Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-10-07


any such excuse, unless upon the supposidon that
though it may be true as fact, ii is utterly hollow
as reason that is TO be alleged to people having
any pretensons to style themselves republic.
We cannot understand republic that has to be
protected from its own people by martial law and
huge armed force constantly on the alert: the
freedom that cannot face discussion in the newspa-
pers, is freedom that balks all our conceptions.
Apparently tconsiss in the promise that FranceshalI
be free when she shall cease to wish to canvass the
acts of her Government; or rather when, canvass
ing them or not that country of instability and
violence shall no longer, among its abandoned par
ties and wild opinions, have any one anxious to
pull down, for either royalty, or red republic or
pure commonwealth, domination which contents
neither the veneration Of Legitimacy, nor the deasp
OF the Theorists, nor the rational approval of the Prac
teal. It is freedom in nubibus; offers no secu-
rity, satisfies nobody except by momentary post
ponement of connections, which its own arbitrary
conduct is the fttest possible thing to excite and,
in short, cannot last. fresh revolution is obvi-
ously impending, and that, unhappily, some work
of violent change, that little stand. For the
country swarms with wild notions of excessive
liberty or its opposite, and possesses, among all its
dangerous factions none that is capable of master
ing the rest, unless for an instant We see, there
fore, for France, future but one Of confuson of
anarchy succeeding anarchy nor do we perceive
even the melancholy prospect Of her at last finding
refuge under master-some strong man like Ma
PoLEoN For even ais gigantic force of abilities
and character could not long save him from over
throw. Nothing else than genius as extraordina-
ry as his could well pluck her out of her present
state; nor then, perhaps, without long series of
wars, upon the glory If which to build up for him
a boundless authority. And even then peace or
reverse would be fatal to him, and fling her back
into that old cycle of alternate Legitimacy and po
pular sovereignty, through which she has now, for
sixty years, been running, We can recognise no.
thing i'll the character Of the nation out of which
order or political security can be constituted. Her
instincts are all unsound; her imagination full of
high but bad traditions, none Of them those of either
regulated liberty or limited kingsfip. Her ideas of
freedom are mere jacobinism hr notions of mo-
narchy carry that to absolutism in other words,
her republicans are Rousscauists her monarchists
divine-rightists. Now, which o these is worst il
is hard to tell Intellectually, hen, she is as un-
sound in politics could well b; while, morally,
she is perhaps still worse. Ter rural population
is sunk in ignorance, her civi in the general rage
Of luxury The former can tae no intelligent and
the latter no patriotic part in pblic questions for
never can there be sulhciet body of good citi-
zens in country so deepl sensual as France.
Add to all this wide irregio and an inveterate ma
tonal taste for military glory and you have people
perhaps little capable Of ne soberness, the self
denial, the moderation, anthe wisdom that genu-
Inc freedom requires, as my that ever in these
modern days sucked N, frn the corrupt visionaries
of Geneva and Ferng, she dream Of republic
without sense, or mota or God. As to Gen
CAvAIGNAC, his fall nybe close al hand, for his
popularity seems to belfast deserving him. What
Is TO follow one cannotFen conjecture. Certainly
the National AssemblSll amuses itself and the
Public with dgesting Y scheme of a republic on
paper-a Constitution Put if they were ever SO
good architects, piannit magnificent piles is not
building them. TO slth the midst of dclator's
bivouacked legions and ncy constitutions may, for
Parsians, be very ratRal diversion but if they
take it for any thing moi solid they deceive them
selves pitiably. What e all the charters in the
world-even were they sgood as our own-if the
people is supne enoue or corrupt or foolish ,
enough, 10 let chief nristrate trample with i'm
punity upon every muninht of freedom
We will proceed anodr day with Italian, Aus
tran, and Prussian Attain For we do not choose |
to count largely on thepatience Of our readers
in foreign politics as we nst sometimes do in do
mes!ic. .