CHAPTER III
One morning the secretary of the sous-prefet wrote to me to come toSarrebourg. From time to time we used to receive orders, asmagistrates, to go and give an account at the sous-prefecture of whatwas going on in our district.
I said to myself, immediately on receiving this letter from SecretaryGerard, that it was something about our Agricultural Society, which hadnot yet delivered the prizes gained by the ducks and the geese a fewweeks before.
It was true that the Paris newspapers had for three days past beendiscussing a Prince of Hohenzollern, who had just been named King ofSpain; but what could that signify to us at Rothalp, Illingen,Droulingen, and Henridorf, whether the King of Spain was calledHohenzollern or by any other name?
In my opinion, it could not be about that affair that Monsieur leSous-prefet wanted to talk to us, but about the old or a newAgricultural Society, or something at least which concerned us inparticular. The idea of the parish road and the bells came also intomy mind; perhaps that was the object we were sent for.
At last I took up my staff and started for Sarrebourg.
Arriving there, I found the whole length of the principal streetcrowded with mayors, police-inspectors, and _juges-de-paix_.* MotherAdler's inn and all the little public-houses were so full that theycould not have held another customer.
* Magistrates.
Then I said to myself, no doubt something quite new is in the wind: as,for instance; a fete like that when her Majesty the Empress and thePrince Imperial, three years before, passed through Nancy to celebratethe union of Lorraine with France. Thereupon I went to thesous-prefecture, where I found already several mayors of theneighborhood talking at the door. They were discussing the price ofcorn, the high price of cattle food; they were called in one afteranother.
In half an hour my turn came; Monsieur Christian Weber's name wascalled, and I entered with my hat in my hand.
Monsieur le Sous-prefet with his secretary Gerard, with his pen stuckbehind his ear, were seated there: the secretary began to mend his pen;and Monsieur le Sous-prefet asked me what was going on in my part ofthe country?
"In our country, Monsieur le Sous-prefet? why, nothing at all. Thereis a great drought; no rain has fallen for six weeks; the potatoes arevery small, and..."
"I don't mean that, Monsieur le Maire: what do they think of the PrinceHohenzollern and the Crown of Spain?"
On hearing this I scratched my head, saying to myself, "What will youanswer to that now? What must you say?"
Then Monsieur le Sous-prefet asked: "What is the spirit of yourpopulation?"
The spirit of our population? How could I get out of that?
"You see, Monsieur le Sous-prefet, in our villages the people are noscholars; they don't read the papers."
"But tell me, what do they think of the war?"
"What war?"
"If, now, we should have war with Germany, would those people besatisfied?"
Then I began to catch a glimpse of his meaning, and I said: "You know,Monsieur le Sous-prefet, that we have voted in the Plebiscite to havepeace, because everybody likes trade and business and quietness athome; we only want to have work and..."
"Of course, of course, that is plain enough; we all want peace: hisMajesty the Emperor, and her Majesty the Empress, and everybody lovepeace! But if we are attacked: if Count Bismarck and the King ofPrussia attack us?"
"Then, Monsieur le Sous-prefet, we shall be obliged to defend ourselvesin the best way we can; by all sorts of means, with pitchforks, withsticks..."
"Put that down, Monsieur Gerard, write down those words. You areright, Monsieur le Maire: I felt sure of you beforehand," said Monsieurle Sous-prefet, shaking hands with me: "You are a worthy man."
Tears came into my eyes. He came with me to the door, saying: "Thedetermination of your people is admirable; tell them so: tell them thatwe wish for peace; that our only thought is for peace; that his Majestyand their excellencies the Ministers want nothing but peace; but thatFrance cannot endure the insults of an ambitious power. Communicateyour own ardor to the village of Rothalp. Good, very good. _Aurevoir_, Monsieur le Maire, farewell."
Then I went out, much astonished; another mayor took my place, and Ithought, "What! does that Bismarck mean to attack us! Oh, the villain!"
But as yet I could tell neither why nor how.
I repaired to Mother Adler's, where I ordered bread and cheese and abottle of white wine, according to custom, before returning home; andthere I heard all those gentlemen, the Government officials, thecontrollers, the tax-collectors, the judges, the receivers, etc.,assembled in the public room, telling one another that the Prussianswere going to invade us; that they had already taken half of Germany,and that they were wanting now to lay the Spaniards upon our back inorder to take the rest: just as they had put Italy upon the back of theAustrians, before Sadowa.
