The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-28 00:00:00

eUtniag

LONDON, MONDAY, MAY 28, 1849.

This morning the Legislative Assembly of Repub-
lican France commenced its existence. On Satur-
day, the 26th of May, 1849, the Constituent Na-
tional Assembly expired. Yesterday was the mo-
mentary interregnum between those two great senates
of democracy. At a period when the last accounts of
the National Assembly are still resounding in our
remembrance, and before the tones of the first sylla-
bles articulated in the Legislative Assembly have
reached our shores, we would take a farewell retro-
spect of the career of the departed Parlia-
ment. Since the day of its solemn inauguration,
namely, the 4th of May, 1848, its labours have
been almost unremitting. Within the twelve months
which have elapsed between its birth and its disso-
lution it has achieved many great things, it has
overcome many tremendous difficulties, it has weeded
out many viilanous offshoots of the past misgovern-
ment, and has.drawn from the abysses of a Revolation

't A memorable expression first uttered by Mr. Ma-
caulay in 1847, during a debate in the House of Commons
on the subject of education, and which we observe he
has himself thought worthy of being embalmed in the
rhetoric of his History. It will be found immediately
before the close of the second yolume.

overtoiled artizan, the half-starved sempstress, require
but little protection.

" Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator."
They can scarcely be worse off under any changes
that might take place, than they are at present. Their
toil would not be more severe or continuous—we had
almost said incessant. The wages of their labour
would not be more scanty, their food coarser, or their
houses humbler. What, then, have they to fear ?
and yet, under the present system, they are the gene-
ral paymasters. Their humble earnings are taxed to
the amount of 40 or 50 per cent•, while the owners of
accumulated and realised property contribute a much
smaller proportion of their incomes to the national
exigencies. There must be something radically de-
fective in the system of legislation under which such
a state of affairs is sanctioned and tolerated.
' The council of the association ascribe these evils to
the fact that the great body of the people are not
fully or fairly represented in the popular branch of
the Legislature, and they have accordingly deter-
mined not only to direct their labours to the removal
of the existing grievances, but also, and in the first
instance, to the removal of the causes by which these
grievances have been occasioned. In their report they
state that—

" Deeply impressed with the conviction, that no effec-
tual or lasting relief from the present unequally
imposed and heavy burden of taxation can, or
will take place, until the tax-payers have a more direct
influence in the election of those representatives who
have to deal with the national resources, the council,
after much anxious solicitude and careful deliberation.
came to the conclusion that the agitation for Parlia-
mentary reform should precede that for financial amelio-
ration."
Although there is much justice in this reasoning
we cannot altogether approve of the decision, if it be
thereby intended to relax in any degree their exer-
tions for the immediate removal of the evils they have
so clearly exposed. The agitation for monetary, for
fiscal, and for financial reforms may be carried on
simultaneously with that for Parliamentary reform.
Nothing can more powerfully stimulate the latter
than a full exposition of the practical grievances under
which the nation groans, and a temperate but
firm demand for speedy redress. If judicious
laws were wisely and discreetly administered,
the great body of the community would
care but little for any merely theoretical errors,
and it would be impossible to organize a bold, de-
termined, and combined movement. But if, on the
other hand, the practical abuses be flagrant and op-
pressive—if the people actually suffer under the
effects of class legislation, and that it be clearly and
satisfactorily shown that these abuses are only the
natural results of a vicious constitution of the Legis-
lature, the demand for Parliamentary reform will
become universal, and the desires of the nation can no
longer be despised or neglected. It was the agita-
tion commenced at Liverpool by the Financial Reform
Association of that town, and the admirable publica-
tions that from time to time emanated from that
patriotic body, that aroused the people to a sense of
their wrongs, and led to the present energetic move-
ment. Let not weapons that have already proved
so efficacious be abandoned, or cast aside for a single
moment.

We would not, however, be misunderstood. Let
it not be supposed that we would for a moment desire
to weaken the efforts to be made for Parliamentary
reforms, by dividing the power of the people.
Far otherwise ; let the most vigorous and energetic
exertions be made for the extension of civil rights,
but let those exertions be accompanied by equally
vigorous efforts for the removal of monetary, of fiscal,
and of financial abuses.

