BISMARCK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11927, 9 February 1917, Page 4

BISMARCK.

HOW HE FORCED PEACE, THE STORY OF I*7o. In the ttmirnn of _ BiMtiafcS found lumsclf i';ne to i;*ro with a problem of tremendous difficulty. i]v> iiennan arnne- Imd everywhere defeated the Freneh.. The> Frenoh, • however, fought Oil. They re!used to make po.rtv: they:' put ifi hopeless confusion the idoasi waiiv e-lii'-ei-s on the Goruian Staff—■•' among ihem - t'hai Francewrmid hobt the white fia.u; soon jia a Gorniun army appeared before Parii.; Moltke's letters >h-rx thai hj«? expected' to he cbootimr in Silesia by too end of. (mrober. \S7'f. fii-euirek, tlieit, had to find f-oma v.av of f-ireing p<"-a<"<» nprn: a ed and defiant nation. Atid up found j- .oinklv e-nonph in th<? decision to re<lne'e i'arr-. tko t ovy heart of France. h\- ble.ekadf. It -vns a .-lnv»' mnthod, Ikt it was Mire. Tn September the (~'rmai! armn- be-an ■**•"■ movement* i.> ,Mv<-k.v. ih<- e-iiv. The iron rinfi in unon a "population of two „ I ,|! !( >., .ot:A. On ,v ( . matl ont left Paris. Two days inter the ;.;ates were fh.it. and from that, boitr no jnpp'ie, entered the rapi\f, rw,prt for neutral-, no consideration fer'hnmr.nitv. Bi?raarra. We mav remi!i<l ! "■ un'-yme-i oi th&i, fae: fe.-dav when they ]»rotr«J. a-aVnsr, ike llriu-i; blckade. One or -wo timid remonstrant trom neui.rak- were violentlv brushed afide or with cold -ont and savace '{},- iiian who to lore tnc ~,v,.: t of a Tmmins Frenchman, who h«-id *hai <'verv v n-rdla shotild be tneridiot, and every dn-triet, witoro Mieh *rof> T>i 0-.0-.vpd themvelve, snonW li,-. devastated. « .-u not 10-odv :o bo aifectcd by any ThereT,'?ro thnn-and--. of neutral-;, Fntted Mates and British snhjoets m tlio jnv.*ted area, hut lie eared nothing ior that. vi<:orii TN V^AH. Nor have his eountrymen t'no least- ct>inpuiie,tion. On liarni -l, i.v.ii Count k'apriri, who succeeded iiismaivk a, Chaiwellor of t.ke hmpire, ni.-tdo this drcliiratKin with rejaru }>. cattini; oil food during a naval Ijlocw.ade:-- . . , •• \V;ir is a rough and terrible .-usiju»'.< Thi< applies equally to -warfare on'land and at sea. Whoever is f«pasKnl in tho war wishes to at'onii (d>je<-t. and if ho be h<- v - iiJ employ ererv means to attain it. _ Ivi n, naval v. ar the cutting oft of im 1 . enemy s trade w ouc ot those No ono can forgo it. And reahy > it more than is done on land:' if during the f-kjre. of JV.ri.l someone had equipped n train -wnb {o,v.ist\!ti.-i for tin- I'urisinns, that rraoi W(;ukl siinplv have been stopped. . . . J mus'J say that if States act in this wny they nsc only the means which wur 4 iliem. In'such conduct I sb.ouid <*■<:- absolutely no barbarity, or -any difference trom tho ineasiirii* taken in a v.; 1 ;- on land. Ami J believe tha.t-, tna--intieh as no naval war has been on a Foale since the day s oi NVison. views ahout« nuvul war bavo ;in--a which under-cs'unmte. its ior'-e an-s power " Bismarck talked with intense_plee ot leaving the Parisians to " stow in tk. :r own juice.'' Vast stores, of food i:.-.'! been in Paris before rU blockade be<pjn. bnt; it was a mathematical certainty that they would f-f* oxhausied after a definite! period pr->-vid(Ml the relieving anntos v,'>; pern iit led to break through am! tonvoy fres'i supplies into, the brlertguered ciiv. The German operations v.cr'' therefore simply to prevent a:» troops in the capital, who wer. wretchedly commanded by the famouTroerm. from breaking out. and ti.o various relieving armies outsido ft.