Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-04-01

then proceed to the Representatives Hall, and with
House to keep company with the grave and reverend
Senators should thence make for the Presidents
House (having by delay at the Capitol allowed him
time TO fly for his life) and deliberately strip the
building of its contents, pitching them out of the
windows; should then parade the streets bearing
as trophy of victory some old armchair gaudy
with gold and crimson, with such rabble at their
heels as big drum and bugle can at any time
gather in city comparatively little populous
and SO orderly as this-we should like to ask Mr..
Senator ALLEN what he would think of such a pro-
cess of reform as this And if these trium-
plant" gentry were to gather together of the Mem
bers of Congress some thirty sympathizers-about
the proportion whchour friends, the gentlemen Of the
Mob in Paris found in their Chamber of Deputies
and, uniting in one assembly, should make choice Of
some half dozen persons to reconstruct Govern
ment! The London wits describe the "strange pro-
visional government of France as being composed
of demagogue lawyers, acobin editors, scientific
busy-bodies, and political poets We could match
them at pinch, even within this District of Ten
Miles Square, Though its inhabitants would be very
unlikely engage in so awless proceeding unless,
perchance, the electoral body should select them,
as in France, from among their own number. Sup
pose this Directory to declare itself ON
nipoential, and take possession of and arbtra-
rily exercise all powers Of government whether
belonging or not belonging to the Constitution
which it had undertaken 10 overturn. What would
Mr.. ALLEN say to this Would he proclaim it a
glorious Revolution, the assertion of the great
cause of human liberty! :" Yetthis as far as known
to us, is the identical transaction in France, with
which, in his opinion, we cannot avoid taking
sides ! How different is the language heard on
a late occasion, with universal appreciation, in
another forum than the Senate, in speaking Of real
attempt at revolution in one of the States of this
Unon-a revolution the principle of which, had
it succeeded, would have placed the political rights
of the people of this country just as much at
the mercy of the Mob as were those of the people
Of Paris, at the last accounts we had from
there. We refer, of course TO the Dorr Rebellion,
which, though with more of outward plausibility
and with less radical Objects was not less vicious
in political principle than mob government must
ever be, whether in France or in America. In clo-
sing his beautiful argument in the Supreme Court,
at its late term in arising out OF this luckess
rebellion, Mr.. WEBSTER thus in single sentence
characterized all tumultuary violence:
When the established authority of Government
is openly condemned; when no Difference is paid
to the regular and authentic declarations of the
public will when assembled masses put them
selves above the law, and, calling themselves the
people, attempt by force to seize on the Govern
ment when the social and political order of the
State is thus threatened with overthrow, and the
ton lashes the stars our political pilots may well
cry out
90 Minimum haze lila Charybdis :"
Worthy of being cited as pendant to this gem,
though in different vein, is passage to be found
in General CAsss book, in reference to the decara-
ton by French author of ls39-40, that there
are hopes of an immediate realization in the Uni
ted States of the dreams Of Collot de Herbois and
of Billaud Varennes those heroic remains of I793."
Upon this declaration, eoquently and periodically
excaims the General - Dreams, indeed And by
what a fearful awakening would they be follow
ed No. God be thanked Licentious release from
law, religion, and the Institutions Of social life,
and the triumph Of prisons, gulotines, noyades,
and massacres, are probably the most distant evils
the inhabitants of the United States have to fear"
Amen say we, whatever the Government Ed
tor may say upon the subject, or whoever else may
be Of opinion with the distinguished Senator from
Ohio, that we cannot avoid taking sides with po-
pular commoton in foreign country, which, if
carried out, is to include results like these.
But to return to the main purpose, from which
we have undesignedly wandered for which we re-
ferred to the instructive book of Gen. CAss. Ii is
from this work that we have learnt most of what
we know of the character of the Government OF
France as administered by the late reiening King.
We are fortunately enabled, in the following extract
from his book page o. to present his portrait of this
Government in miniature: 1T is evident thatthe men
who govern France at this day 1870 are little
inclined 10 put IN practice the exploded n'drims
Of arbitrary po,cer and, as have not remarked,
since have been in this country, where the press
is entirely free, and the community equally jea-
lous and vigilant, single complaint of military
interference with civil rights must necessarily
believe that such an occurrence is rare. There
is an truth great personal freedom IN France
and it appears to me that The general condition Of