The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-12-18
NUMBER IA.
From the New York Tribune,


monarch for the assembling the Senate, whose
proceedings, ratified by popular vote, which
in its turn will be canyassed by the Legislative
Body. will convert the quondam Republic into
n legitimate Empire and its master into the an.
no!nted Cesar Of that peculiar people whose
boast is to lead civilization and thought of the
world. II is usually supposed that the procla-
nation of this change in names and titles will
take place either on the Cd of December the.
anniversary Of the day when the National AS
sembiy was overthrown, or On the 10th of that
Month, the anniversary of Napoleon's first elec.
ton 10 the Presidency. But our we'll informed
London Correspondent states that the ceremo-
ny will be postponed almost till New Year. This
! is well. y day unique in history can afford to
! scorn all association with other epochs Let il
! stand by itself
! The parade of journey through the South
crn Provinces, and reception at Paris prece-
ding this last leap of Napoleonic ambition has
certainly revealed deluge of t1unkeyism fit to
adorn that glOrioas period of French history
when gentlemen. whose pedigree dated long
before Charlcmagne, could write to solicit for,
their young and lovely daughters the honor of
place in the scraglio of a crowned and conse-
Grated debauchce but it has also had its indica-
! tions of manly indignation and honest popular
/ indifference aud dislike. The pageant whose
enthusiasm rolled through the pompons para
graphs of the official journals was often but the
forced creation ofthe Police; the groups ofwhitc
| rohed maidcns that at city gates, with flowers
and singing, welcomed this patent savior o:ordcr
and society, were compelled to that service as
conscrpts are driven into the army, and the
banners and decorations fauntng with hvpOcri.
tical expressions of joy and gratitude were in
many though not in all cases. but the tribute of
fear cXtorted hy the Omnipotent commissaries OF
the Government For the expenses of the Paris
show. We learn that tax was imposed even on
| in fbo III.
paid their twenty or forty cents under pain Of
being expelled from their stalls!
n significant augury for the pcrmancncc Of
the new empire is the fact that it is thus based
| on'a system of universal intimidation and terror
Such compression must in time have its counter
spring. The power which darcs not face public
opinion must look some day to perish by its ex-
plosion. Hypocrisy, corruption and violence
may endure for a time, but they bear on their
front the date Of their own demise. Reared
from such beginnings. with no purpose and no in
spiratiOn but that Of personal ambition and base
and dishonest selfshness, with no glory but the
cXhalatons from grave that entOmbs the direst
disasters and the greatest downfall of modern
times, where is the fresh made Emperor to lay
for his throne and his dynasty foundation SOL
I'd enough to resist even for a day, the rushing
currents Unpopular necessity, the withcring blast
ofpopular scorn.
There is one way in which he may do this, one
way in which he may redeem his name from the
awful clouds of shame and of crime that threaten
to bury it in infamy eternal. Let him use the
power Of which he has swindlcd France for
Frances benefit. Let him reduce the army and
take of the mountain of taxation that dcpresscS
the masses into slavish poverty. Let him abol-
ish the unnatural legislation which governs the
inheritance and transfer of land. Let him re-
form the mortgage system and Obliterate the
thousand monOpOlcs, great and little. like that
of banking for instance, which fctter the indus
| try and hinder the natural development of the
country In a word, let hin cmancipate the
internal trade and make the beginning of nat
ural system of government, and he may yet he
hailed 4 bcncfactor OF his country and establish
his successors as the holders of its Executive
power for long years TO come.
But there is not the slightest reason to antici-
pate from him nykind ofmeasures such as these.
His object hereafter as it has been hitherto,
will be himself and his family as part of him
self -Four years incessant intrigue and agita-
ton. general massacrcs and factcious ovations
have made him Emperor. pitiiul fool after
SO long pursuing the phantom of a low and mean
sOuled ambition, it is impossible that he should
now devote himself to noble ends. His next
delusion will be the settling of his dynasty and
cternizing of his title and his race. In that
work be will perish as his uncle and Louis Phil
ippe pcrishcd before him. Such men can never
learn the lesson of true greatness.
We presume the majority for the Empire will
he greater even than either of those which the
French people have already recorded in favor
of the same individual. There is no good rea-
son to vote against him in defiance of official hos
tility and persecution. The best that the French
democrats can wisely do in the case would seem
to be to Obstain from voting at all, aud let the
act be done without them. The change is, after
all, of little consequence. The laws will be no
scvcrer, nor the interference of the authorities in
private affairs more intolerable, nor personal
liberty subjected to any new cnrtailments; for,
indeed these things cannot be made worse than
they are. Napoleon will be addressed as "Sire'
and ''Your Majesty instead Of prince" and
''Monseigncur - his Court will be more splen-
did ,and The Paris shop-keeper better patronized;
there will be new crop of princes and other
nobility: but that will be all 1t is a mere play,
this putting on of titles and of gew-gaws; the
reality it stands for has existed long,-nay, in
France, under one form or another it has never
ceased to exist. Let us hope that it may now be
cfiectually and definitely acted out and done
for
Before the advent of this man, there was one
name which yet wore a prestige and exercised
a great influence in France. The BOurbOns of
both younger and elder branches, had destroyed
themselves, but the name ofNAPOIEON still sway
ed the imagination of the people. And il did
this because it represented great man, the hero
of a mighty career. 1t had become a political
superstition. The modern Napoleon,-a small
man, the hero of a career mean even in its crimes
and its advcntures,-is dcstroyingit. That ser
vice he will certainly render to his country. AT
the same time he is terror to the legitimate
mOnarchs of the continent. In their eyes he is
but democratic upstart and bodies them Ill.
In shaking and ovcrtnrning their power he may,
perhaps, also render service.
A striking illustration of historic justice Is
XI,or, I'm