Although we regret to find that, among the many
valuable legislative reforms insisted on by the associa-
tion, the abolition of the " property qualification"
has been overlooked or dispensed with, we gladly
recognise the importance of the changes ad-
vocated, and we admit that all real Reformers
should endeavour to promote that unanimity and
mutual co-operation that is so essential to success.
Some may conceive that the association goes too far,
others that it does not go far enough, but even
the most zealous Reformer, the most thorough-
paced Radical, must acknowledge that the
measures advocated would ; form a very_ large
instalment of all that he could desire. Uni-
versal suffrage is not :sought for, but such an
extension is desired as would more than qua-
druple the various constituencies, as would give the
elective franchise to no less than from three to
four millions of our fellow-subjects, now wholly un-
represented. The association does not even stop at
household suffrage, the goal at which so many con-
sistent and honest Reformers desire to arrive. They
go still further, and (in their own words)
" Have decided on advocating such an extension ef
the franchise as will give to every male occupier of a
tenement, or any portion of a tenement, the right to be re•
gistered as an elector; the only condition coupled with
that right being, not the payment of rates, but the fact
of being rated, or having claimed to be rated, for the
relief of the poor, in respect of the qualifying pre-
mises."

This is, indeed, an important step in the right
direction, and when, in addition thereto, the " ballot"
is advocated in all its integrity, when triennial
Parliaments are demanded—those two great questions
each of which have been now affirmed by legislative
majorities, and when, moreover, an equalization of
the electoral districts, so as more fairly to apportion
the Members to the several constituencies is required,
but little remains to be desired, and he would be an
enemy to the good cause who would introduce dis•
sension for the purpose of looking for more sweeping
alterations. Some "may look to ulterior object&
even beyond the principles of the association," but
that is no reason why they should not co-operate
zealously and effectually with the body so far as they
are disposed to go. Let all honest Reformers under
whatever denomination they may be classed, whether
as Liberals, Radicals, or Chartists, join the associa-
tion, and subscribe to its funds, thus supplying the
real sinews of war. Let them give "a long pull, a
strong pull," and above all, "a pull all together,"
and they will speedily be enabled to congratulate
themselves on great and decisive success; and, if they
think other changes necessary, to prepare themselves
for the further contest, on which they will enter with
all the prestige of victory.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris papers of Saturday and
yesterday.
The Constituent Assembly closed its labours on
Saturday night. Having disposed of all the business
before it, M. ARMAND MARRAST, the President, ad-
dressed the Assembly in a short speech, which con-
tained a history of their labours from the day of their
assembling, on the sth May, 1848, to the day of their
dissolution, 26th May, 1849, in the course of which
he passed a warm and most merited eulogium on the
Assembly for the services it had rendered to the cause
of liberty, and for the firm and moderate conduct it
had pursued under the critical circumstances in
wnich the country was placed. It had, he said,
at the commencement of its labours, been assailed
by the unjust suspicions of one extreme party,
th that
had
these
es
and at its termination by the equally unjust suspi-
cions of another equally violent party in the opposite
extreme,t it
between and eit
throughoutt
was
wo
extremes. the
its
career great
Imerit t
acted
aoetfdi
ng: theaat Au
Assembly
em
Moderatormnbe
M. MARRAST has merel
the future historian. Cy anticipated the judgment of
Cordially do we concur in the
on
eulogium of M. MARRAST d the Constituent As-
sembly, which has not only
country, but of the whole hum
an
race.eserved_ well of its
M. MARRAST
concluded his speech by a cry of "Yive la.
Republique !" which was loudly responded
to, and amidst which cries the Constituent
Assembly was declared by the President
M. MARRAST to have terminated its labours. And
here we must record a piece of petty and miserable
spite on the part of a man who, from his position,
ought to have known better. The instant the Presi-
dent had declared the Assembly dissolved, and even
before he had time to quit his presidential chair, or
the members had quitted their seats, General CHAN-
GARNIER, with the most insulting air, ordered the
officer commanding the guard of the Assembly, who
up to that moment had been under the orders of the
President, to retire with his men. General CHAN-
GARNIER is, we presume, aware of the nature of the
animal which kicks dead lions.;
In the sitting of Friday the Assembly voted the
order of the day as an amendment to the motion of
M. LEDRU ROLLIN for inquiry into the alleged con-
spiracy by a majority of 48, the numbers being 308
to 260. On Saturday the motion of M. FLocosr for
a general amnesty was lost by a majority of five only
in a house of 567. An attempt was made by MM.
CLEMENT THOMAS and DEGOUSSEE to induce the
Assembly to sit on Sunday, which was unsuc-
cessful, and then the Assembly passed its last
vote which was, " The National Assembly votes its
thanks to the National Guard and the Army." The