New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-04-17
Correspondence Of The Tribune. .o
PAkIs March "a, loi9

Corre,pondsnce Of The Tribune.
PARIS March "a, leis.
Mart GREELEY i McEtrdfh
accept with pleasure your proposition to fur
0i.b regularly for The Tribune review OF the
,,ovemeot Of events and ideas in France, and Tor
to-day take advantage Of the departure oil inc
Hermann TO speak Of our political situation "h'cn
br several days past has been growing more and
more grave and critical
The establishment of the guillotine as mode
Of punishment for Political ofenses mas p'ouuce'
an exceedingly bad effect among aiidesrees Oh 'he
,ooolation, and above all in the ranks OF the Nation
a Guard. The irritation of the Laborlng Glasses
..o far exceeds everything that was or could have
been expected. Except the bhndest adhefeh's
the Reaction, one pretends 10 regard the ia'a
.vent Of the Barrier OF Fontainebeau IN June as a
us.rder committed with Fermentation and pos
.e.sipg the characteristics of an ordinary crime oil
that sort. The death Of Gen Brea and his Aid de-
camp was not murder but terrible episode In
thu civil war then raging. For two days the Mo-
b;le Guard and the National Guard had mastered
their prisoners without form or semblance oil uiai
or examination, and even inoiiensive old men had
hen slain at the pleasure oftheir captors. twas
,hen only natural that the fury Of the people should
he rossed TO like paroxysms; and this IL the ra-
tiopsl ex PLANTATION of that lamcntsble event.
But even had it been necessary TO force some
that the indications afforded by the facts OF the
rial IL would have been infinitely better, in view
oftbs public interest and welfare, to have allowed
the character of a merely political event to have
rested upon the death OF those two officers Inc
President too had come into power with the express
promise Of a general amnesty, and eight months
after the occurrence, when the excitement oil the
contest had measurably subsidized, the least that
could be expected Of him was that he should show
himself infe xiby opposed to bloody retributIoD,
TO an execution Of public vengeance by the gulo-
tine. But he and his Ministers have failed equally
70 keep his word, and to direct themselves by con-
alterations of wise policy. They have deeply and
bitterly disappointed the people, and the conse
quences OF this gseat error are hereafter to appear
Such a. they threaten to be tremble to think oil
them. The moderation which followed the victory
of February il now nothing less than impossible
Let another such victory be gained, and then
fearful Justice wllhave its way. IL Will iai hrs'
upon the journalists, the bankers, the political IN
trieuers the authors and supporterso Reaction
which heaps injury upon France, aud her most
patriotic and devoted children. the Socialists
In connection with this execution several things
have contributed to the effect produced upon the
uubc mind. The Christian death OF the two con
demped and the affirmation ofinnocence maintain
ed BY one of them up TO the very last moment
leave in the judgment OF many irightiui doubt as
10 whether there was shadow OF justice In their
punishment Ii has also been remarked that the
nth of March, the anniversary of the grand de-
monstration of the people at the Hotel de Vlle'
was the day chosen for their execution, and also
hr the issue of the electoral manifesto oil the he
sctionist Club of the Hue de Poitiers, as well as
for the resumption in the Assembly OF the discus
sion upon the law for the suppression OF the Clubs
All these things taken together, the Revolutionary
sprt has eganed its full energy, and lift Restraints
itself for tho time being, it is only to strike In
manner more terrible.
You will see elsewhere the details of the schsm
which has taken place in the Assembly, the with
drawal Of the Committee on the law respecting
Clubs, and the protest of three hundred Members
Of the Assembly against the violation OF the Con-
stitution uttered directly by some, with more re-
serve BY others, but with energy by all. This pro
test, taken up in the Press with the redoubtable
,vigor which distinguishes Proudhon, has been pro
claimed and reiterated by all the public organs OF
Socialism, by the Central Committee of Elections,
and at last by the Society of Friends OF the Con-
sdtation.' aud by The National itself. 1t is EVIL
dent that the Government is retreating from the
position il has assumed on this question, and IN
doing so it only acts judisiousy, for everything Is
ready for a combat from which nothing could issue
except the most shocking evils. The National
Guard, as well as the Assembly, is divided; the
Socialist Journals are unanimous, the people united
and reused to anger God grant that this anger
may not now break forth The Socialists are not
ready to assume the Government, and the country
10 still less ready to accept them aud yet, beside
them, there is nothing possible There is no doubt
Of q bloody catastrophe. The sole wish which re-
mains to be formed In regard to it is, that 1t may
be delayed Sufficiently to be the last.
What chiefly makes me believe and hope that
We may be able to keep back the people, Is that
the masses perfectly comprehend two things The
first that the position which the army will take
in the crisis 10 not sufficiently certain the second
that the Bonaparte family 10 not yet enough de-
prived Of its popularity and destroyed by exPe'
rience, the only weapon which we possess against
the Illusions and prejadices still remaining from
that grand deception. the imperial glorics.
The prestige OF this family is destroyed; but
the Bonapartists take refuge behind last en-
trencbment. They endesvor to take advantage
Of facts whose dePlorsbls gravity they cannot
deny and to render them the excuse and occasion
Of an imperial coup detat. IT, they say. Louis
Napoleon has broken ali his promises, IL his gov.
errment does no good but only produces evil, the
reason Is that he 10 not free, that the Constitution
psralyzes bis capacity and his good will. But all
such efforts must be useless they are doomed 10
fail Of their object The entire tendency Of things
hssainss them, and only a few weeks are reqsi-
site to completely disabuse the army, the pea
SAINTS and the faubOurgs Of Paris, Of the de'a'iOr
remaining among them IN relation to the name o.
Napoleon.
Whatever respect has been felt Tor Lou" VA
poIeon personally is rspidy Disappearing ant
that from fatal cause. In all countries, and II
France perhaps more than elsewhere. the loss o