The southern press., 1851-08-09
ITO be Conlinued.l
FURTHER EUROPEAN NEWS.


French Assembly on the revision of the consti.
tuition, by the last steamer, closed with NJ. Ber.
ryer's brilliant defence of monarchisn The
next day, Friday, July lS,) Victor Hugo made
an elegant and powerful Grafton in favor of the
republic. He began by saying that the speeches
Of Berryer, Faloux, and De Broglie 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.
stituton had only declared-the essential rights
of the people, the right to labor, to organized
assistance, the abolition of the punishment of
death, gratutous instruction, freedom of the
press, freedom of conscience, E eedom of speech !;
the abolition, in short, of all obstacles to the
physical and moral progress Of man. II, it had
been said, the constitution of the French re-
public should be the charter of human progress
in the nineteenth century, the immortal tesla
ment OF civilization, the political Bible of the
nations, it 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 great light ii,
ITduCc, Ict US puL lJ Oub LIlttt JIey SnOulu DE
told the French people have hewn out Of inde.
structible granite the first stone of that vast
edifice that will hereafter be called the United
States of Europe loud and long-continued
cheering that they have made a revolution un
heard Of in history, the ideal of great philoso
piers realized by 4 great people--that they
should be told all this, and then that it should
be added, we are going to destroy this revolu-
ton; we will extinguish this republic; we will
snatch this book Of progress from the peoples
hands; we will raze out the dates 1892, 1880,
and lS48; we will bar the way against hat rash
giant who does all things without consulting 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 fact. Great interruption. He repeated
that the possession of the whole people by one
man or one fairly, could have been but a fact,
and when the fact ceased to exist, there was an
end of it. Not yestige 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 nonsensical word.
He said that within very short time property
and commerce would come to understand that
the republic was terra frnla, and that monarchy
was the dangerous ground, and that the royalist
party would be finally extnguishe1. In answer
TO M. Berryer's assertion that France could
never accommodate itself to a 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 50 judiciously sought TO be repressed, was
but a wholesome fermentation.
The concluding part of the speech is so
striking. that we copy it entire;
But there was another class of monarchists
who must be taken to express the opinion Of the
government because their journals had the ex-
clusi"e privilege of being sold in the streets
who said, "True Legitimacy is impossible-div
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 fer it. He found every
liberty successfully entrapped and bound, uni.
versa suffrage betrayed, socialist manifestos re
sulting in a jesuitical policy, and for govern.
ment one vast intrigue. Murmurs History
would say that it was Il conspiracy Great
sensation some incredible understanding that
the republic is to be the foundation Of the EN-
pire, and which fa5 made sort Of Bonapartisi
freemasonry Of 100000 pIace-holders every re-
form stifled or postponed. burdensome taxes
. aintlincd or ro-estabished, six departments in
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 g,llows, with her
foot upon Hungary, upon Lomblrdy, upon
Milan, upon Venice, latent coalition of kings, |
waiting for an opportunity Onr diplomacy |
dumb-he would not say an accomplice; Tur.
key abandoned TO the Gar; Kossuth languish-
ing 10 a dungeon in Asia Miuo-. This is our
situation. France bows her head, Napoleon
quivers with shame in his tomb and 5000 co
gums shout "Vve pEmpereur" Brayos on
the Left. People might say, But nobody
dreams Of empire" His habit was TO tear off
masks What was then the meaning of the |
cries Of Vive rEmperenr," and who paid the |
parties that uttered them! What was the mean.
llH VI bIIc pctlIioHlllU iOT
ton Of the Presidents powers! Proongation
meant consulate for lfe and that meant empire.
Gentlemen" he exclaimed, " there is an IN.
trigue an intrigue, tell you. have a right |
TO arch into it, do so. Come, let ia day |
light upon all this" France must not one day
find herself with an emperor without knowing |
the reason. 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, |
Charenagne, after forty years Of glorv let fall /
on the face of the globe a sceptre and sword |
Of such proportions that none dared to touch |
them; and because, one thousand years later |
for nature requires no less period Of gesia-
ton TO produce such men-apother genius
caught up that sword and sceptre; man who
chained revolution in France, and unclaimed IL /
in the rest Of Europe; who added TO his name |
The brilliant synonyms of Rvoli, Jena, Essling,
Fredland, Montmirail; because this man, after
ten years of fabulous glory, Mt length exhausted,
let fall this scepter and this sword of Charlie.
magne, you are to take in your little hands the