Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-03-30

Poor, Fsl We copy the Introductory portion
giving an accoun, Of the causes Of tho revolu'
4 ton
4 About year since the French copied from
their English neighbrs political dinners, anc
IN few months there was not large town o
the kingdom but what had its reunion pohti
que, with proper quantity OF eating, drinking
toasting, and speechiiying. They were attend
ed by the different factions Of the opposition
and as The government became more unpopular
the Kings health (Which is always proposed
\ first in monarch.al countries,) was omtted--a
measure which excited the wrath of his supper
ters. About sixty of these banquets were held
between the prorogation Of the Chamber OF De-
! puiics in July, and ts re-assembling in Deccm-
Der, generally under the direction of Monsieur
! Duyergicr d'llaurannc, a Deputy who was
| formerly editor Of the Globe, aud who, though
he cast of his allegiance to Guzot IN 1889
! and has since been an assduous follower o
| Theirs has never once wavered in his predllec
tion for constitutional government, or in his
desire to secure the liberties of his country or
solid basis. They were also attended by
! Odllon Barrot, who for twenty years has oc
cupicd a high position AT the bar-Lamarinc
| whose reputation as a writer and speaker Is
| G.. w. Lafaycttc-Lcdru Rollin--in short, by
the opposition leaders of oil shades. Without
being violent, they spoke freely on the subject
of electoral reform, and produced a healthy
! agitation of public sentiment, which spoke well
for the rational progress Of constitutional liber-
/ ty in France.
4 This manifestation dsplcascd NJ. Guizot the
head of the Ministry, who is a most learned
am sl ma yat No II at
clan. Though for nearly twenty years he had
reigned supreme in the Chamber, captivating,
enchanting, and dominecring over his fellow
! Deputies, as he poured forth the treasures OF
his richly stored mind, standing unconquered
in argument or debate there are scores OF
| Frenchmcn who surpass him in tact, in sagaci-
", in far-sightedness, and in Cancellation. In
deed, his austere, pedantic, unbending mind,
contains much that is antipathetic to the mass
Of the French. However copious and fertile
he may have been in argument, however pow
erful his pen, however sef,relant in tone and
superior in lnfoma,ion-his austerity and dog
matsm rendered his sway irksome, even to his
friends.
4 BY the advice Of Guizot, the Kings speech
at the opening Of the Chamber contained an
attack upon the banqucts mentioned above,
while the Deputies who had attended them
were signalized as promoters of anarchy and
dlscord. Smarting under this charge, these
Deputies determined to attend a banquet in
Paris itself, and hen The struggle commenced,
| by the disntcrment by the Ministers of an OBJ
soletc police law of 1890, passed by the Assem-
blee NHionale, proclaimng such assomblages
Illegal. such stretch of power as this-and
the attempt to enforce such doctrines in the
year lSiS-not merely in France, but in Paris,
sixty years after the first revolution, and eigh-
teen after the second was fraught with tcmeri
~ and danger. Stormy debates ensucd in the
House, in one Of which Guizot declared tha,
all public meetings were illegal, and that he
would not permit them. The Chamber of De-
puties received this reckless bravado with tu-
multuous cries. that seemed the forerunncrs OF
Revolution. The Ministry was compared to
that of PClignac, whose misdccds led TO the
outbreak Of 1890, which lost Charles X. his
throne, and the warning voice Of NJ. CremieuX
rose amid the whHlwind of voices, to prcdic,
the eiIuson of blood.
The Parslans were not to be thus brow
beat, and the preparations for the Banquet
went on, amid deep popular excitement
ltreally seems like madness or folly to have
thus attempted to govern the full grown France
of 1913 by an or anndnce of the Police daling
back so far as 1890, when the country was in
state of constitutional infancy-and TO have
consendcd that Frenchmen, now grown I,
mans estate ln constitutional knowledge
should not in this age Of Reform meet IN great
er numbers than l5 or 10, without being
summarily dispersed. Toaggravate the matter
news had arrived since the difficulty commenced,
Of SO startling character as to change the
political aspect of Europe. There had beer
revolution in Sicily a revolution in Naples
"a constitution granted to the Tuscans-and
great concessions made TO the Piedmontese |
1t was not the time to ensave France, or. as
Lomarline well said, /" to clap the hand tn,
policeman on the mouth Of the country"
Louis Philippe might at this time have main.
tanned his throne by changing his ministers,
conceding proper electoral reform, and proms.
ing to govern on system less dynastc-bul
obstinate counsellors pursuadcd him that nothing
more than mere oneute could ensue-whch |
the military could soon suppress. He listened
to GulZot as Charles y. listened to Polignac in |
1890; and selected Marshal Bugeaud (the |
man who once roasted tribe of Arabs to
death) to enact the part of Marmont then so
tcebly filled. Several regiments of picked
men were added to the garrison at Paris, and
arrangements made by which from seventy to
eighty thousand men could, with the assis-
tance of the railways, be brought in as a rein
forccment Artillery caissons rumbled through
the streets, conveying ammunition to the
numerous fortified guard-houses scattered over
the city, which were also supplied with food T..
firing and water enough to stand six days
siege. Each company of infantry were sup
piled with axes, picks and saws, in order to
clear away barrcades, and all the batteries of
flying artillery were concentrated at Vincennes.
well supplied with canister and grape shot.
let II was known that when General Jacquemi-
not called the Colones Of the National Guards
together, To question them as TO the feelings
Of their battalions, he found that they were
little disposed to sustain arbitrary power.
Zen. Ilburcc Scbastiana also questioned the |
higher officers of the garrison as to the feelings
)f the army, and the answer was that it was
o be little depended on, ifthe National Guard
should support the resistance to the prohibitions
If the Ministers with respect to the reform
,anquets. The King distributed large num-
,ers of the crosses OF the Legion of Honor to
he officers, invited number of them to the
Tuilleries on Saturday evening, and spoke of
general promotion, in reward for any services
hey might be called upon to render We
hall now report the most prominent events,
ay by day.