Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/631

 Unification of Germany and Italy 593 no one, even among the most noisy defenders of the power that was falling, raised a voice to uphold it. It collapsed of itself under the weight of its faults and amid the accla- mations of the entire nation, without a single drop of blood being shed, without one individual being deprived of his per- sonal liberty. . . . Rescued from the shame and the danger of a gov- ernment which has proved a traitor to all its duties, every one now comprehends that the first act of national sover- eignty, reconquered at last, must be one of self-control, — the seeking for strength by respecting right. Moreover no time must be lost ; our enemies are at our very gates ; we have but one thought, — their expulsion from our territory. But this obligation, which we resolutely accept, we did not impose upon France. She would not have been in her present position if she had listened to our voice. We have energetically defended the policy of peace even at the cost of our popularity. We still maintain the same opinion. We are heartbroken at the sight of these human butcheries consuming the youth of two nations, whom a little good sense and a great deal of liberty would have preserved from such frightful catastrophes. We cannot find any adequate expression of our admiration for our heroic army, sacrificed through the incapacity of its supreme commander, but showing itself greater in defeat than in the most brilliant victory. . . . I would explain our position in a few words and submit my statement to the judgment of my country and of Europe. We loudly condemned the war, and, while proclaiming our respect for the rights of nations, we asked that Germany should be left mistress of her own destinies. We wished that liberty should be at the same time our common bond and our common protection. We were convinced that these moral forces would forever insure peace. But we claimed arms for all citizens and the right to elect our leaders. Had this been conceded, we should have remained invincible on our own soil. The government of the emperor, which had long since divorced its interests from those of the