FRENCH VIEWS ON THE WAR.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 720, 6 October 1870, Page 2

FRENCH VIEWS ON THE WAR.

As the greater part of the news in respect to the war has been taken from German sources, the following translation from a French journal, La Liberie, of the 16th July, will tend to throw some light upon the French view of affairs:— DECLARATION OF WAR. Paris, July 15. In the Senate at one o'clock the house was densely crowded in every part. At five minutes past one o'clock, Marshal Le Bceuf entered the Chamber with a large red portfolio, and took his seat on the Ministerial benches. His appearance caused a profound sensation in the galleries. At a quarter past one o'clock M. Rouher took the chair, and the business of the Chamber began. At twenty-five minutes past one o'clock M. de Grramont mounted the Tribune, and addressed the House. The 51 inister, in the following terms, notified that war had been declared against Prussia. He said :

" Gentlemen, —The manner in which the country has received our declaration proves to us that we can count upon its support. " We have desired to recognise those grievances of which we have a just right to complain. "With this end in view we have demanded nothing from Spain; we have not believed ourselves bound to adopt any line of action about the Prince of Hohenzollern, covered by the King of Prussia. "The majority of the Powers have hastened to acknowledge the justice of our demands. "We made them directly, and at once, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at Berlin, and that Mininister declared that we had no concern whatever in that Family Affair {nous a declare etre completement etranger a cette question defamille). "In the presence of such a distinct refusal to treat with us, we addressed ourselves to the King himself, and we sent orders to M. Benedetti that he was to go immediately to Ems. " King William pretended that he had remained in no way concerned in the negotiations entered into respecting the candidature of the Prince of Hohenzollern for the Throne of Spain ; to give his consent, not as a sovereign, but as the head of his family. " These reasons not being such as could be made to us satisfactory, we insisted that the King of Prussia should advise and enjoin (conseillat et imposaf) the renunciation by the Prince of Hohenzollern of the Throne of Spain.

" In the mean time, declaration by Olozaga was made on the part of Spain, announcing that the Prince of Hohenzollern had renounced the Crown.

" This renunciation, with which Prussia refused to consider herself in any way concerned, was not satisfactory to us, and we called upon the King once more to declare that if the Crown of Spain should, at any future time, be offered to the Hohenzollern Prince, the King would not again authorise him to accept it. " Our demand was just and moderate ; we had no mental reservation in the matter; nevertheless, the King of Prussia refused what we asked for. M. Benedetti sent to us these telegrams : King to state that he will, at any future time, refuse to authorise the Prince of Hohenzollern to accept the throne of Spain. I have pressed this demand upon him, without being able to obtain any such assurance.' ' The King of Prussia ended by saying to me—'l cannot and I will not make any such engagement." (An outburst of disapprobation.) He wishes to be guided by circumstances." (Renewed marks of indignation.) " In the presence of an unwarrantable refusal like this we did not break off negotiations, notwithstanding the marks of impatience on your part which you had a good right to feel upon the subject. "We ask for a fresh delay (sursis), but our surprise was profound when we were told that the King of Prussia did not wish any longer to receive our ambassador, and that —to render this refusal categorical and definitive—he had notified it to the Powers. Moreover that the King of Prussia had requested M. AVerther to take his leave. "We have neglected nothing to avoid war and we are getting ready to sustain what has been offered to ua,

and to take those measures which shall be suggested to us by a due regard for the honor of France."

At the end of this announcement by Ministers there waa a loud and longcontinued burst of applause. The Senate adjourned after a few observations from M. Eouher, the President of that Chamber.

The following article is also published in the Liberie of the 16th July :

Forward! Forward!

"It is war at last! There can no longer be any doubt about it.

" The troops, we are told, are already on the march, and munitions of war are being transported, with all possible haste, to the frontier. Bands of men, bearing the tricolor flag, marched along the boulevards all yesterday eveuing, Binging the " Marseillaise." " The enthusiasm everywhere is very great. We hear that the French troops are already in Luxembourg. We would not presume to say that they are not, —we are more inclined to ask why they were not there a week ago? " The official declaration of war is all that is wanting, and that is to be made to-day. " We have not ceased for some dayß past to demand War. We have called for it with all our energies,—the future pressing close upon us will soon Bhow whether we were right or wrong. " Of course we are well aware what a barbarous thing it i 3 for two nations, on the plea of getting quit of their causes of quarrel, to be obliged to cut each other's throats on fields of battle, and to scatter everywhere nothing but ruin and desolation.

" We know, by experience, how horrible war is, and do not comprehend how, in the 19fch century, such a thing should yefc be possible. " Unfortunately, however, we cannot make things different from what they are. Bitterly as we deplore these barbarous customs, and blame those terrible prejudices, we are compelled to bow the head, and accept that which we cannot prevent. " On our soul and by our conscience, we declare that in acting as we did, in demanding that war should be declared, we have only obeyed the call of a dutv which we regard aa sacred ; a duty which compels us, above every other consideration, to have a due respect for the dignity and for the honor of France. Entertaining these convictions, we are not to be withheld from an expression of them by the possibility that such an expression may contribute to th.ejeu de reaction of any particular party. " Is it supposed that we do not really mean all that we say ?

" Reaction is a mere phantom, of which we are not afraid. Woe to him who would try to make anything out of such a thing to-day. " Let us settle our quarrel with the foreigner, as honor demands that we should.

" The enemy is on our frontiers ; to-morrow, perhaps, the first roar of the cannon may be heard. " The destiny of France is the stake this gigantesque partie is playing for. " Nothing can be more a matter of speculation than the issue of a battle. "We have every confidence in our valiant army and in the officers commanding it. " But, if by some misfortune, at the outset, victory should desert ©ur ranks, the whole nation would rise, we feel certain, to drive back an enemy which has been humiliation to France—an enemy which is not afraid to make it an outspoken vaunt that she will take from her Alsace and Lorraine.

" We have waited too long for our vengeance! " Unite together! Unite! Unite ? Let us all stand together under the flag of France. En avant 1"