The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-12-01

main features are first that it establishes government
based upon universal suffrage secondly, that il conlers
all legislative power upon single Assembly and third
w. that il contains no trace whatever of federal
federated system.
| It may well be doubted whether the population of
France is YET prepared for the exercise of universal su
frage but be doubted that the attempt to ac-
compsh the whole body Of legislation required by thr'
ty-ve millions of people, by single Assembly so elect
ed, Numbering seven hundred and fifty members, and
sitting in pefmanehce. is an attempt beset with the
gravest difficulties and pers. The subdivisions OF
the counuythe departments, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, and com
munes-have indeed some shadow of legislative and
executive organization in their councils and pre-
fects; but no attempt is made in the constitution
to define the limits prescribe the character of their
thoy and these separate organizations seem indeed III
their very essence depend upon the discretion OF the
Presidents for he may pleasure suspend the members
who compose them 1t can hardly be doubted that tins
Is the weak and vulnerable point of the whole system
There are no interior domestic legislatures 10 perform
functions akin to those of our State governments All
depends upon the Central National Assembly when
that gets ont of order, everything is in confusion There
are no subsidiary independent political Organizations to
uphold public order The only recourse is to some form
OF despotic and martial law, such now prevails in
Paris We doubt whether any country in the world
could adopt epublcansm like this without great peril
The power OF the French Executive is vast. Either
alone or with his counseor he holds the whole power
of appointment Through his ministers, who may at any
time take their places and be heard in the Assembly, he
possesses the initiative of legislation and may originate
what bills he ft His appointing power extends to
the local judiciary, and he commissions even the justices
Of the peace He has no veto, further than simple
power to refer back to the Assembly any bill for recon-
sideraon which, if passed upon such reconsideration,
must be promulgated by him as law. He is checked
principally by an executive body appointed by the AS
semby. and denomnaed the Council of State but their
power seems rather advisory than efectua against the
executive will He can be brought to trial only before
the High Court OF Jus,icea body constituted for the spe
cia purpose by the Assembly, out of the judges of the
higher courts and the councils of the departments.
The Declaration of Rights which forms the first article
of the constitution is remarkable chiefly for the extern
sion which gives to the functions Of government Re-
ligon, education industry, and even social morality,
all placed under the sway of the legislative authority
The law is to see to it that all Frenchmen brothers.
and as such demean themselves The government mel
dies with everything. As the New York Evening Post
well says, ait charges itself with paying salaries the
ministers Of religion, and for this purpose it collect
from the people adequate to the purpose To
title them the wages OF their profession, they must be-
| long to a denomination recognised by law. The Ma.
tiona Assembly to occupy itself with controversies
concerning the expedency of admitting every newly in
troduced sect to the rank OF religion recognised by the
State and every minister is to be government stpen-
diary. The profession of those who instruct the young
also be exercised only under the superintendent of
| the State No school can be established Of which the
| government is not TO take charge"
Besides all this, there efecua check upon hasty
or i'll advised legislation, upon the tyranny Of the
majority over the minority. Bills must, indeed, in the
ordinary course of legislation be read three times, with
an interval of FIVE days between each successive reading
But the majority Of the Assembly has only TO decree any
measure of urgency and even the precaution OF
such delay is done away with.
In word, among the numerous and obvious defects
and dangers OF this constitution discover but single
prominent conservative element 1t bases the whole
government upon the support OF the whole people. 1t
does away with privileged castles and orders. The As.
senby renewable every three years. must represent the
interests and feelings OF the of French citizens
must yield at the next rennal period TO those who do
France under this charter, is democracy bat democ-
racy which TO inclined to govern too much, and
with unskifu4 organism Of legislation.
We copy the following opinions upon the subject from
the London Times, with the single remark, that the
"leadng Journal was probably in the wrong
than in lis depreciation of the great weakness OF the
French Executive
| There six "constutious"-that is 10 say, six
era accepted forms of civil govcrnmenunder Louis
XVI, and eight in that anarchical interval which
preceded the Of the consulate The 1suate
itself fundamentally changed by the appointment of
Bonapae Tor life that II may fairly be represented as sup
l plying two specimens to the catalogue There was then
that prodigous development of the principle which
was termed the Empire, which again was materially mod
flied in 1915 from ginal form in 1894 In the interval
that is the 1h of June lSil-tbe@e brief
viva of the old royalty of France, which again
stored and confirmed after the OF Waterloo This
makes score and person, presume, viii deny that
the days OF July added another upon and attractive
basis, which, after longer and, will admit
promising trial than OF lis predecessors finally
perseded by those of last February which have ri
pened into the contamination announced.
IL would be enough the character OF the
new work by reference its published maxns, since
making abatement for that of language
which perpetual appeal to hest principles has induced
the decisions of the Assembly the great questions of
eminent and legislation recorded in phrases snguary
teal habits inquire the position, privileges, La
btes of individual Frenchmen any gwen under
the new constitution, would be extremely difficult
turn satisfactory reply In the first place. the opera
cies of everyday life will be extensively odifed
rather viii be altogether deerm ned by the organIc
which still remain be discussed and in the second
place, many of its provisions concerned with such
practical and uanscendenta theories of abstract poy,
thar their recognition scarcely involves any
results than would follow upon national acceptance
Rants Crtique of Pure Reason We hardly
by experience in concluding that under the code Just
published, there will be any real constitutional law