All the mayors present were of the same opinion; they all answered thatthey would defend themselves, if we were attacked; for the Lorrainersand the Alsacians have never been behindhand in defending themselves:all the world knows that.
I went on listening; at last, having paid my bill, I started to returnhome.
I went out of Sarrebourg, and had walked for half an hour in the dust,reflecting upon what had just taken place, when I heard a conveyancecoming at a rapid rate behind me. I turned round. It was CousinGeorge upon his char-a-banc, at which I was much pleased.
"Is that you, cousin?" said he, pulling up.
"Yes; I am just come from Sarrebourg, and I am not sorry to meet withyou, for it is terribly warm."
"Well, up with you," said he. "You have had a great gathering to-day;I saw all the public-houses full."
I was up, I took my seat, and the conveyance went off again at a trot.
"Yes," said I; "it is a strange business; you would never guess why wehave been sent for to the sous-prefecture."
"What for?"
Then I told him all about it; being much excited against the villainBismarck, who wanted to invade us, and had just invented thisHohenzollern pretext to drive us to extremities.
George listened. At last he said: "My poor Christian! the sous-prefetwas quite right in calling you a worthy fellow; and all those othermayors that I saw down there, with their red noses, are worthy men; butdo you know my opinion upon all those matters?"
"What do you think, George?"
"Well, my belief is, that they are leading you like a string of assesby the bridle. That sous-prefet will present his report to the prefet,the prefet to the Minister of the Interior, Monsieur Chevandier deValdrome,--the organizer of the Plebiscite--he who told you to vote'Yes' to have peace--and that Minister will present his report to theEmperor. They all know that the Emperor desires war, because he needsit for his dynasty."
"What! he wants war?"
"No doubt he does. In spite of all, forty-five thousand soldiers havevoted against the Plebiscite. The army is turning round against thedynasty. There is no more promotion: medals, crosses, promotions weredistributed in profusion at first, now all that has stopped; theinferior officers have no more hope of passing into the higher ranks,because the army is filled with nobles, with Jesuits from the schoolsof the Sacred College: in the Court calendars nothing is seen but_de_'s. The soldiers, who spring from the people, begin to discernthat they are being gradually extinguished: they are not in a pleasanttemper. But war may put everything straight again: a few battles arewanted to throw light upon the malcontents; there must be a victory tocrush the Republicans, for the Republicans are gaining confidence: theyare lifting up their heads. After a victory, a few thousand of themcan be sent to Lambessa and to Cayenne, just as after the Second ofDecember. At the same time, the Jesuits will be placed at the head ofthe schools, as they were under Charles X., the Pope will be restored,Italy and Germany will be dismembered, and the dynasty will be placedon a strong foundation for twenty years. Every twenty years they willbegin again, and the dynasty will strike deep root. But war
there mustbe."
"But what do you mean? It is Bismarck who is beginning it," said I:"it is he who is picking a German quarrel."
"Bismarck," replied my cousin, "is well acquainted with everything thatis going on, and so are the very lowest workmen in Paris; but you, youknow nothing at all. Your only talk is about potatoes and cabbages:your thoughts never go beyond this. You are kept in ignorance. Youare, as it were, the dung of the Empire--the manure to fatten thedynasty. Bismarck is aware that our _honest man_ wants war, to temperhis army afresh, and shut the mouths of those whose talk is of economy,liberty, honor, and justice; he knows that never will Prussia be sostrong again as she is now--she already covers three-fourths ofGermany; all the Germans will march at her side to fight againstFrance: they can put more than a million of men in the field in fifteendays, and they will be three or four against one; with such odds thereis no need of genius, the war will go forward of itself--they are sureof crushing the enemy."
"But the Emperor must know that as well as you, George," said I;"therefore he will be for peace."
