The southern press., 1852-01-06
THE SOUTHERN PRESS.
Results Of Capitalization in France.


tirely critical. The "peace of desolation," as
the Herald would cal it, is no proof of the sta
; bility OF the government. Arbitrary rule can
nowhere triumph so little as in France, among
population the most enlightened, active, gen.
erous, and industrious of Europe.
That the people of France have taken no part
in the partial riots which have occurred, is suffi
GENTLY proved by what little information gets
abroad, in spite of the government But that
the people are thoroughly agitated, and that in
many parts they are disposed to open insurrec-
ton, ia now equally clear.
The popular sentiment is evidently divided as
to the course to be taken In Paris the people
are disposed to accept LOUIS NApoLEos's propo-
siton to exercise their right of voting, and thus
arrive peaceably ut solution of the difficulty.
But in the country there are two agencies at
: work of dangerous and formidable character
one resulting from the influence and intrigues of
the priests and the arstocracy, and tie other from
the hatred to authority which the action of cen.
tralization has produced over the whole nation.
1t is all very well to rail, as the government
organs do, at what they are pleased to call so
, calism. This socialism, however, is the fruit of
Capitalization, and poisons the moral and polit-
cal atmosphere of the country.
In seeking remedy for the evils which this
system has entailed upon France, many of the
liberal party have stupidity enough imagined that
it was only necessary to substitute republic
{ for monarchcal government. But we have
already seen ard little common sense might
have detected it at once that any form of cen
tralized government must produce that tyranny
and oppression, and defiance of public opinion
and pre- gress, which has heretofore. ever charac-
terized it.
Now, when we come to bear in mind, in con-
. nection with these movements in the depart
. ments how opposed the government is, and has
Il been, to the removal of, many great abuses and
restrictions, weighing upon commerce and agri-
culture, and how arbitrary, in the smallest mat
: ters, are the acts of its officials, (oftentimes
!. entirely unconnected and unnterested in the
localities they govern) and, consequently, how
: completely unrepresented the people everywhere
feel themselves to be, no one can wonder,
coupling these facts with the well known bad
character Of many government officials, at the
hatred and contempt for authority that every
|, where must manifest itself in an enlightened
country.
Such acts Of violence as those detailed in the
recent advices from France, would otherwise be
inexplicable. Jumbling them up together with
r socialist extravaganza, foreigners would be apt
e to think people capable of such acts, must be
beings of some other nature. But men are the
same everywhere, and we at all times see the
same results produced by the same causes.
' Consider again, for moment, the natural
: condition of France The land is divided
among almost the whole people. The great ma
t jority forming, of course, very small holders.
These small holders, in order to exist honestly,
would require the utmost freedom from all re-
. striction weighing upon industry. Their exist
ence, as class, requires it their necessities as
men, whose feelings of independence have been
, increased, and their intelligence developed by a
! more moral and elevated condition in the social
/ world, require room for action.
c What is the real condition Of things! The
land is burdened with taxes. No proprietary
body in the world pays so much in proportion
to the value of their possessions. No man can
, carry produce few miles from his home, with.
out heavy duties to ray in the shape of octro
and so trammelled is commerce by thousand
restrictions, that enterprise is everywhere dis.
{ couraged
The French laws nre a species of Chinese
WALL hemming 10 and restraining the nctivity Of
I every district.
The larger class of proprietors can get along
we'll enough. They complain, however, and
; then the government gives an ear TO their case
But the condition Of the great mass is over
looked, and far from seeking remedy where
il can be found the government calculates upon
keeping the people down, and forcing them TO
sell their heritages TO the richer class In ad-
dtion to these evils, almost the whole land is
! deeply mortgaged.
Under the influence Of Capitalization, the peo-
pie feel that they have no power TO work upon
the government, and obtain those ameliorations
which have long become a necessity. They
have no selfgovernment. They have not the
slightest influence or authority in their own dis
tricts They are governed by men who look for
support and appreciation from Paris-by men
who arrive at Office for the most part, by acts
which render them odious to their fellow.coun
trymen; for in the struggle that is necessarily
going on between the people and authority, there
is abundant opportunity for a display Of zeal
and devotion on the part Of INSCRIPTIONS aspi.
rants to Office.
Il is quite useless TO say OF the French PEOPLE
that they have no respect for law. How can
they respect what is an absurdity, as well as an
oppression! Either the laws must be made in
accordance with the wants Of the nation and the
nature of the institutions, or they must conflict