The southern press., 1851-07-31

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candidates. 70 gndsrssse4 ~ constitution and
TO obey Il; that the exspntive power will pFac-
tise abneastiou. that ts arents will b discreet;
that no one will yield to the exctsmant Of the
moment, and that the factions will be kept In
respect. All these things may easily be said,
and they cannot be we'll officially replied TO; we
shall therefore refrain from doing So
"We do not speak either to phrase-makers or
to children, but to political men who are accus-
toned to worldly affairs, AMI do not confine
themselves to words. We appeal to their in-
telligence their experience, and their conscience
.These circumstances being admitted, the
state of affairs and the character and interests OF
men known, the logic Of facts and OF passions
understood, let them ask themselves calmly ana
sincerely whether any thing but great crisis can
result from the actual siafua quo, and whether
that crisis must not end either in usurpaton or
In anarchy, and under any circumstances, In the
ruin Of the republic, and perhaps Of liberty
Straight t-forward men, who will put these
questions sincerely to themselves, who VIII re-
fleet on all that we have said, will doubtless ar
rive at the conclusion that among all The Tor
midabe perils of the future, the assembling OF
the constituent is the least Such has been the
feeling of the majority of your committee, which
has charged US to tell you so.
Convinced Of the necessity OF revision, II
has asked itself what kind Of revision might be
adopted. 1t proposes to you to express the
wish that the constitution should be totally re-
vised 1t has been seen that the warmest and
best founded criticisms which have been made
on it. bear on the mode according to which, IN
the election Of the assembly, and particularly in
that of the President Of the republic, the sover-
eighty Of the peopleis exercised; on its origin,
and on the number and extent of the great
powers. These, gentlemen, are the principal
parts Of the machinery of the government; they
cannot be remoddelled without interfering with
all Others The whole work must therefore be
retouched more or less profoundly. The re-
vision cannot be made partially.
"In what, however, does this total revision
consist? Have we any prescription to draw out
on this point to the future constituent or an
opinion to express to the country! What is the
extent of our right in this matter? What is
our dutyl Is the revision to take place within
or without the question of the republic!
at has been maintained in the committee,
that the republican form Of government being
the sole expression of the priacple of the
sovereignty of the people, the only one which is
with its complete exercise, the re-
publican principle is therefore confounded with
that of the national sovereignty, and was like it
and impescrptible, and that no one
could take away from the citizens the natural
rights Of governing themselves, nor enslave fu
ture generations by founding system of gov
ernment which. from its nature, was or pre-
tended to be immortal
"These IDEAS gentlemen, have been rejected
by very large majority OF the committee We
cannot for moment admit that out of the pale
of the moral world, which is no more subject to
the empire of the majority than to that of kings
there can be any thing which is not to be under
the sovereignty of the people, particularly in a
country where that sovereignty is the principle
of the laws and their sanction; that nation can
be eternally held back, and MS if bound hands
and feet in spite of itself in the political forms
which it might deem contrary to its habits, its
way of thinking, its grandeur, its happiness
without discussing this theory at any length,
we have examined whether in reality it was
proper to put forward for decision the question
Of republic or monarchy.
"We all agreed that we could not have the
right even if we had the desire, to propose to the
nation to quit the republic We are egisla-
tive assembly, elected in virtue of republican
constitution, and holding our powers from that
constitution. The republic is the leading gov
ernment of our country, and constitutes part of
that government consequently We have no right
to attack its principle The majority of your
has also been of opinion that we had
no right to impose the republic, as general
formula OF government, on the next constituent |
In fact, there would be something puerile |
n attempting to enchain before hand, the dec- |
lion of sovereign assembly, which absorbs |
within itself all the powers, and which exercises
ILL., for the constitution, forseeing that two ma
ional assemblies could not sit at the same time |
ook care to declare that the constituent, indie |
pendent of its natural labors, should have the |
aculty of passing urgent laws. How could an
assembly, which was not originally named to |
'ccupy itself with the constitution, and which,
,esides, has already more than two years exist
nee, pretend to limit an assembly issuing from
he people, and which has just received the ma
ional will
" But does it follow that after having stated
ur opinion that the constitution ought to be re-
ised. we have exhausted our right and com
eteIy fulfilled our duty! Have we no effort
o make amongst ourselves, no sacrifice to claim
me from the other, to arrive in the assembly at
constitutional majority, without which the ap-
cation for the revision would be only sterile
nd dangerous agitation! Is it not necessary
o indicate common thought which may unite
ogether honcrably all those whom the peril of
he circumstances induce to desire n revision!
awe have not, undoubtedly, anything to pre-
cribe to the constituent which may be named
ut have we not some recommendation to give
o the nation, in order to aid il to traverse that
risis at the same time saluary and dangerous.
4 which the force of the circumstances compels
S to throw it ourselves? Have we no counsel
'hich may help to guide it in its sombre path
owards which we urge it?
And who are we them if not its natural ad-
isers-the only political men placed in such a
osition as to be able to Judge of the ensemble
I affairs, the present wants Of the country, the
tate of parties what may and what may not be
one? Ii would not be either wise or honest,
to refuse to the nation, in so critical
moment, our experience and our advice, and TO
bandon fhe electors Mt the moment when they
re about to elect that sovereign assembly, to the
citation end uncertainty of their own magna-
ons.
"It has been said, and no one has denied the
ssertion, that the greatest peril which the elec
on Of a constituent assembly can entail, is the
uarcby which on this occasion may be produced
, he idof Of fho |