Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-04-24

are ue oh ana these the doctrines which nave Droughl
obloquy upon the very Of repubcanism throughout
Europe They haye enyeloped noble cause in cloud
Of prejudice They have frightened the tmid by the ex
hbiten not Of the horrid spectre of anarchy but the
living demon they have alarmed and disgusted the
outhearted and reflective advocates Of free GO
yernnent put arms into the hands of the enemies Of
freedom more formidable than bayonets and sent despair
into pe hearts Of all who were ablest to maintain its
cause
Let it not be said that the wild and fancful theories Of
few revolutionary leaders, and the of of
the more reckless Of their followers cannot and ought
not to be supposed have had SO great influence
upon e great body of sincere and republican patriots
IN any country as TO seduce them from their principles,
and td abandon to which they had been long
attached agree that the dreams Of the derious dsci
pies q any creed or the Of the desperate and
abandoned, who always ready to avail themselves of
every poplAr commoon to crafty their appetitcs for
pA(eF rireyenge, neither ought be supposed
" mai any great tnhuence the o0nsiderate and
SJy CHI npions of great reform but, unfortunately
b6e Wih and destructive theories Of social and political
which have struck terror into the hearts Of the
liberals Europe, have been confined to few or to
small class Of zealots German philosophy for series
Of years has combined with the popular literature of the
day ngaft upon the mind Of their exctable and i'm
aginatye readers all the continent the mis-
chieyous heories New strange and bewidering theo-
ries of TIN destiny of and of human society," and
the perfection of which both by nature susceptible
have quite unsettled the faith and confidence Of tens of
thousand in all existing institutions, both social and
political. The followers of the philosophy every
where seng that their theories of universal happiness
and equality not likely to be realized in any of the
known or existing forms of society government be-
the alyocates for the abolition of both. Denying
all imperftions in the nature of man. and foreseeing
that the Christian religion stands in the way Of their
FORMS they compelled to abandon their cherished
theories to renounce that also And hence observe
that the policy of reconstrucng imperial and arbitrary
Governments the continent of HurOpe embraces the
altar well as the throne
The great of Europe of the present day is that
the theories and doctrines of the and advocates
Of liberty and republicanism have Pill along proceeded
upon the which renderedhu the philosophy of
the schools of antiquity aborye, AMI for the most part
utterly useless TO mankind. They aQ proceed upon abb
sracons All their theories of soclty and government
all their ideas of liberty and equaI and the forms they
would institute to them, founded upon
preconceved notion in their minis of what they
ceye ought be right and proper without the slightest
reference to any practical test anything that has been
proved to be sound and practicable il the past history of
the world Sir, to get right and to be able construct
true and practical systems Tof govrnment, they must
first reconstruct their system of they must
construct their theories and adpt them to human
nature as they have seen developed n the past as they
see it displayed at present Theynust adapt them to
the of they perceive item to exist in all their
varieties and differences of capacities and propensities,
without troubling themselves abo the question of org
nal unity or equality. They mast found their theories
upon experience and not upon fancy They must come TO
understand that the competency of for sefgovern-
ment is not simple universal truth, but that it Is
complex and conditional propositions that 1t may be true
Of and the people It stage of their progress
and not at another and asto races they must to
learn that every has civilization peculiar to ITSELF
and physical and mental faculties Of various grades of
capacity for improvement and development all history
tesfes In short they must adopt the method of
ing and heorizng pointed out by the great founder Of
modern progress Bacon When they shall have done this
zfses ....s - 3:.,a g esy4E ~ NJ
ine yon6 DEAs tkaf win strns ana thai All sse Il
spurisQs, delusve and mischievous.
trust, sir, may be allowed, without taking my
final leave OF Europe, to pay short visit to America
America, always open and exposed TO every disease
contagion moral and physical that originates in ore
atmosphere We see it proclaimed through the columns
Of thousand presses in this country that the spirit Of
democracy is necessarily progressive l ask pardon,
for intended to divest myself possible Of every
partisan view and feeling in delivering my sentiments
this great subject; but unable to proceed in my
argument without illusions which may seem to have q
partisan cast We told that reform in this free
try is laggardthat it fingers far in the of the ad
vancng spirit Of the age. Sir, it is said through the
channels and proclaimed to the people Of this
try that too much of the old ant-democratic eaven still
Turks and ferments our constitutional forms and in our
legislation. BY circumscribed party but still
widely difused the country, and Of insignificant
influence Institutions are denounced as being op-
pressve and unjust to the natural rights of mankind
alien to liberty, uphodng social forms which admit Of
equality Of position Of happness that there is true
fraternity freedom such the spirit Of the age and
the progress Of civilization demand
Whence this type of democracy in this country No
mistake its paternity 1t is European born II
is the spirit and type Of democracy which have
done the Of liberty in Europe and its mission in
this country be accomplished but by the ruin
Of liberty here Does not every know that the
popular and leading champions Of the Of republ-
canism and democracy in Europe regard with positive
contempt-nay, chat they turn away with disgust the
very mention Of American republicansm They
receive our American home-bred ideas of liberty Why
they say, have no philosophy-pe have just and
lofty conceptions Of the destiny Of and of human
society: we far in the Of European enlirhen
ment upon all these subjects Such the arrogant
pretensions Of the European champions Of liberty Some
of the reckless among them have the hardhood
declare that system is false and that if il cannot
reformed they prepared TO destroy it. that 1t is
model which msleads the friends of freedom abroad and
that it had better be pulled down than upheld in
should like, If had time, to say word about this
age of progress That Ii is age Of increased pspua
ton wealth. and power in this country and Of increased
knowledge and science every where doubts That
is all for good. But should like to know in what con-
sss that progress of the age which is announced the
basis Of reforms in regard TO political institutions The
highest moral institution earth, except religion is that
government What is the progress Of the age in the
science Of government 1t is an experimental science
New revelations of facts lay the for reforms
and improvements in government What is that progress
in America We have what modern progress has
done in Europe in this department of science But ask
what progress has there been in America Have any
and better forms Of government been discovered
any principles brought by experience better CAL
cuatcd to advance and the happiness Of mankind
than our institutions they devised and dgested
by the architects Of revolutionary period whatnew
theories have been developed in the lapse Of the last half
century which show advance in the science Of
mentY Has our Legislation become wiser and purer-