The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-08-05
The French RepubIic-Popular Suffrage
and the Press.

ana inc ffesss
II is charged against France, that she is only
nominaly a republic-that the people are ruled by
the bayonet-that Louis Napoleon, instead ofbeing
the servant of the people, is their master and yran
that the National Assembly have recently passed
a law depriving great number of the people of
the right of suffrage guaraneedt to them by the con-
stitution-that there is no freedom of the press
there that we find lthe people of France gained
nothing by the revolution which deposed Louis
Philippe, except change of masters and that they
have as few if not fewer political rights and priv-
leges, under the new regime, than they had under
the old.
There is great deal of truth in these remarks;
but before any sweeping denunciation of the Ma
tonal Assembly, or of the President of France, is
INDUCED in, it would be well to inquire, first,
whether the curtailment of the right of suffrage to
certain extent, and the gagging Of the press, were
necessary for the existence of the government; and
secondly, whether there exist any means by which
these measures can be altered amended hereaf-
ter when that necessity toioperate. with all
our parliality for the greatest liberty for universal
suffrage, and an untrammslled and independent
press we are free to confess that for those asures
the curtailment of the elective franchise, there
was good deal of exc use; and for the other, the
restriction of the freedom OF the press at least some
pafliation. In pronouncing opinion on measures
in France, we must recolect that vast
space divides us from that country-ihat
many Of us know nothing of il, except from
our reading, and that the ideas Of the masses
of the people of France republicanism, how
ever earnestly they may desire liberty, are
very loose; and that what they call freedom, we
would term RIGHTEOUSNESS. Freedom from restraint
of all kinds is their imaginary liberty, the freedom
which is advocated by Ledru Rollin and his COM
peers. II the French people had proper apprecia-
tion of what freedom really Is, aud IL they
capable of understanding and practising IL as the
Americans are, II would be quite different mat
Ter We should then say that any attempt 10
abridge the right Of suffrage or the freedom of the
press, ought not TO be tolerated for an hour, and
that all who proposed or advocated such measures,
should be hurled TO destruction. Bat IL cannot be
denied that very large portion Of the people Of
France especially the inhabitants of the large CT
ties. are ignorant and degraded; that their minds
have been poisoned and corruptedby socialists, and
that this class entertain other idea ofreedom, but
liberty to indulge their passions and propensities,
aud That il they were at any time TO get the upper
hand, society would be at an end, and a state Of
anarchy dreadfulto contemplate, would be the inn
me date and melancholy result. II is that class Of
the people who are most affected by the electoral
law which has recently passed, and II was TO ex-
clude them that it was proposed and acted upon.
Outside OF the large cities its effects will be
Iy felt for every farmer, no matter how small n
patch Of land he has, will be entitled TO vote be-
fore. Il will deprive only the floating, un-
settled and turbulent socialists Of Paris, Lyons,
IIavre, and other cities and towns-men with
out character, reputation or means--nstru-
men,s in the hands Of designing and ambitious
demagogues-i viii deprive only this class OF
people Of any hand in forming the government or
making the laws. Both Of these measures may be
traced directly up to the conduct Of the socialists
themselves But Tor the celebrated instruction of
June, and the various attempts az instruction that
have since been made, well as the dangerous
and ansrchical doctrines which the socialists
sntcrsis the Subjects Of government and liberty,
the reaction in the public mind, TO which those
measures owe their birth, would never have taken
place The socialists wanted TO have everything
after their owA fashion, and according TO the dc
tates Of their ambitious leaders. The consequence
was. the rect Of the community willingly aclui-
esced in stringent measures to render them harm.
less. There il, therefore, some excuse for depny-
ing such men Of the night Of suffrage, for they
would use il. not for the furtherance of good gov
eminent, but for the parposc Of clevatng TO Office
their leaders, whose principles are dramatically
opposed to ali government. and who, II they goi
into rover even in this country, would destroy all
government and all law, and bring abou, state
81 anarchy and chaos, which might last for an age.
In regard to abridging the freedom Of the press,
there may, on similar grounds, be some palaiion
for the measure just passed. The socialist news
papers were engaged in the work Of propagaiing
views and principles subvsrsive Of all government,
and Of all law and order, which were engcrly de-
voured by the public mind, and which created dis
satisfaction and disgust of political civil restraint
in all who read them. Freedom Of the press was
abused, because il dszenerated into lcentousness,
and the safety Of society, in the opinion Of the Ma
hons Assembly, called fora restriction Of the power
OF that mighty eng ne The pr sss is as powerful for