The southern press., 1851-08-07
FURTHER EUROPEAN NEWS.
FRANCE.

REylstos OF THE CONsrITUrIOn--SPEEcH OF
VIcroR HUGo-Our record Ut the debate in the
French Assembly on the revision of the coDsti-
tuition, by the last steamer, closed with N. Ber-
ryer's brilliant defence of monarchism. The
next day, Friday, July l8,) Victor Hugo made
an elegant and powerful GRAFTON in favor OF the
republic He began by saying that the speeches
of Berger, Falloux, and De Brogie were no,
thing but attacks on the whole revolution, from
| 1889 downwards
Had the constitution been fairly and honestly
tried during the last three years, he could have
understood demand for revision for the pur-
pose Of developing democratic ideas for real
izing those principles, some of which the con
stitution had only declared-the essential rights
of the people, the right to labor, to organized
assistance, the abolition Of the punishment of
death, gratuitous instruction, freedom Of the
press. freedom OF conscience eedom of speech !;
the abolition, in short, of all obstacles to the
physical and moral progress OF man. II, it had
boen said, the constitution of the French re-
public should be the charter Of human progress
| in the nineteenth century, the immortal testa-
ment of civilization, the political Bible of the
nations, 1t should approach as nearly as possible
to absolute social truth, therefore let us revise
the constitution, that he could have understood
but that in the middle of the nineteenth century
they should be told, there is a great light in
France, let US put it out; that they should be
told the French people have hs.n out of inde-
structbIe grnnite the first stone Of that vast
edifce that will hereafter be called the United
States of Europe--[l loud and long-continued
cheering that they have made revolution un-
heard of in history, the ideal of great philoso-
piers realized by great people-that they
should be told all this, and then that j. should
be added, we are going to destroy this revolu-
ton; we will extingush this republic We will
snatch this book of progress from the peoples
hands; we will raze out the dates 1892 1880,
and l848; we will bar the way against hat rash
giant who does all things without CO insulting us,
and whose name is Providence; that this should
be said, that this should be dreamed of, over
whelmed him with astonishment. Proceeding
to argue the question which was before them, of
republic or monarchy, he said that what was
called the fusion had simplifed the question
there were but two monarchies--the monarchy
of principle, which was Legitimacy, and the mon
archy of glory, as certain privileged journals
called it, which was the empire. He would, in
the first place, deny that monarchy was prn-
ciple Monarchy had never been anything else
but a fact. Great interruption He repeated
that the possession of the whole people by one
man or one fairly, could have been but fact,
and when the fact ceased to exist, there was an
end of it. Not a vestige of right remained. A
republic might be suppressed in fact, but the
right would remain The right of kings in This
age, in this place, is mere nonsenscal word
y
He sad that within very short time property
and commerce would come to understand that
the republic was terra frma, and that monarchy
was the dangerous ground, and that the royalist
party would be finally extingushei. In answer
to NJ Berryers assertion that France could
never accommodate itself to republic, he as
serted that similar prophecies had been made in
opposition to representative government that
the republic was natural step onward; that the
masses would soon find their equilibrium, and
that what was called the political fever, which
was judciously sought to be repressed, was
| but wholesome fermentation.
The concluding part of the speech is so
striking, that We copy it entire:
But there was another class Of monarchi. Is
who must be taken to express the opinion of the
government, because their journals had the ex-
elusive privilege of being sold in the streets
who said, "True Legitimacy is mpossible-divine
right is dead !; but the other monarchy. that of
glory-the empire-is not only possible, but
necessary" Where did this glory exist? He
was looking about for it. lie found every
liberty successively entrapped and bound uni
versal suffrage betrayed, socialist manifestos r.
sulting in jesuitical policy, and for govern
ment one vast intrigue, Murmurs History
would say that it was conspiracy Great
sensation some incredible understanding th,i
the republic is to be the foundation of the EN-
pire, and which q made sort Of Bonapartist
freemasonry of 100000 place-hoIders every re-
form stiHed or postponed, burdensome taxes
aint,ined or re-established six departments in
a state of siege, amnesty refused, transportation
aggravated, the press shackled, juries packed !;
too little justice, and too much police; misery
at the foot, anarchy at the head, of the social
state Abroad, the corpse Of the Roman re-
public; Austria, that is, the gaows, with her
foot upon Hungary, upon Lomblrdy, upon
Milan, upon Venice latent coalition of kings,
waiting for an opportunity. Our diplomacy
dumb-he would not say an accomplice; Tur-
key abandoned to the Gar; kossuth languish-
ing in dungeon in Asia Mino-. This is our
situation France bows her head, Napoleon
quvers with shame in his tomb. and 5000 CO.
qmns shout I" Vive rEmpereur" Bravos on
the Lefll People might say, "Bnt nobody
dreams Of empire" His habit was to tear off
masks. What was then the meaning of the
cries of vive l'Empereur," and who paid the
parties that uttered them What was the mean
ing Of the ridiculous petitioning for prolonga-
ton Of the Presidents powers! Proongation
meant consulate for life. and that meant empire.
Gentlemen" he exclaimed, there is an in-
trigue an intrigue. tell you. have right
to = arch into it. | do so. Come, let in day
light upon all this" France must not one day
find herself with an emperor without knowing
the renson. Because there was once man who
gained the battle of Marengo, who regned. is
the man to reign who gained the battle of Sa-
tory? Laughter. Because, ten centuries ago,
Charlemagne, after forty years Of glory, let fall
on the face of the globe a sceptre and a sword
of such proportions that none dared to touch
them: and because, one thousand years later
for nature requires no less period Of ges'a-
ton TO produce such men--another genius
caught up that sword and sceptre; a man who
chained revolution in France, and unclaimed II |
in the rest of Europe who added to his name
the brilliant synonyms of Rivoli, jena Essling,
Friedland Montmirail; because this man, after
ten years of fabulous glory, at length exhausted,