Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1851-07-22
FRANCE.

Gen Cavaignac Is understood to be the cand;-
date Of the republicans FOR the Presidency ia
France. II is not supposed, however, that he viii
be able 10 concentrate the votes OF The socialists
aud red republicans his summary suppression Of
the outbreak during the Provisional Government
Of Lamarsine and his colleagues has been neither
forgotten forgiven.
In a recent debate in the Assembly on the ques-
ton Of revision of the Constitution the following
yaignac in illustration Of his position and that Of
his friends.
Your object is to either put away the re-
public totally or to establish a monarehcaI
republic in lien of the democratic republic
which now exists We cannot discuss with
you. All that we have to say is that we
have to vote for it, We wish the President
to be changed Even il we had no Just
grounds to mistrust NJ Bonaparte il the
President were republican like ourselves. we
would wish him to be changed Just to show
the people that in republic the chief exccu-
tisc officer may be Displaced aud another
man succeed him, without throwing the re-
public into convulsions; that this is as simple
a matter and often no more important than
was the displacing of prime minister under
the monarchy"
This is excellent theory but we know Of only
one country in which the theory can be made prac-
teal, We of the United States understand it ard
are familiar with il in the ordinary operation Of
government. A President of this Republic serves
his tern, and be may be reelected or not, us it
country go on, and no one thinks Of commissions
personal or public A President of the United
States may die, and the Vice President may take
the executive chair, just heir at law succeeds
10 his inheritance. In France, change Of Exec
utive without disturbance would be little less than
miracles with US change of Executive nvol-
wing disturbance would be more strange than
miracle.
The analogy between President ana a Prime
Minister does not hold. A Prime Minister may
have great power but he is not sovereign his ten
ure Of Office is contingent He may be rebaked by
the Legislature; be may be dismissed BY the Exec
utiye. President, if not sovereign is the repre-
sentative of sovereignty; he makes prime minis
ters his term Of Office is fixed and while 1t cou-
| tnues be is not dependant upon any thing or any
body for the permanence of his pace-saye the
nominal power of impeachment, which might as
well be held IN teyTortm over the moon.
Nothing but the habitual regard for ias, which
distinguishes the Anglo Saxon race, togetherwith
a consciousness that the supremacy OF law is in
fact The real sovereignty ofihe nation, could en-
sure the easy working OF that part Of our system
which requires Presidents to give up power and
to make way for duly elected successors. The OK
ample OF WAsniScroS, who voluntarily retired
when the reins of authority might have been re
1 tanned in his hands and who thus set the prece-
dent of service not longer than two Presidential
terms, stands By itself, and like the rest Of his
character, is without parallel The Frcnca hav'
great deal to learn before they can disintegratt
power as residing in lay from, power as invested
in an individual 1t would be Difficult, for French
President to understand how he could be dspla
ced without degradation or how the chief power
Of the State, once lodged in him, could be surren
dercd to a competitor without the obligation oil
his part to contest the transfer to the last-Ba!t
amer.