-.m breaking in. At lirst matters weuj. cheerf-div ononch in Pan's, though no Geiny.n sentimentalists were fonnd in the b"fiieejne; army to allow imnieiiso quantities of food and other supplies to pa--; into the place. o*n the twelfth d.iv of the liloekado tl.e Fnited Stales /.knitter Nlr TTashbourne. who rem dued inside, notes that meat was i-•■?•.'■•;■ ■•.■;■; searr-e. The want of milk :cv} s.ib'--.'-b----foxl swiftly sent np -the d"r.rh--a*-* ameiip; the cliildren o*' the jvio:-. 'II" aared and sick died off. Formr/e s :> ! - cam<- very scarce, arid all "' be iva-1 horses \v(*rs* compelled to get rid o!r ht-r>-bi-eiit!>e it was impossible- to ieed For tho purpose of slaughtering "bev could b*> bought, at this date, for f :\ or £'_ npiece. Gradually, verv CTadna.lly. the inr.rensed. liiel hf"ran to fail. YVh"n the siepo had lasted two months mrrer; sokl for Uls a pound, and ever tbe-i was almost tir.oat.ihle: turkev« v.ent for C'l to £1 apiece: chiel'.ens v-r ''!-.: wretched rabbits for Tks: and r%rr* wert> fis a dozen. Tlread sfJH remam-d rhp-'m. however, as the price was o\ "1 In- Governmont order, and w ; no o'lb-dt also bo housht at a reasonable iiinre.' A eat fetched >'ls if lean, or 7s ed if fat: a rat U f>d: n fat doe; 5s a poii«-'d. Bv fl-.rist.inas Day nrices had ri^n -.tiil hi'dur: a p;ooso ce>* C.~ and a chiciren i'fls. All fresh meat except horsefh-s-, bad from th" shops; ord<--o ••■; thoiKtb.t th<?-niselves fortnr-ate' if tlr-v could obtMn a few r.rmc<-s fearfully salt pork at an exorbitant price. vicTcmY of nrNGKp. As the blockade continued doin.c: i: n work—but doing it very slowly Bismarck's patience, "beaten To fad. Nor. that ho over for one moment though:. of relax in 2 if in the smallest degree. hut. lie (}'.<} widi to try other mean, of compulsion on tho enemy as well, lie demanded of the German Staff tho bombardment of the city to intensify the effect, of the. blockade. The Staff opposed him (not from any humanitarian ideas, as he professed and pre--1 ended"), for Molfke .and tho men round bin) were quite insensible tn such e-mo--1 ion--, and held with the American General Sheridan that the enemy's people in war should be left -with on!"--; their eves to weep over it. Their rea-' son was that a blockade?, though slow," is quite certain to succeed; while rt bombardment, demanded an immense: supply of guns and ammunition, and.' as they knew from their special l:now-'i ledcro of artillery and its power at that date, would produce little effect.

Bismarck, however, had his Tray. • ,Tim bombardment, was tried, and was,' as overy soldier exported, a ridiculous fiasco. During nine days of it 350 buildings were struck, few of them an all severely, and about n.s ?nucn damage* was caused in this whole period as i-i produced by a single Zeppelin raid. Vriint brought Franco down was the growing hunger of the capital and tho fear that if the resistance of Paris were- prolonged the two million peoplein tbc invested .itcr would perith hy'i actual starvation. Tn any ease, after ] •terms were arranged, it would require n fortnight to revietual the city, tdro-; ply because its consumption Q,f food was s<> immfnse.

On .January 28, 1871, an armistior was signed, which was in effect tho' surrender of Paris to famine, and tho surrender of France with Paris. Bis-< marek aim Moltke imposed their own terms. An attempt by tho French, to obtain more favourable conditions' was answered implncauTy I>y the state-: ment that Paris was short of food and, at the mercy of the German Army. I Bismarck played adroitly on the weak-] ness of the French representative, Jbhni Favro, and compelled, him to aasocifcta! Franca with *&» surrender of the! French capital. I Bismarck obtained what he wanted; by starving Paris. To that measure, I following upon the complete defeat oil the French armies, the miserable peac»|