon.' I'll, w. sj .s. -.
This statement. coming as 1t did from
the head Of the Treasury Department OF
the English government cast gloom
over the spirits of the English friends VI
the North and came rcnr causing the
American Minister. Charles Francis
Adams,tto pack his trunks. The friends OF
the South redoubled their energies to
secure similar statement from the
whole British Cabinet And IT was but
short step from this to formal recoE.
milton. But the efforts Of Mr.. Adams p @.
vailed and the cabinet rather repndiateo
Gladstones speech, at least for the time.
At this moment, Napoleon III. was try.
Ing to secure foothold for France IN
Mexico, and thus strengthen his totter-
Ing dynasty. The sad history Of the PAT.
venue Emperor Macmillan IN Mexico Is
too we'll known to be repeated. Yet 1t may
he well to recall that Napoleon was seek
Ing to hnvc the South recognized IN Or
der to protect bis move In Mexico, for
the South was too busy. fighting her great
ba tiles to be thinking Of enforcing the
Monroe Doctrine for the advantage OF her
southren neEhbor. In word the south
would have said nothing against France
In Mexico provided the French would
recognize her as a nation. and thus he,p
her break the northern blockade OF her
coast. 50
Napoleon finally proposed joint In
Prevention on behalf Of peace In America.
England, France and Russia were to act
together And England was about to agr"c
to the plan when Russia negatived the
whole proceeding by a positive rcfusai 10
be party to the scheme. and to TINS day
the United States have not ceased to be
rateful for that act.
AZ. rioSe had In
this and for which Mr., Morley makes
unnecessary apologies. was favorable 10
the South, and for long time his tender
humanitarian feelings went out to the
struggling, bleeding Southcrners. 1t was
not his enmlty TO the North or his desire
to see the American Union torn asunder
In order to rid Europe of q too. powerful
n,,ighbor, but. his kindly feelings ana
aversion to wholesale human slaugnter.,
that prompted his actions. and his ".
tcrarrSs at this crisis, ! And say what
we will to-day, in the light Of later
events, It was not easy for any Euro
mean to render a decision on tn, burn
Ing American Issue. And Gladstone's
words and acts during these sad times
do him infinite honor, even though he
erred politically for as General Cor,
don so wells says. in his recently pup,
lished "reminiscences" not all OF right
was to be found on either side. And
this Is the more patent to us to-day.
when both Palmerston and Bismarck
have said that Europe's greatest blum
der In the nineteenth was her failure
to make use Of the American war FOR
the pnrpose of weakening the American
Republic.
HIS VIEWS OF BISMARCK AND THE
Nco-PRus5IAN WAR.
From 1860 to 1874 Gladstone was prime
minister OF England, and during that
time the one great question with which
he had to deal outside OF the domestic
nolicy OF the time, was the Franco Prus-
sian war and the complications which,
IL brought Morley appears In no part
of his bokk to better advantage than IN
| this. Morley is master Of the history
Of Europe, and he delights In unravelins
Its sometime Intricate political sk'eins.
The war Of 1870 was the work OF two
men with views and aims which LED
| .,cm Into conflict = every turn = these
men We're Bismarck and Napoleon. Inc
| former bent on bringing about German
unity ut almost any cost. the latter
! equally determined to expand the bound
aries OF France. But Bismarck was able.
| unscl.uruous in the prime OF lifa and
| In nerfect health-a perfect master OF
! diplomacy and intlma tely acquainted
with every important man In Europe at
| the tin,>: Napoleon was parvenue. MS
| star already on the decline, equally un-
scrupulous. IN wretched health. not
| good Judge OF men nor master OF the
| inner springs Of European politics. and
| what made his case 90 much tr'e worse.
| he looked uron Prussia and her rulers
with considerable degree OF contempt
| The two men came suddenly INTO com
| sion on July l4th. 1870. and by Septanl.
her Cd OF the same year, Napoleon tei
| into BsmNrck's hands. SNd along VIII
him 105, 900 French soldiers! Anclent
~low-eoinr Europe could not comprehend
the magnitude and the llchtnnc rapid
itv of the events of those fortv-five days
The end of 1t was the making OF tn
(, German emnire and the final undolng OF
the Bonaparte family as rulers OF
france And poor France had to pay the
| cost
When Gladstone saw what was coming
July 18th to 18th. he urged and besoush
the French Government not to give BIS
marck cause for declaring war. Time arr
! again he fastened Off kilograms to Pari
In the hope Of preventing the collision
The last OF these MESSAGES reached tn
French foreign minister while the Cablne
was discussing the pronosition to declar
war. and was put In the hands Of Nm
poleon himself: but the minister. egge
on by the Empress. who boosted OF "mol
petit guerre" and ny the ultra montan
party outside Of Parliament. declared wal
and. as Morley says. deliberately wake
into the pit which Bismarck had dug
In fact that ministry made itself infa
nous by trying to save itself by thrust
Ing the country into a war In which a.
the chances were against her.
Bismarck was literally rejoicing at tn
unexrected folly of his rival and at tn
Immediate prospect Of Welding throug
the heat and enthusiasm OF foreign wal
the dscordant elements ofhGermany int
one great State. No one saw better tina
Gladstone the probable outcome OF tn
Prussian policy. and, indeed. he wa
entirely in sympathy with the main POI
ton Of IT, though he never loved the Prus
stan minister. Morlry's clear and concis
discussion OF the different phases Of tn
, Franco Prusslan war Is valuable I'd
dition to our knowledge OF the history c
,, that epoch, His account OF Bismarck
Won Molke and Won Room at their Dime
party in Berlin. July l4th, Is the yer
! perfection Of descriptive writing.
When the Pruss!ans, at the close {
. the war, demaided Elsass- Lorraine. Gla(
, stone was disposed to put obstacles
q the way. But Bismarck had already AZ
ticipated this. He had encouraged Russi
p. ~ hreak the interna ional trenty ~ 1S