The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-06 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6, 1861.

Austria has thrown off the mask, Mr. ROEBUCK
must pay another visit to Vienna, and see her as
she is. Better, perhaps, if he extended his trip to
Pesth, or to the City of the venerable Cardinal
Primate, Gran, and then he would see the handi-
work of his blessed constitution maker. And what
would that work be ? Military rule, occupation of
the country, unmitigated and unqualified. And
why ? Have there been riots ? Has there been
bloodshed? Does violence appear in any shape?
Nothing whatever of the kind, except as practised
by the EMPEROR and his military agents. No;
this is the punishment, not of disobedience to law,
but of adherence to it ; not of turbulence, but of
peace and quiet. A monarch quarters an army on
his people, because they will not depart from strict
legality. He garrisons his kingdom, not against
an enemy, but against itself.
A military Governor is appointed instead of the
Monarch submitting to a lawful coronation and
taking the oaths, without which he cannot be law-
ful KING. Military men are put in the place of
the legal Lords-Lieutenants of the counties, and
the County Municipalities, the Comitats, are dis-
solved ; their assemblies are forbidden, and military
tribunals established throughout the country ! A
kingdom of 15,000,000 of people are to be
governed by Austrian courts-martial or some-
thing very similar to it. And this is the best
resource of the Austrian statesmen, of whom we
are frequently told that they are such able men.
Able they are at flattering and cajoling English
statesmen and English senators—but with what
contempt would a genuine statesman like CAVOUR
have regarded such mechanical, brute force
politicians as these. "Martial law," he
would exclaim, "No, any fool can govern
in that way." Austria is beggared evidently
in all respects. Her military genius is the genius
f"'being always beaten, even by Hungarians
armed with scythes, unless Russians came to her
help. get financial genius is bankruptcy, till she
can get a loan by force only. Her political genius
is the genius of the stick and the bayonet.
And this is the country which a Radi-
cal member of our Parliament praises for a
Constitution more liberal than our own, and old
Whig statesmen pet and PTA on the back as the
strength of Southern and Eastern Europe !
We do hope our Ministers and Austria-loving
members of Parliament will now awaken
from their
dreams. It is time for them to
recognise
that bad faith, illegality, and
despotic
revolutions and crimes are weaknesses; and that
national, unanimous, love of an old and free consti-
tution, with national love of law and order, is
strength. Hungary is strong morally. Once let
her get her confessed rights, and she will bestrong
physically—but strong Austria can never be, for
she can never be just and true. A free Hungary
ought to he the end and aim of British statesman-
ship. Hungary strong, Italy strong, and Poland
regaining her own, is, despite all the finessee of
diplomatists, the only basis of a quiet Europe—
the only security against Czars and Cossacks.
Let the nations have their independence and
.liberties worth fighting for, and Czars, both
..Eastern and Western, will think it best to let
Ahem alone.

-""ces misfortune is England's opportunity.
And—icev veraa. TIIAT used to be regarded,
absolutely, as one of the A.ilosophy,wiliest axioms of political
yore have happily long rid ourselves,

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THE SUN.