The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-07-10


A German paper of no small influence publishes
long address TO the republicans Of his native land
which strikes US as altogether inappropriate
Evincing thorough knowledge of our country and
its Institutions, il has apparently been written by
German who has lived in the United States, and
occupied such position AS To learn the true bear
ing and tendency Of the Constitution and laws,
which are explained in popular manner, so as to
be understood by the mind least accustomed to an
alysis. The policy of the various persons who
have stepped forward in the crises of European af
fairs is dissected with the knife of master, and
the mistakes they have made attributed either TO
folly or to ignorance The question is asked, why
the Constitution of the United States, proven by
its duration through nearly three-fourhs of a GEN.
fury of trouble TO be practicable and good work.
ing machine of government, has not been followed,
and why the aristocntc elements, 80 carefully dis
carded by the trainers of our Constitution, have
been SO carefully infused into those of Europe
The silent obedience to the law, the habitua SUBJ
mission of the minority to the majority, and the
fact that never since the formation of the govern
ment has bayonet been levelled either against
or 10 protect the civil authority were carefully and
eloquently inculcated. The smallness Of the mill
tary power, its utter subservience to the law and
its officers the total absence of all necessity for
guards and sentinels, are not neglected, and the
people advised TO correct this state Of things
They are not called upon to take arms or to use
physical power, but silently to submit, and when
the appointed time to make their new elections shall
come to select persons not heralded by lofty names
and famous theories, anxious to found on the ruins
of royalty arstocratic dynasty but truthful men,
willing to remain what the law intends them to be-
servants of the people.
In this article, which is not recent one, the same
state of affairs is described which the London
Times represents in series of comments on the
last Socialist emeute, and censures in the severest
manner the dragging of the inmost secrets of
the government into public discussion. before
the noisiest and most imprudent of all the egis-
Iative bodies that ever existed, and the open en-
enlargement given to the enemy by the evincing of
a disposition to rejoice rather over the fall of an
antagonlsc clique, than LOT the triumph Oh the ma
ton. The orderly department of the Senate of
the United States, the check exerted by this second
chamber, the Times says, Frenchman has no
conception of; and the Leipsc paper extends it to
all Europe. The one draws the conclusion that
republicanism in Europe is impossible, the other
that it must triumph, only by rigid adherence to
an example which seems set before it, and or
dained, " like the column of light which preceded
the children of Israeli to shine the brightest in the
darkest hour Of the night Of trouble" Our ma
tional vanity, our own experience, and confidence
in the faculty of all men to govern themselves, in
duce US, if not to think, to hope that the German
is correct and that the Republican States of Europe,
which have won liberty by their courage, may by
prudence preserve it.