Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-04-02
From the London Weekly Despatch.

This is the period Of the year at which
Europe receives the annual address Of the Pre-
sident of the United States to the American
Congress, and It's arrival is fortunately proxi-
mate to the delivery of the speech from tho
throne to the Houses Of Parliament. No doc
uments can form a stronger contrast. The one
is clear statistical and veracious statement OF
the finances and public affairs of the Union,
| with the actual condition of every branch Of
society, wish all their interests, and pretty
clearly all their feelings, or at least their pub
lie feeling; the other is always most mcnda-
cious document, or escapes the guilt of false
hoods by losing itselfin vague and unmeaning
generalties. The Presidents message is al
ways read with deep interest in every cabinet
in Europe, whilst royal speeches arc never
read at all, or are read only to be ridiculed and
despised. At this time Of the year it is GUS
tomary for the Tory press to vent its spleen,
and pour forth its venom and falsehoods against
republican and all free institutions, and ii is our
duty to supply the an.idotes. We are told that
two million and four hundred thousand votes
were actually given at the recent election of
Gen. HARRISON, as President of the Republic.
This is at least three times as many votes as
our miserable constituency for all the repre-.
sentative, OF rather Representatives, OF Eng
land, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. The
whole male adult population Of the United
States cannot, at the most, amount to three
millions and half, and if we take into consid-
Grafton the many hundreds, or perhaps thou
sands, who from absence, accidents, or from
various causes, do not vote at all, we arrive
very nearly at the point Of Universal Suffrage.
Another distinction is, that the votes in Amer
lea are thoroughly free. whilst it is not too
much, perhaps, to say that in our kingdom,
with the exception of few large town, nine
tenth of our votes are more or less corrupt
The Americans admit To- the franchises as ma
ny as they possibly can, whilst we throw eve
~ impeachment in the way of granting it, and
vet, what with our Chartsts and Socialists, our
Clergy prosecutions and Ecclesiastical Courts
infamies, with similar evils, our notion is III
stale of anarchy, compared with the American
Republic. Republican,sn lnsures stability,
for there is always strong minority, and the
President is always responsible tor his conduct
to the people, whereas the madness or death OF
Sovereign in England occasions infinite con-
fusion. Nothing can be more faIacious than
the hackneyed doctrine tha: monarchy ensures
peace and stability of measures. The strug-
gle for thrones in France, Spain, and Portugal
alone, form most singular contrast with the
pGdcefu succession OF one AilieiICdH lteslueHI
to the other. Our public writer's are perpetu-
ally arguing upon Poor Laws, Corn Laws,
and equal or unequal taxation, the ballot, and
the suffrage; but they do not reflect that these
questions are no longer speculative, and that
America has practically solved the whole OF
them. In all probability France and Sweden
will be republics at the death of their respec-
tive monarchs, and SO it will be with Spain
and Portugal, and what, then. will be the
march of intellect in England! The king of
France has been prosecuting the celebrated NJ.
Lamennias, for exciting hatred against the gov
eminent, by pamphlet, aud the jury have
been base enough to find him guilty. Such
trial could not be Instituted in America, and if
it were, jury would scott it out of court
Every man has right to expose the errors or
vices of rulers, and to excite dlsapproval OF
system of government or constitution, or other
wise all reforms would be impossible and ru-
lers would be absolute, without responsibility
or control Of any sort. There is neither vice
nor virtue in exciting hatred against govern
ment. Either one CT the other may be the
case, according to the facts and arguments of
the writer, and these ought to be left to the
reasoning faculties of the public and not to the
mercies Of an Attorney General.