New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-13


but still more the ample salary which en-
ables him to make a show, live luxuriously
and enjoy in abundance q peculiar round
of pleasures for which his exhausted pri-
vate resources and annihilated credit could
not provide the means. His immediate
friends also put him up to the endeavOr to
stay in the Presidency, or even to make
himself Emperor.
But to do the 1rst requires revision Of
the Constitution, because as itnow stands,no
person can be President for two successive
terms. This revision may be voted by any
National Assembly in the last year of its
existence, and requires majority of three
fourths the votes cast at three successive
trials, which must be held at intervals of
month. If the revision is voted in this
way, a rev Constituent Assembly is sum-
moned for the purpose. Now such vote
is impossible in the present Legislature,
for the reason that it contains l96 Republi-
can and Socialist members, or more than
one-quartsr of the whole number, who
will resist it to the last, and who cannot by
any means be gained over; and even il
three or four of them could be bought up,
there would still remain large number of
members with whom it would be impossi-
bic to make terms so as to ensure the re-
quisite majority of three quarters and keep
it for three months together.
There remains for Louis Napoleon then,
no other chance of holding office beyond
his regular term under any title, save by
a violent act of usurpation. But in order
to do this, he must have a strong party
among the people not merely in favor of
himself but in favor of such an act, and
be supported by the army to boot. He has
neither of these requisites. Among the
people there is profound unwillingnoss to
entertain any measure of violent or revo-
lutionary nature. The entire industrial
and commercial interests long for tranquil
ty, while the proper revolutionary elements
of the population are altogether opposed
to him. No where in France could he find
any considerable support for such usur-
patton neither Leg itimists nor Orleanists
would seriously undertake to help him car
ny it through, and if they did he could not
accomplish it. Heis not the man and has
not and cannot get the means to initiate
the 18th .Bfumaire performance Of his I'M
Gle. Looking at tho whole case we should
say of anybody bat the hero of Strasburg
and BOulogne that he would not now think
of making himself monarch of France but
there is no risk in saying that if he should
attempt it, ne will fail as miserably as he
did on those two m emorable occasions.
Louis Napoleon is then out of the way,
and that, according to our expectation, by
a peaceful process; and now what are the
chances of Gen. Cavaignsc To our Judg-
ment they are very poor. He is not pop
ular man and never had any hold upon the
general affections. Besides, his career as
head of the provisional administration from
June to December, l549, used him up
beyond recuperation. He is no doubt an
honest man and is gifted with considerable
power of mind, but in smallish way. He
is not q great statesman, though a remark
able advocate, as was proved by his de-
tense before the National Assembly Just
before the former Presidential election
The people of France cannot forget that be
treated the journals with arbitrary and
needless severity in the Summer of AS;
that he sent 10000 citizens into transport
tation on the mere e. Parte inquisition OF
the Courts Martial, and without anything
like regular trial; that he took tho first
step toward the disastrous and disgraceful
Intervention at Rome; and that long after
the instruction of June was over, ne
strenuousIy opposed every attempt to OBJ
tain an amnesty, and left to Napoleon the
honor of bringing back to their homes
and to usefulness the greater part of
the men implicated in that melancholy
affair or accused of being so. Nor did
he display in the course of his admin
istration single grand and brilliant trait
of policy such as Frenchmen and all men
love, and such as there was abundant call
for. Had be exhibited anything but mar
row and timid genius, his other faults might
have been forgotten. Now, we regard it
as impossible, and put Gen. Cavaignac
down, therefore, as an unavailable candi-
date who cannot be elected.
Who then can be That is more than we
kn.-a --Io-.s Z %, N d..