Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-04-21
From ihn Chrnnninne.
from me thr0nofype,
The French ReyOlutlOn---itS Causes
and Course.

constitutes all its novelty, and most Of its
glory, was due 10 Chariyari or Punch. For
the last dozen years, thanks 10 Menus, the
civilized world has been learning how to deal
with royalty and brute force. ltgocs straight
ahead in the paths Of its rights and laughs at
both.
France is the land Of social feeling and
consequently Of social science. Englishmen
shut themselves in dark walls, seground them
selves by high fences; Frenchmen live in
society, they rejoice in politeness, they glo-
~ in great public institutions. The sociabil.
ity Of France showed itself when revolution
first broke out. The aristocracy was dissolv-
cd in a moment, High and low fratemized,
they embraced. But fear remained and led
to blood.
The nobility never recovered frcm the blow
of '92. Since then there have been but two
classes in France, the bourgeois or middle
class Of bankers, traders, scholars, landhold-
ers, and the curriers' or working people,
Ever since the old revolution il has been the
idea of the middle class, and Napoleon fos-
tered it, that the working people were to be
instructed and elevated. The peasantry,
just such stuff as the scientific and the veal
thy are made Of, are little above the savage
state.
The scientific and the wealthy, prompted
by their social feelings, have looked forward
TO the disenthrallment Of the laboring millions
from ignorance as the only hope of free gov.
eminent. They submitted TO Monarchy in
1880, only as a temporary eXpedient, till the
masses could be elevated. The solemn vow
of Louis Philippe, when he assembled the
throne, was 10 promote education and remove
monopoly-in other words, to fit the people
foi self-government. He does not seem to
have paid the slightest regard to his OATH
He repaid the confidence Of Lafayette with
ingrattude. He raised armies, but not schools.
He built Notifications, but not school houses.
He set his diplomacy TO strengthen the hands
of the enemies of Freedom. throughout Eu-
rope. He helped Austria and discouraged
Poland. He proved treachetous 10 Mehemet
Ali. He discouraged liberty in Italy. He
endeavored to revive fallen tyranny in Swift
zerland. He, in short, held the good Of the
French nation and of the world subservient
to the aggrandizement Of his own family, as
was showed in The paltry trick of the Span
ish marriages.
But all this was nothing to the unboundod
corruption which he ~practiceI in bfibing the
people out Of what little voice they had in
their government. Without scruple he turn
ed the revenues Of the State, just so far as
was necessary for his purposes, to make
tools Of tho Chambers of Peers and Of Depu-
ties.
Still there has always been an uncorrupted
opposition, containing many of the most en-
lightened statesmen that the world ever saw.
These men, with the glory of their country
at heart, have poured out their eloquence from
the tribune, enough 10 have softened granite
and enlightened Erebus, and yet have had
the modification II see their wholly unan-
swered speeches blindly voted down, and The
most righteous measures postponed without
reason from year 10 year. They have preach
ed economy and saw a national debt rolling
up by millions yearly.
AS il naturally would do under such a 60
yernment as this, the gulf between wealth
and poverty has been rapidly Widening
This has brought up the great social ques-
lion, Of how the millions are to work and live,
and it has for years been discussed by the
best minds in France, as it has nowhere else
in the world. In theory great advances have
been made in the solution Of this question, in
practice, nothing.
We have called Louis Philippe a tyrant.
That is not saying that he was a savage. On
the other hand he was a polished, christian
gentleman, who was always doing the poll
test things. He left every where in Paris,
his name on public improvements. He took
tho best of care that France should have a
good police, and that the people should be
free as long as they pleased TO do what he
would have them. But he was not the less
a tyrant. He sternly put down the Liberty
of the Press, and under the p~retence of dan
ger from the legitimists, denied the right of
The people to assemble to act politically. He
blocked up peremptorlIy all measures Of prac-
tical reform in behalf Of the laboring millions,
and at last had the madness to oppose the
simple and imperative reform in favor Of a
lust representation of the 2i0, 900 voters.-
He OUGHT himself to have been a reformer for
that. The practice Of the King had been
caught by his ministers, till the corruption
became so enormous that Emile dc Girardin,
editor of the Presse, ventured to charge it up
on Guizot. That cool and cunning politician,
with the censorship and all power of pro-
s~cription in his hands, found himself check
mated by an editor. One delinquent minis
ter was obliged to resign and back out of Of
fee and life. The confidence of the French
in her government was utterly destroyed
The system of corruption was thenceforward
as thoroughly understood by the people as it
was tenaciously held on to by the infatuated
government.
Parliamentary reform, from the fall of
Teste, was demanded in the most determined
tone. 1t was as firmly resisted by NJ. Guizot,
who strove to frighten The timid by repre-
senting to them that such reform would open
,ee door TO all those social reforms which
were in agitation by the extreme opposition.
1t was he business of government, according
to M, GuiEot, 10 preserve order, not to settle
any Utopian social problems. And to pre-
serve order, il wcs necessary to tax the peo-
pie to buy up their representatives.
The measures Of reform concerted by the
opposition, which now for the first time, af-
ter the disclosure OF the great aorruptions, In
cluded Lamartine, were conceived In the
highest and noblest spirit. The plan was by
great meetings throughout France, attended
and addressed by the men of the highest tal.
ent 10 enlighten the people of France and
arouse their conscience and honor. Guizoi
himself having been in the habit of annually
addressing his constituents at Lisenx, in lau.
dation of his own government, could not very
we'll object TO Lamaytine and Rolin and Bar
- Iinnr ihn eane snrt of thing. Yo maxi