The southern press., 1851-07-31

%ll4. Ibyy "a! X,N<. (IEIl( l(A Q2 1s gy(I III FL
T. 16k e(i6a 81 H. 4
very monsai when + y ma6t n1S II ]IR
proposed, he object IL which ~ y 11tuSIS isI
thsse ideas on the setting forth Of yopr r6oeln.
ton. h declared that the Ferisipn wxe aRrllnl
for, In ordsr to smsliosste thu institss1 N ~
rePublic. The majority Of ~ eommltfes ~.
jected that wording, fearing thai y might assm
TO Indicate the prstension Of commanding Tho
votes OF the future constituent, and Of trammel-
ing its liberty Of action, and 1t preferred having
the IDEAS, which have just expressed, explainsd
in the report
sOne point, however, for which the commit
tee has been unanimous, Is this: It. In spite Of
all the efforts sincerely made to come TO "A ~
derstanding, by making mutual sacndees com
patible with the sincerity of opinions aud their
dign ty, the present attempt should fail--n there
should not be found in the assembly the nuua.
Der Of votes required for the legal revision to
take place--if in a word, the coastitutiou cou-
tinues to exist AZ it is it ought to be invariably
and universally obeyed. Ga this point, the COM
mittee, divided on SO many Others, found itSalf
unanimous; and we are convinced that the assps
unanimiiy will be evinced by the assembly.
Every one ought to comprehend that legal A.
tempt made to reform constitution, gives To-
this latter, should it fail, new consecratiou. Al
long as it could be legally thought tina the con-
stitution was to be revised, any one could have
thought of changing it. or even Of preparing to
do what it did not as yet permit. But from the
moment that such a hope is no longer admissi-
ble there only remains to submit TO its pfescrip-
tions and to obey them. For the constitution,
as We have already said, is the only legality. the
only political right which we recognise At pres-
ent in France, and out of its pale there i no
thing but adventurous acts of revolutions.
The firm will Of the national assembly
ought consequently to- be, not only itself to re-.
spect the constitution, but to watch carefully
that all others do so likewise. It is in order to
better express this idea, and to give You an oc-,
cason to associate in it, that your COMMITTEES pro-
poses to you to introduce into the resolutions
which it submits to you the text of Art III Of
the constitution, in order to cause it to be under
stood that it is only in virtue of the constitution,
and in view of the conditions which it in itself
laid down. that We conceive that it ought to be
revised. We reckon on seeing the administrators
and indeed every one, conform to this idea, and
to their bearing in mind that every attempt, hav-
ing for its object to urge the people towards un-
constitutional cancidateships, from the moment
that the constitution cannot be legally revised,
would not only be improper and irregular, but
culpable. (Movement)
"We now approach, gentlemen, the terminus
ton Of the great task which you imposed on MS.
and which, in order to be properly accomplished,
would have acquired more time and ability.
The task of your committee is about to CEASE:
yours is about to commence. You are at one OF
those solemn periods, fortunately rare in the
existence OF nations, when an assembly, which
approaches the term of its power, but which is
still master of itself and of the future, holds in
its hands the destinies Of a whole nation, and
can by a single word cause them to incline, per-
haps irrevocably, to one side or the other. What
ever may be your resolution, we may be certain
in advance, that great part Of the blessings or
the misfortunes which will make their appear
ance for great length of time in this country,
will be attributed to that decision. We snail
be approved, gentlemen, or blamed, not only BY
those who at present await with anxiety what
we are about to do, but even by the generations
which follow. In presence of so terrible and
80 long enduring responsibility, each person
will, without doubt, forget his party interests,
his passions of the moment, his rivalities, his
enmities, his friendships even, in order to think
only of the country and of history. (Lou ap-
probation on the rightly
"After having pointed out to the assembly the
spirit which has directed the committee in its
abors, and what are the general conclusions to
which it has come, it merely remains us to
explain the reasons which led us to set aside all
.he propositions Of revision which have been
presented, and to propose a new reading, which
We shall proceed to make known to you.
Four individual propositions have been pre-
'ented, and the committee has successively
,eard the explanations of the authors of them.
The first was from NJ Larabit. Your CON-
niitee regrets TO say that it could only see in
hat proposition means, of revoking Art as
If the constitution, or kind Of Indictment
yiven to the people by the assembly to violate
hat article 1t therefore unanimously proposes
o you to set it aside by the previons question.
Since that resolution WAS come to. M Larabt
'aving declared that he would divide his org;.
lal proposition, and that without abandoning
he first part, he would make separate propo.
ition of the second part, the commission again
ook it into consideration. The second part Of
he proposition, which consists in saying that
he revision should only bear on art. as, has
'othing unconstitutional in it. Your commit
ee, therefore, does not propose to set it aside
" the previous question, like the first part, but
o reject it for the reasons already given, in
avor ofa total and not partial revision.
luz ocSo"u PioPoHftioH cuHbnicS rum w.
,louhier dc rEcluse. It treats not only of the
evsion of the constitution, but of the mode in
which the constituent asse mby should be cleo
ed These two questions are doubtless closely
onnected, but they cannot be included ia the
anne resolution or be decided by the same
ote /: for to decide the one there must lie
majority Of three-fourths, while for the other
imple majority would be sufficient 1t hss,
moreover, appeared to your committee, that this
roposition had for ts object to lead the nation
assembly to place before the country the
uestion Of republic or Of monarchy, which, "A
re have already said. we do not think We have
ny right to do. We therefore recommend the
election Of the proposition.
"M. Creton, the author Of the third PROPOSE
ion. called on You to express wish for the
evision, the distinctive character which would
blige the future constituent TO declare be-
ween republic and a monarchy We have
lready stated the reasons which induce us /"
hink that the present national assembly has no
qht to do this; we have said why, as a republi-
an body, acting in virtue Of republican con-
tuition, and holding from it alone all our