The southern press., 1851-07-31
French Politics,


WAS referred BY the French chamber. 1t pre-
nounces for total revision.
We are not much impressed with the ability
of this prod action. II recommends total reyi.
sion but declares that the question of change
in the form of government to monarchy ia not
to be entertained as the republic cannot be con.
stitutionally renounced, even by constituent
assembly or convention Of delegates from the
people. 1t seems to us that the Constitution of
France makes no such limitation in its provision
for future changes.
The struggle now going on in France is be-
tween the executive and Legislative departments
The term Of the President is about to expire, and
the incumbent is constitutionally ineligible
But he desires to retain his power. The French
executive is at the head of an army of more than
four hundred thousand men, And he has, we
believe, a power Of promotion not limited, as
with us, by seniority. He, therefore, has great
influence with the officers On the other hand
the socialists and red republicans have been &C.
tive in disseminating their opinions among the
soldiers through the press. And the great ques-
tion il, how the army would decide between the
Constitution or the legislature, and tho Presi.
dent in case of an attempt by the latter to usurp
a permanent authority. If the army could be
relied on by the President, he has so much pa
tronage in the appointment Of civil officers, and
in large expenditure in centralized admins
tration, that with the number of adherenis to
the family of Bonaparte, and the apathy of the
country people, he could easily prevail
Whatever may be the result of the present
struggle, it is impossible for republic to be
sustained with such a standing army Its ex-
istence is incompatible with a republic. If re-
quired to repress domestic insurrecton, il results
that republican institutions are not popular If
necessary for external defence, it shows that
tine people are not capable of making it-as they
did under Pettigru, Dumonricr, and in the Ital-
ian campaigns of Bonaparte
With such standing army France must be
military despotism-like Rome under the Pre-
torian guards, and Turkey under the Janissaries
And we think it probable that the President, in
order to secure the army, will resort to the ex
pedient of proposing high pay, which the cham
bers would find it unsafe to resist
We believe no French Constitution endures
in practice more than three or four years. This
shows the futility of belief, very common with
us, that liberty and prosperity depend on con-
stitutions and forms Of government-on the
mere theory and will of multitude, or u peo.
pie, as occasion happens, or is made. But we
hold rights, and liberty, aud property, and hap
piness by different tenure-by morality, en-
ergy, and stability of character. Where these
are wanting, forms Of government can neither
supply them, nor answer as a substitute. Where
-. they exist, the forms of bad government would
be almost innocuous, and would soon give way
H That our subscribers may know that the
irregularity of the arrival Of our papers is not
the fault of this office, We quote few extracts
from other papers, The first is from the Louis
vile Democrat, the second from the New York
Evening Post, the third from the Charleston
Courier
We call the attention of our postmaster to
the following bona fde letter from our friends
at Prestonsville. We know of no way of COM
plying with their wishes, unless he can find it
out. Our packages are put up in the Office regu-
larly every Tuesday evening:
PREsroNsvILLE. KY, July "a, 1851.
GENTS We are this morning doomed again
TO disappointment in not receiving the Weekly
Democrat. This is the third time in succession
we have failed in getting it, the cause of which
wa daviuo No hnna ,x,;u L..
enough to send us number once in while, as
we like to hear from the city, at any rate We
do not presume to think the fault rests with
you but If you know Of any way by which we
can get our paper when due, we would feel much
obliged indeed. Truly yours, &C.
correspondent writing from Bureau County,
Illinois, gives the following deporable picture
of the manner in which the government manages
the mails:
81 have received the daily Evening Post occa-
sionally since the 10Th of May. Ii is so much
more irregular in coming than the semi-weekly.
that desire to change back again For instance,
the first number that received of the daily was
that of the 9th of May, the next was the 9th.
then came the Evening Post ofthe 9th, the 9th,
the Goth and 22d, and after that the intermediate
numbers began to arrive. Last Friday got one
dated July 10th and one of the Both of June to-
gether, and this is the way they come ! think
have never vet received two numbers in the
order in which they were published Such
state of things confuses, in such manner the
train of events recorded in your newspaper, that
prefer to take the semiweekly as before; be-
sides, the postage under the new law, is higher
than supposed it would be-"
THE DETENTION OF THE MAns-The North
ern mail failed on Saturday beyond Weldon, and
yesterday the Gladiator did not arrive here from
Wilmington until about 8 o'clock in the evening,
in consequence Of an accident having occurred
to her machinery. She leaves for Wilmington
with the mails and passengers, this morning at
o'clock. The late hour at which our exchanges
were received from the Post Office precludes our
giving more than what we conceive to be the
most interesting Of their contents.
H We are glad to see two staupch and able
Southern rights papers, the Columbus (Ga.)
Times and the Lyuchburg (Va.) Republican