The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-10 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, FEB. 10, 1868.

The debate on the Press Bill was resumed by the
Legislative Body, and the result was not very
favourable to the cause of liberty. Perhaps, after

all, it may turn out that there is more talk- than

do in the affair. Several speeches were made by
M. TRIERS, BAROCRE, and others, and upon the
amendment suggesting that cases of press offences
should be tried before a jury being put, it was lost

by one hundred and ninety-nine votes against
thirty-five. This is to be regretted, because far
more justice is likely to be rendered under such a
scheme than could possibly be hoped for in any
other mode of proceeding. It seems strange that
there should have been such a large majority, when

,he prevailing opinion of the Chamber had appeared
:o go in the other direction. In fact, we may say

,hat one of the chief impediments now in the way

of free legislation, in this respect, is that the trials
are arranged and carried on in such an arbitrary
feeling that the defendant seems to have little

or no chance of getting fair play. Had the
amendment just lost been carried it would
most decidedly have been a step in the
right direction. It is said that this Press Bill is
decidedly an improvement on the whole, and it is
to be hoped that it is for many reasons. At any rate
if it is so it will have its chance, and that is all its
promoters can expect or deserve. It is strange that

the EMPEROR cannot or will not recognise the im-
portance of this matter, and see how much his
course of arbitrary proceeding has militated against
his own reputation and injured the cause of pro-
gress in the land.
Some of the observations that the various speakers
made are worthy of notice, and it is interesting to
notice that the example of this country is often
quoted to show how far more perfect is our legisla-
tion on the subject of the Press laws in general. M.

PICARD'S speech was a very fine one, and he declared

that the Press was the "palladium of liberty." How
true was the after observation that he made as to
the disadvantages of the Correctional Tribunal.

With them the discretionary power of the
Government still exists over the Press,
and of course that means the effect of the law.
" You appoint the judges, those judges are de-
pendent on you for promotion, and they will natu-
rally only pronounce judgments that are the echo
of your policy." We cannot say that the reply to
M. PICARD was at all a success ; on the contrary,
it seemed to show that there were far greater ad-
vantages for the journalist under the jury system.
It appears that some attacks made on LOUIS PHI-
LIPPE were made the subject of a trial, and the jury
acquitted the offender. M. ST. LACROIX argued
thence in his reply that the jury was not to be

,rusted, but it does not follow that the affair in

question was so serious as he made it out, and at
any rate the jury ;might have represented public
opinion more correctly by an acquittal than it
could have done by a condemnation. M. 'rumßs
takes a very correct view of this Press question,
and he was able in his speech to declare that during
his tenure of office he had never prosecuted a news-
paper except for attacks against the KING ; he had
abstained from so doing when the Ministry was
made the subject of animadversion. When the jury
was unreliable, those who offended against the
KING were tried by the Chamber of Peers.
This is a much better mode of proceeding than the
present fashion of substituting a correctional police
for trial by jury, and which is found to be so ob-

jectionable in all its practices. M. JULES FAVRE'S
remarks on the debate are especially worthy of no-
tice, and he put the case very fairly before the
Chamber. He said that the proposed change could
in no way be regarded as an innovation, but was
rather a return to the past. "If the danger from

the liberty of the Press be so great that an axiomatic
principle must be sacrificed, let the fact be acknow-
ledged, and not gloried in." If the juries are
not to be depended on, why have them in criminal
cases, as he justly asks his opponents ? If such an
attempt were made it would cause great confusion
and shake the foundations of society, which shows
that it is an untenable thing and are out of charac-
ter to propose. The case could not possibly have
been more clearly put than it was by this speaker ;
and, as he said, it is not suitable to subject the so-
called offences of the Press to the strict scrutiny of
a judge ; they are far better disposed of by a jury.
It is some satisfaction to find from Mr.
BAROCIIE'S remarks that the Ministry enter-
tain far clearer notions on the subject of the
Press and of liberty than they used to do. He said,
in plain words, that the present generation de-
manded a far greater extension of liberty than their
predecessors had, and it would not do to cross
their expectations. "Do not stop them in their
path ; endeavour not to withhold the best to guide
them." This is strong and significant language,
coming from such a quarter ; and it is no surprise
that it should have occasioned a great
deal of excitement in Paris. At any rate
it is a decided step in advance that a man in NI.
ROUHER'S position should have sufficient courage to
speak out as he has done. He declares that of the
eight millions and a-half who constituted the Em-
pire four have passed away for a younger genera-
tion, and these new-comers look for a more en-
larged policy and a more enlightened state of things.
The papers do not comment upon this speech,
which is a very strange thing, as it is so
important a one. Whether from having taken
offence at the new regime or not, or whether from
disliking the chance of new prosecutions, the Paris
journals seem determined to try the do-nothing
policy for a time. We do not know how the French
estimate this conduct, but to English ideas it is
neither wise nor dignified. It is never wise to
appear defeated before the trial has come
off ; and those parties who represent a
great feature in the State should be above such
petty notions of retaliation and manifestations of
irritation and annoyance. M. EUGENE FORCADE
makes some remarks in the Semaine Financiere,
which are well worthy of notice, especially as they
refer to the speech of 111. ROUIIER, which is described
as eloquent and effective to the fullest extent. The
promise made by the EMPEROR will be kept he affirms,
and the system of repression which has obtained for
the last fifteen years is to be abandoned. The
"situation" is relieved, and the dawn of a new and
better era has app,:ared. lie goes on to intimate
that the prospects of the financial world have been
improved by all this, and thus we may perhaps per-
mit ourselves to indulge in sanguine expectations as
to the Press of France taking a great start under
the auspices of this new Bill.

The cordial reception of Mr. TlloßNTox, the
newly appointed British Minister to the United
States, by the PRESIDENT, is possibly significant of
nothing more than the routine of diplomatic eti-
quette. Nevertheless, we may hope that the changes