"No, he is relying upon his mitrailleuses: and then he wants tostrengthen his dynasty--what does the rest matter to him? To establishhis dynasty he took an oath before God and man to the Republic, andthen he trampled upon his oath and the Republic; he brought destructionupon thousands of good men, who were defending the laws against him; hehas enriched thousands of thieves who uphold him; he has corrupted ouryouth by the evil example of the prosperity of brigands, and themisfortunes of the well-disposed; he has brought low everything thatwas worthy of respect, he has exalted everything which excites disgustand contempt. All the men who have approached this pestilence havebeen contaminated, to the very marrow of their bones. You, Christian,evidently cannot comprehend these abominable things; but the worstrogues in this country, the wildest vagabonds among your peasants,could never form an opinion of the villany of this _honest man_: theyare saints compared with him; at the very sight of him the heart ofevery true Frenchman rises up against him: for the sake of his dynastyhe would sell and sacrifice us all to the last man."
George, in uttering these words, was trembling with excitement: I sawthat he was convinced to the bottom of his heart of what he said.Fortunately we were alone on the road, far from any village; no onecould hear us.
"But that Hohenzollern," I said, after a few minutes' silence, "thatLeopold Hohenzollern--is not he the cause of all that is going on?"
"No," said George; "if misfortunes come upon us, the _honest man_ alonewill be the cause of it. If you did but read a newspaper, you wouldsee that the Spaniards wanted for their king, Montpensier, a son ofLouis Philippe; that could only have turned out to our good:Montpensier would naturally have become the ally of France. But thatwas against the interests of the Napoleon dynasty; so the _honest man_threatened Spain; then the Spaniards nominated this Prussian prince inthe place of Montpensier; a prince who could not stand alone, but whoma million of Germans would support if necessary. They fixed upon himto annoy our gentleman; of course they had no need to ask for hisadvice. Did France consult any one? did she trouble herself aboutEngland, Spain, or Germany, when she proclaimed the Republic, or whenshe proclaimed Louis Bonaparte Emperor? Has he then a right to thrusthis nose into their affairs? No; it is unpleasant for us; but theSpaniards were right; there was no need for them to put themselves outto please our _worthy man_ and his fine family. And now--happen whatmay--I look no longer for peace; the Germans are withdrawing from ourcountry in all directions--they are joining their regiments; the orderhas been given, and they obey; it is a bad sign. In all the villagesthat I have been passing through, and upon every road, I have seenthese fine fellows, their bundles over their shoulders--they are offhome!"
Thus spoke Cousin George to me. I thought this was a little too bad;but, on arriving home, the first thing my wife said to me was, "Do youknow that Frantz is going?"
"Our young man?"
"Yes, he wants his wages."
"Ah, indeed. Let him come here at the back, and we will have a talk."
I was much surprised, and I made him come into my room at the bottom ofthe mill, where I keep my papers and my books. His cow-skin pack wasalready fastened upon his shoulder.
"Are you going away, Frantz? Have you anything to complain of?"
"No, nothing at all, Monsieur Weber. But I am obliged to go; for Ihave received orders to join my regiment."
"Are you a soldier, then?"
"Yes, in the Landwehr. We are all soldiers in Germany."
"But if you liked to stay here, who would come and fetch you?"
"That is an impossibility, M. Weber. I should be declared a deserter.I could never return home again. They would take away all my property,present and to come; my brothers and sisters would come in for it."
"Ah, that is a different thing! Now I understand. There--there's yourcertificate of character."
I had written a good certificate for him, for he was a good workman. Ipaid him what I owed him to the last farthing, and wished him aprosperous journey.
Cousin George was right; those Germans were all moving homeward. Youwould never have thought there were so many in the country; some hadpassed themselves off for Swiss, some for Luxemburgers; others hadquite settled down, and no one would ever have suspected that they owedtwo or three more years' service to their country. This gave rise todisputes. Those whose situations they had taken, and who bore ill-willagainst them, fell upon them; the _gendarmerie_ beat up the mountains;things were taking an ugly turn.
It was in vain that I affirmed at the mayoralty-house that the Emperorbreathed only peace; for the Gazettes of the prefecture talked ofnothing but the insults we had had to endure, the ambition of Prussia,revenge for Sadowa, the Catholic nations who were going to declare _enmasse_ in our favor, and all the powers which affirmed the justice ofour cause: the enthusiasm for war grew higher and higher day by day;especially that of the pedlers, the tinkers, the small dealers, and allthose good fellows who come out of the prisons, and who are continuallyseeking for work without finding any; though they do find walls to getover, doors to break in, cupboards to plunder. All these excellentpeople declared that it was for the honor of France to make war uponGermany.
