The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-04-11
VOL. w..

He sustained all the corruptions and electoral
intrgues Of the minister Faucher, all the snh-
tleties and Jesuitism OF lie Falloux; dissolvss
almost by force the Constituent Assembly refused
to perform his promises of general amnesty and
economy, promised before his election; throw.
ridicule upon the Vice Presidency by NOMINATING
an obscure individual; destroyed the college Of
administration endeavored to impose on the stu
dents professors known to have been bribed nm
der Louis Philippe made war upon the right Of
holding public meetings by the people; refused 10
permit parliamentary investigation Of the mill.
tary measures taken by him against the Constitu.
ent Assembly; spread p1nics among the people bv
rumOrs of imaginary plots; erected the puillotins
for political offences removed from Office every
civil functionary suspected ofrepubcan opinions
reduced to system the transportation Of soldiers
TO Algeria for the same offence made hundreds Of
arbitrary arrests Of influential political opponents
dissolved the Republican Guard, cut down liberty
trees, and removed from public sight all red caps
triangles, and other emblems Of liberty and equal
ity, dishonored the revolution of February, bv
turning its anniversary into day of mourning
broke up banquets by armed force doubled salary
already too large continued pensions conferredb by
the favor of Louis Philippe, contrary to law, on
noblemen and their families, and projects retired
from Office under pretence Of sickness leagued
himself with foreign foes of the Republic for the
general persecution OF the party OF progress, and
for the destruction of the Roman Republic; made
cec,raSg no the Constitution. without the con
sent of the Assembly turned the prisons of France
into receptacles for the editors of free presses
dragged writers in chains along the public high
ways left the people by his silence to suppose him
the abettor of all the designs against the perma-
nence of the Republic; chose for his bosom friends
intriguers and parasites, and in every way made
himself unworthy of the confidence of great
people This is the indictment of Louis Bona
parte preferred by the city of Paris for the verdict
Of posterity.
OF the royalist parties in the Assembly, it is
unnecessary to say more than that they have
sanctioned all that the President has done, and
urged him to do still more.
The vote stood as follows Carnot, 132,797 !;
Vidal, l2s 439 DeAotte, 1876 9s2; Foy, l25,643i
Lahitte, 1875, AIS; Bonjeau, 124,34 IL will be
seen here, that Defotte fell behind the other So
cislist candidates for the above indicated
The election was more holly contested than any
other which has ever taken place at Paris More
I persons took part in the vote. The small number
of persons refusingto take part may be estimated
from the following statement
Whole number of voters inscribed, 353,5o9
Whole number Of votes, 260,l9S
Difference between cards and votes 90 3ll
The list of votes was made out about eighteen
months ago, so that changes of residence, depart
ure from the city, deaths, and ordinary causes
which detain voters from the polls, may account
for q large portion of the $4,000 wanting. A
| considerable number of the rest may be fairly
supposed to be respectable Bourgeois equally I'M
willing to sustain the Government, or vote for
Vidal and Defotte.
The defeat of the reactionary party IS total
and irrecoverable. The victory of the Socialists
is felt on all hands TO be the greatest event in
Europe since the election of Louis Bonaparte.
The effect on all the parties interested is re-
markable To trace it, will be to present pretty
fair portraiture of the present state of public
opinion.
The Swiss question, which had been kept hang
ing as O bugbear over the nation, was dropped
at once the organs Of the President declaring
that it had been settled in all points to the salts
faction of all parties. This conclusion seems to
warrant the view taken in my last letter, that the
whole difficulty was originated for effect in France
We shall probably hear no more OF II, all 'ne
Governments continuing as before TO dictate 10
Switzerland her treatment Of the refugees
The President himself is said to have been
graatly discouraged, and indeed thrown into a
etate Of physical and mental prostration, by the
and contrary to tSs advice 81 prime minister Bar
rot, sanctioned another proclamation by Mr.
earlier, the project Of police, in which the Social
lists were spoken of as imbeciles, demagogues,
towards, fools, men bent on pillage men over
whelmed with debts and crimes. The elections
proved, that according to the President, the ma
jority in the capital were no better than they
should be. Notwithstanding this, lie Napoleon of
last Sunday spoke of the victory of the Socialists,
as " the triumph of an enemy whose only object
is pillage" announces the close union Of the Pres
ident and the leaders of the majority, and de-
clares that the President is ready to risk every
thing to strengthen the Government aud protect
society.
The ministry, who had counted on large ma
jority, had already prepared the most severe laws
against the press the jury, the electoral reunions
and persons leaving their homes These laws
were intended to be passed in the first flush Of
victory, as the fair expression of the will Of the
people. What was the rage Of Monsieur Barrot
and his colleagues to find these projects vetoed in
their very pockets!
The members of the majority in the Assembly
were differently affected The first impulse of
all was one of fury. In this state of mind, the
leaders-Thiers, Moet, Montalbert, Dupin, Ber-
ryier, and others-waited upon the President
! to heal old dissensions and to conclude an often
sive alliance against the Socialists The stringent
laws were to be presented Immediately, and voted
by reclamation, as a desperate means Of saving
society. II may be supposed that every assurance
was given the President of support in any attempt
he might make to strengthen the Government, as
the phrase is here, but which means in plain
English, to usurp the Presidency for life. All the
Royalist and Elysee papers announced this ALI
| ance and the character of the laws to be pre-
scented
The Royalist and Elysee papers could not at
| first find terms strong enough to express their
rage aud disappointment Their long-concealed
haired to the Constitution was spoken out plainly
| the mantle Of hypocrisy being thrown aside, as
unsuited to the times The ministers and Pres
ident were invoked by name to strike great
and decisive blow at once, on pain of being pro-
nounced towards and imbecilesn The call was
for arms and blood determination Of the enemy
the use of the sword-not couched in diplomatic
phrases and figures of rhetoric, but in short and
spasmodic sentences, such as are written by men
whose hearts are full Of ferceness, and whose
veins are burning with the maddenng liquid.
Count our men," cried La Patris "Let the
contest come now. The sooner the betterD
call for a campaign against the Constitution, and
for its violation by the majority, was publish,
ed by all the royalist papers, followed by the
names of more than one hundred and sixty mem
har a. af
paper in which the call first made its appearance
On all sides rose the cry, 81 Down with universal