The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1841.

THE FRENCH PRESS AND THE
AMERICAN CONSTITUTION.
(From the Paris Journal La Prcsse.)
The American Union, the constitution of which has
been so much boasted of as admirable, is a singular
country. Disturbances are breaking out on every
point, and the gravest symptom connected with them
is that they meet with no repression. The odious
-Lynch Code is likely to ha substituted everywhere for
regular legislation. It is the invasion of barbarism over
civil.zation. The President, that chief elected by the
people, is decried, spit upon, and insulted even in his
own house, by a mob of women and street-porters, who
burn him in effigy, whilst they are waiting for the op
portunity of doing it in reality. In Congress, the
American Lycurgians from time to time strip off their
coats, and argue with their fists ; and these are the
most moderate some there are who prefer a contro-
versy with the knife. In the Government, the anarchy
is still greater : we see Ministers presenting important
measures to the Chambers,and exerting all their eloquence
to have them adopted, and, then, after their labour the

President, of whom they are the representatives and the
organs, destroys all their work by a stroke of his veto. The
Ministers then naturally withdraw ; but in the United
States changes of Ministry are effected in a pecular
way. Before they retire there are Ministers who con-
sider it indispensable to the dignity of the Government
to treat the President, the depository of the Executive
power, the living personification of the majesty of the
people, like the lowest of clowns. Mr. Ewing, the Se-
cretary of the Treasury, reproaches the Chief of the
Executive with having neither law nor faith in putting
his veto upon the very measures which he had advised
and called for, with being more changeable than a wea-
thercock, or more deceitful than hypocrisy in person, or
more silly than all the imbeciles whose united suffrages
made him the first authority of the State. This is very
flattering for the sovereign people is it not ? But this
is not all. If there be Ministers who retire when they
are turned out, there are others who prefer remaining.
This is what Mr. Webster, the Minister for Foreign
Affairs has done. He is a Whig, and all the new mem-
bers, who replace the retired Ministers, are Jacksonitea.
Mr. Webster, however, does not consider himself mis-
placed amongst them, and gives a curious reason for
his obstinacy in remaining at his post. He says he has
at heart the termination of the affairs which he com-
menced ! as if all the ether Ministers could not assign a
similar motive ! Amongst these riffairs is that of M'Lcod,
which specially affects the question of the sovereignty of
particular States. The Cabinet to which Mr. Webster
belonged fell into disgrace in public opinion chiefly be-
cause it was desirous of arranging this affair amicably
with England, without allowing the pretensions of the
State of New York, by which M'Leod is prosecuted.
No matter ; it is precisely for that that Mr. Webster
remains. This is a strange spectacle ! What would
the admirers of the American Constitution say, if such
anomalies were seen in the constitutional monarchies of
Eurepe ? Let us add to the above, that this moral
people have three or four times committed bankruptcy ;
that this economical people, who three or four years
ago did not owe a single dollar, arc now obliged to bor•
row sixty millions to cover only a portion of their de-
ficit ; that this philanthropic people have not less than
three millions of slaves ; that this enlightened people
resort to the prohibition of foreign products to augment
their Customs revenue, the most stupid piece of in-
consistency that could enter the human brain; that this
people, with all the thane; s of prosperity, are daily on
the brink of dissolution, so much so that the other day,
they were nearly falling to pieces on the question of
the nomination of an Ambassador to England. We
have had in France, for a time, Republicans, who, wish-
ing not to be confounded with the democracy whose
exploits had been witnessed on this side the Atlantic,
solemnly called themselves disciples of the American
school. We should like to know what they think of
their school now. The theory may perhaps be good,
but the practice is certainly detestable.