Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-06-08

their situation they are inofIensve but
still they exist; their policy may be char
acterized by these two words--armed d.
plomacy
These considerations, citizens, have, from
the first moments of the Republic, inlluen-
ced the acts and the words of the Provis-
ional Government in the ensemble and in
the details of the direction of Foreign AZ
fairs. Ii wished, and il declared that il
wished, for three things-the Republic in
France the natural progress Of the liberal
and democratic principle avowed, recogni-
zed, defended in its existence and its right
and, in fine, peace, If honorable and sure
peace we're possible on these conditions.
(Cheers.) We are about 90 show you what
have been, from the day of the foundation
of the Republic up TO this time, the prac-
tical results of this attitude of disinterested
devotedness to the democratic principle in
Europe, combined with this respect for the
material invioability Of territories, nation
alities and governments. 1t is the first time
in history that disavowed and purely spir-
itual principle has presented itself to Eu-
rope organized, armed, and allied to anoth-
er principle, and that the political world
trembles and modifes itself before the pow
err, not of nation but of an idea. In order
to measure the power of that idea in all its
extent they must go back to 1915. The
honorable Minister, however, begged the
Assembly to dispense with his going through
all the historical details relating to that Pc
Rod, and permit him to bring forward at
once the state of France when the Revou-
ton of 1880 broke out. (Cries of " Yes,
yes.m
He then depicted the state of debasement
in which the late Government had placed
the country by its system of foreign policy,
and then coming down to the Revolution
of 1913, the honorable Minister continued
thus Thus, after n reign of eighteen years,
and a diplomacy that was supposed to have
been able because it was interested, the dy-
nasty delivered France over to the Republic
more confined and hampered by treaties and
limits, more incapable of movement, more
destitute of influence and external negotia-
ton, more surrounded with snares and i'm
possibilities, than at any epoch of the mon
archy; bound by the letter, so often viola
ted against her, of the treaties of 1915 !;
excluded from all the East, the accomplish
Of Austria in Italy and Switzerland, the
complaisant helpmate of England at Lisbon,
uselcssly compromised at Madrid, obsequi-
Gus at Vienna, tirnid at Berlin, hated at
Petersburg, discredted for bad faith at Lon
don, deserted by the people Of every coun-
try for her abuse Of democraic principles :;
face to face with moral coalition rallied
from all quarters against France, which
left her no alternative between making a
foreign war against all, or sinking into the
subaltern position of a secondary power,
and jealously watched by tho whole Euro
pean world.
The Republic, finding France in these
conditions of insulation and inferiority, had
two lines of conduct to take: to rise in
arms against all the thrones and territories
of the Continent, tear up the map of Eu-
rope, declare war, and send forth the DEM
ocratic principle sword in hand, without
knowing whether it would fall on a soil pre-
pared to receive it, or on ground where it
would be drowned in blood The alterna-
tive was to declare Republican peace and
French fraternity to all nations to show
respect for governments, laws, characters,
manners, wills, territories, and nations to
raise very high, but with friendly hand,
the principle of independence and Democ-
racy throughout the world, and say to ma
tons, without forcing or hurrying events
eve do not arm the new idea with fire and
sword, like barbarians; we only arm it with
its own briliancy. We impose on no peo-
pie forms or limitations premature or per-
haps incompatible with their nature. But
if the liberty of any part of Europe lights
up from ours, if PROSTATE nationalities, if
invaded rights, if legitimate and depress-
ed independencies spring up, constitute
themselves by their own hands, enter into
the democratic family of nations, and make
an appeal to the defence of rights, to the
conformity of institutions, then France is
there Republican France is not only the
country, she is the soldier Of the democratic
principle for the future" (Cheers)
1t is this last principle, citizens, that the
Provisional Government thought it their
duty to adopt unanimously, until the nation,
embodied in you, should take in hand its
own destinies. What have been the results
on the Continent of these scventy-two days
of this policy of armed diplomacy You
know them, and Europe contemplates their
accomplishment with an establishment that
has more of admiration than fear All It.
dl), previously IpuoCu III llct ldtllptlSu Dl
the democratic and Italian mind of Plus TX
started into action successfully, by the re-
bound of the popular triumph at Paris
Reassured by our firm and frank disavowal
of all ambition on the part of France, she
passonately embraced our principles, and
confidently advanced toward future of in
dependence and liberty, in which the French
principle will be her ally. Sicily rose a
ganst the domination of Naples. She first
claimed her constitution. Irritated by re,
flsal, she heroically reconquered her soil
and her citadels. Tardy concessions nc
longer appeased her; she demanded a com.
plete separation-she convoked her own
parliament-she proclaimed herself mis-
tress of her own destinies, and avenged her
long subsection to the Bourbons by decar-
ing that the princes of the house of Naples
should be for ever excluded from all posi-
bility of succeeding to the constitutional
throne of Sicily.
At Naples, even the constitution promul-
gated by the king on the eve of the French
Republic, appeared illusory on the morrow,
Monarchy, beset by the demonstrations OF
the people, descended by repeated concess-
IONS IN The level of democratic ROYALTY OF