American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-10-29
The Criaia of 1872.

The crisis in Europe, consequent on the re-
tirement Of Louis Napoleon, would seem to have
already begun in the recent change Of ministry
in France. The Prince President has at last
perceived that repression has been carried too
far. He discovers that neither the Legitimatists
nor Orleanists will support him except as their
tool; and, as final resort, he seeks to regain
popularity with the people. His proposal to re-
peal the electoral law of May the 3lst is evil
IDENTIFY part of this scheme. But there may
be other motives for this conduct. The dis
reimbursement Of so large portion of the French
people as that law effected was wrong, il not
blunder; and it is not to be expected that the
three millions thus excluded from the polls will
quietly submit to the outrage. In fact, unless
the law is revoked, the election in May next
will be q scene Of violence over all France-the
excluded operatives attempting to VOTE and the
officers Of the elections resisting it. In many
places, it is feared the polls will be broken open,
the votes scattered, and the judges driven from
their seats Any election attended with such
confusion cannot but be fatal to France; for the
candidates will make this an excuse to resist
the verdict Of the people Some notion Of these
designs may combine with personal ambition to
induce Louis Napoleon to recommend the repeal
Of the law Of May the 31st.
We cannot resist the conviction that Louis
Napoleon is more shrewd than he is generally
supposed. If so, he may be, in this project
beginning the finale Of deep-laid scheme to
entrench himself in the gratitude and love of
the French people, by which term we do not
mean the operatives exclusively, but rather the
mass Of the working population, rural as well
as urban. To his friends he processes to be
ready for quiet surrender Of the Presidency,
and he will keep his word, unless he can cir
cumvent his opponents by art, for to o coup
fetat he will not, we believe, resort. He has
certainly played his game, SO far, with consid-
cradle adroitness-the results OF good measures
having always rested with him, while the odium
Of blunders has been shifted to others. A few
months, however, must decide his fate
IL by procuring the repeal Of the disfranchis-
ing law, Louis Napoleon can obtain revision
of the constitution, he will offer himself as a
candidate again for the Presidency, and almost
certainly be elected. In pursuing this scheme
he would commit himself to more liberal
policy than he has heretofore followed and the
result might be not less happy for France than
for himself A really republican President,
who was yet not a Socialist, might work won
ders, not only in his country, but throughout
Europe; he might in fact become the head of
the liberal party in the old world, and, by as
sisting to emancipate the people, acquire a
desthless Immortality.
| Two years ago we expressed our astonsh-
ment that such course was not adopted by
Louis Napoleon, since both his private ambition
and the public good would be advanced thereby
That he did not play this part gave us an un-
favorable opinion of his ability, which it re-
quircd many examples of his adroitness to re-
move. 1t is not too late, however, for him to
act the rote.-Phita. EUe. Bulletin.