The National Register.
London, England, 1814-08-21 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

in this Assembly,listenieg to these animated debates fur the sake of
Journals, pamphlets, abortion% of the brash)! and to these yon ,
would sacrifice the security of the State. When the King has re-
leased you from the most dreadful ts rawly, and introduced you into
a mild and peacetid regime—when he has operated this change, by
a revolution after the manner of Henry IV., after the mamar of the
Bourbons, has he not a right to ask you to grant something for the
security of the throne, arid the press rvation of good order?
The Min;ster then observed, that it waa important to leave to
the tiiug the right of permitting the publication of periodical
writings, as a measure which afforded a double security; tor, said
he, the ministers then become responsible for the iefinenee of the
authorised journals. The Chamber would demand limn them an ;te-
em:tit of this influence, would thus prticipate in the guarantee. of,
%hie he spoke. and contribute to a lea:enable latinee being al_
lowed them. But it' they remained iii absolute adependence, to
hum oink' you complain of the disorders winch their licence may
Lave caused?
M Moetesquisio concluded by conceding on the pa. tof the Kieg,
certain amendments, ta the effect that en censure should apply to a
work exceedieg ‘.20 sheets, and that the law should sense to operate
at the end of the Session lElit3. He then asked it' the Deputies
vs is•hed the law to declore that their opinions Amulet not be ;abject
to any sesame? The Members with one yoke answered in the ne-
gative, conselerite:, this as iiiilitTe,”qtry.
AI. Rayilmard, the Reporter from the Central Committee. was
heard at treat leo;:th in I eply. He toe k a view of the different
periods of nee Revolution, of which he' contended that the' licen-
tiousness of the press was only a secondary cause, of which factious
men availed themselves. Bat there was no resemblance between
those periods and the present, when time goweroment had a moral
iliflueuce which was evrry slay increasing. What was now the wish
of the people, of their magistrates, their defenders ? trainpullity,
the stability of the government. Referring to English history, he
• oh-Havel that if ever any remarkable circumstance in it would have
authorised the fixing limits to the liberty of the press, it was when
toe 1-I.4use eft Haoover was invited to the throne. But the idea of
curt ithug Use liberty of the press was never thought of; no danger
had resnlted, and England prided herself vu the advantages which
this liberty procured to her.
He descanted on the mischiefs which the censorship would pro-
duce. Nice that crime, said be, in the hands of Ministers, and
pahlie opinion will be perverted ; your institutions, your conduct
will be accused and condemned ; you will be reduced to a stupid si
euce. •
Way, he asked, should not political coutests he decided by equal
arias? But when he spoke of equal arms, it was allowing too ninell;
tOr would not Mioisters always have the asost ample means of ad-
dressing publie•opinioe? would not they have their journals. and
their writers? They would always find Addisons aed Steeles to
avenge the goyernusent, it' it was unjustly attacked. They would
even find writers enough to vindicate aced extol their errors. By
means of their Official Jouroal can they not even at present attack
the opinions whien displease or thwart them? Let thew enjoy this
privilege, provided they allow to Frenchmen the liberty of the press.
He concluded with conjuring the Chamber to reject the law.
The Abbe Nlontesyniou again rose, and adverted with warmth to
the journals of the :Nl.ht it.. and the Pere Mangles, to their threats
their iecemliary appeals dispersed ia ail the pro% ince,. For three
years those men labooied in destroy lug the sod .1 edifice: they at
last effected toeir purpose. So.di were the iesults elan unbounded
liherty of the press!
What good eat) you expect, said he, from these aaitators,- these
pr,onuters of disorder, who cannot even sie.!gest a new idea? You
alone are the guardiaos of the Constitution. Fiance demand% yon,
aid you only. (live her that l'epONe of which she has Rei much Heed,
anti 'shah the Government is se, anxious that she should enjoy.
Here a lona cry of question ! gni stirs I burst from all parts of the
hall. Several members eudeavoured to speak. but cousin not obtain a

bearing.
The President then stated the nature of the question, and after
tome deienssion on the mock of shapine it, it was agreed, that it
shott:d stand. whether the law as amended by the couees:ions on the
part of the Crown shonni he adopted.
The form of voting was this : every Member, as his name was
called over hv one ot lae Secretaries, answered in his place, and
Came up to the table, where he deposited in an urn two of the balk,
white or black. which he had received trim the Secretary. The
h4ll which he did not ttse be placed in another urn appropriated for
that purpose. This operation being terminated, two of the Seere•
tarie4 emptied the imp for votes, and publicly Aeparated the white
balls trom toe black, and sunimcsl them both up. The number of
bails thrown into the other urn was then verified.

531

It finally appeared that of et 7 voters, the propustd law had üb•
tallied IS7 while balls against 80 black toile..
• Thi. result being► communicated to the President, he delivered. in
he name of the Chamber, the following declaration : a The Chanster
adopts the law."