New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-09-24


the NJ. Perrymond estimates that some
+ thing more than one-half Of the entire
population reside, as for generations their
fathers have done before them. In fact,
he puts down four sevenths of the people
as living in "privation, misery and power
ty :" one-sixth ms living in a state " of nit
igated poverty" and one-sixrh as living in
a state Of =. embarrassment and Scmi-com
fort"
We might pursue farther the citation of
such hideous facts, but these must suffice
to prove our point, namely. that the mass
of the French nation are constantly suffer
ing from extreme poverty which grows out
of various causes, but priucipsIly from ex-
cessiye taxation and oppressive laws regu-
lating the transfer of real estate and re-
stricting the Internal trade of the country
generally. Why, so far are the small
land. owners often reduced, that It has been
found necessary to make law by which,
when the proprietor of real estate cannot
pay the taxes, he may dispossess himself
entirely of his property and resign it to
the State on the payment of fee of a few
francs
Now, where such poverty Is so general,
an independent, liberty loving people Is
impossible. Men do not think of political
liberty as long as they are slaves to mate
rial want. Proclaim whit system you will,
decree all the freedom in the world, but
slaves they will remain, ready to fall a
prey to the next advcnturer who can seize
the political machinery they are accustom-
ell to obey
And 70 where, not even in Russia, is
this machinery more potent than in
France. The number of officials and de-
pendents on the Central Government is
eighteen hundred thousand, or one TWEEN
tieth part of the entire nation. What
people that had inherited such system,
pcryading and controlling its every chan
mel Of activity, with an army Of half
million to enforce the DEGREES of its head,
could hope for any more liberty than that
head might see fit TO grant!
These facts are anything but irrrecon-
cileable with the influence which France
actually exerts on the politics of Europe.
This condition, especially with a people
like the French, is in its very nature liza
BILE to sudden explosions, and when such
happen they are felt everywhere, and
especially in adjoining countries that suffer,
as does almost the whole continent, from
similar despotism and similar poverty
among the masses. The influence Of
France abroad is thus seen to be altogether
and only disorderly and destructive. 1t
has about it nothing peaceful, healthy and
organic, for the reason that healthy and
organic political Ideas have taken no deep
root among the French people. But as
destruction is necessary in many respects,
we may hope that on the whole that in
fluence, grossly exaggerated as it is 10 the
boastful rhetoric of French orators and
writer's, may prove more useful than in
furious.
But it is certain that no country can at
tain to true and permanent liberty with
out the emancipation of the individual and
the community from patronage and sur
VIGILANCE of Governments and from ma
terial necessity and depression let internal
freedom of action and Of trade BIO estab-
lished, and the people will soon grow in
wealth, intelligence and happiness, and
will never more be subjected to the dis
grace of tyranny or the chances Of revolu-
tons. This idea, the noisy champions of
premature Free Trade with foreign coun-
tries, who abound in France, would do
well to consider.