The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-28

weighty questions appeared the most easy Of solu
ton An instance of this simplicity may b.
given. When the Democratic Congress was sit
ting in Berlin. it's committee on F." the social queS
ton reported, among other things, that hence
forth the tenant should pay no rent One o
the committee was asked by a celebrated phys
cian-" Does your committee really think IL viii
solve the social question 2" Indeed we will,
was the answer, "eyen il we should have to ST
up the whole night to do it," The extravagancet
Of the popular clubs disappeared gradually under
discussion, but at the first sadly frightened the
timid bourgeosie. This fright WAS not without
warrant; for an aristocrscy is almost uniformly
| punished in a revolution, by means Of the very
ignorance it has fastened, for its own ends, on the
people IL keeper will famsh the chained lion
let him beware when the animal breaks its bonds
The bourgeoisie organized its clubs, to coun-
teract the influence Of those formed by the radi-
Gals. They were frcquented by the rich, the
Office holders, the professors the naturally timid,
the conservators, and the agents of the reaction.
Uni1ns and clubs of al kinds onene5 tbe;- Jaors
nightly for discussion. Even the Jeggars organ
lied one, for the purpose of asking the security
! OF their rights on the streets The Vossische,
| and Spenersche, and Constitutional newspapers,
reflected ia their columns every change ia opinion
of the bourgeoise-and student, Schloffel es.
tablished one as the organ of the clubs. The
honest constitutional party was represented by
the National paper founded on the first Of April,
and rising at once to commanding influence,
which it has ever since retained The Ministry
had no org,n, but sent occasional articles TO the
different papers, or placarded their proclamations
in the streets
The city rsechoed for the first time, the cries Of
newsboys and hawkers of journals, pamphlets
extras, and fy-sheets, designed for the political
education Of the people These caused, for few
days, much excitement The false rumors and
inflmmatory addresses circulated in this new
form, had at first powerful effect the people.
But few days sufliced TO teach them to be less
credulous, The poison brought its antidOte
with it.
We have said that the public voice was in fa-
for Of Camphausen ON his entry into the Minis
try, and that ne soon became unpopular WITH
out fixed object before him, confused to the
means to he employed too weak to risk offending
any party, dominated by the old prejudice of 10y
atty, he soon began 10 temporiZe to bargain-in
short, to act the diplomatist. Among his COL
leagues the shrewd and able flausemann was his
rival, while the others were sovereign, each one
in his own department The Executive was par
alyzed The demonstrations and threats Of the
nobility in Pomerania and the Mark went I'M
punished, the petitions for direct suffrage were
rejected, and the armed Bourgeois Guard was
used by its reactionary chief, without the know
ledge Of the Ministers, or at least of Camphausen,
to dispense professions of uuarmed workmen
The consequence of this inoap lcity of the Cabi-
net was n large majority Of radical voters at the
elections Of the st and Sth Of May for the Con-
stituent Assembly. The ordering of these cleo
tions was another fault Of the Ministry IL should
have supported the Frankfort Assembly, which
was the only body in position to secure the unity
of Germany. The unpopularity of the Ministry
was completed by the measure of the recall of
the Prince of Prussia, the most unpopular man
in Prussia. 1t even pretended that he had been
sent to England on an embassy, and had not fed
there la the official notice Of the tn Of May
it said that the Prince had sojourned while in
+" free England" and would return through Bel
GUM, "whose excellent institutions had saved
her tranquility" This unpopular measure re-
united the bourgeoisie and the people, and would
have caused the fall of the Ministry, If the ex-
IRENE radicals had not made an appeal to arms.
To preserve order the bourgeosie again threw
themselves on the side Of the Government, aud
the Ministry carried its point. w. b.