And then the Paris newspapers in the pay of the Government, as we havemore recently learned, continued arriving and were circulated gratis,saying that our ambassador Benedetti had gone to see Frederick Williamat the waters of Ems, to entreat him not to precipitate us into thehorrors of war; that the King had answered that all that was nothing tohim, for his Cousin Leopold of Hohenzollern had only consulted him outof respect, as head of the family; that he was too good a relation toadvise him not to accept so good a windfall, which was coming down tohim out of the clouds.
Then, indeed, did the indignation of the Gazettes burst upon theGermans: they must, by all means, be brought to their senses. Now,fancy the position of a mayor, who only two months before had made allhis village vote in the Plebiscite, promising them peace, and who sawclearly at last how they had only made use of him as a tool to dupe hispeople! I dared no longer look my cousin in the face, for he hadwarned me of the thing; and now I knew what to think of the honorablemembers of the Government.
Affairs were going on so badly that war seemed imminent, when one finemorning we learned that Hohenzollern had waived his right to be King ofSpain. Ah! now we were out of the mess: now we could breathe morefreely. That day my cousin himself was smiling; he came to the milland said to me: "The Emperor and his Ministers, his prefets andsous-prefets, have not such long noses after all! How well things weregoing on too! And now they will be obliged to wait for anotheropportunity to begin. How they must feel sold!"
We both laughed with delight.
More than twenty-five of the principal inhabitants came that day toshake hands with me at the mayoralty-house. It was concluded that hisexcellency, Monsieur Emile Ollivier, would never be able to tinker thiswar again, and that peace would be preserved in spit
e of him: in spiteof the Emperor, in spite of Marshal Leboeuf, who had declared to theSenate _that we were ready--five times ready, and that during the wholecampaign we should never be short of so much as a gaiter button_.
Hohenzollern was praised up to the skies for having shown such goodsense; and as the reserves had been called out, many young men wereglad to be able to remain in the bosom of their families.
In a word, it was concluded that the whole affair was at an end; whenour _good man_ and his honorable Minister informed us that we had begunto rejoice too soon. All at once, the report ran that FrederickWilliam had shown our ambassador the door, saying something so terriblystrong against the honor of his Majesty Napoleon III., that nobodydared repeat it. It appeared that his Majesty the Emperor, seeing thatthe King of Prussia had withdrawn his authorization from the Prince ofHohenzollern to accept the Crown of Spain, had not been satisfied withthat; and that he had given orders to his ambassador to demand,furthermore, his renunciation of any crown, whatever that the Spaniardsmight offer him in all time to come--for himself or his family; andthat this King, who does not enjoy at all times the best of tempers,had said something very strong touching _our honest man_.
That day I was at the mayoralty-house about eleven o'clock. I had justcelebrated the marriage of Andre Fix with Kaan's daughter, and thewedding-party had started for church, when the postman Michel comes inand throws down the little _Moniteur_ upon the table. Then I sat downto read about the great battle in the Legislative Chambers, fought byThiers, Gambetta, Jules Favre, Glais-Bizoin and others, against theMinisters, in defence of peace.
It was magnificent. But this had not prevented the majority, appointedto do everything, from declaring war against the Germans, on account ofwhat the King of Prussia had said.
What could he then have said? His excellency Emile Ollivier has neverdared to repeat it! My Cousin George declared that he had saidsomething that was right, and naturally very unpleasant: but it isknown now, by the reports of our ambassador, that the King of Prussiahad said _nothing at all_, and that the indignation of M. Ollivier wasnothing but a disgraceful sham to deceive the Chambers, and make themvote for war.
Well, this was the commencement of our calamities; and; for my part, Ifind that this did not present a cheerful prospect. No! After havingendured such miseries, it is not pleasant to remember that we owe themall to M. Emile Ollivier, to Monsieur Leboeuf, to Monsieur Bonaparte,and to other men of that stamp, who are living at this momentcomfortably in their country-houses in Italy, in Switzerland, inEngland; whilst so many unhappy creatures have had their livessacrificed, or have been utterly ruined; have lost father, children,and friends: but we Alsacians and Lorrainers have lost more thanall--our own mother-country.
The Plébiscite; or, A Miller's Story of the War Page 3
