New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-15
A HISTORICAL CORRECTION.

Senator BELL thinks it is the European
Republicans who have killed European
freedom They wanted too much. They
frightened everybody with their impractl-
cable cant about Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity. The commercial and financial
interests-or as Senator Bell calls them,
the thinking classes--found the theories of
these reformers dangerous to life, property
and morals. Therefore they rejected them
altogether. This proves that the reform
ers, the progressives, the red republicans,
or whatever you choose to call them, are
guilty of everything. They put down the
Roman Republic they marched the Rus
sian troops into Hungary; they achieved
the treason commonly attributed to Gorgey;
they abolished the ancient Hungarian Con-
stitution, unfortunately they could not re-
enslave the millions of serfs that the Hun
garian Diet, led by Kossuth, had emancipa-
ted y they destroyed universal suffrage In
France they annulled the Constitution Of
that country, and slaughtered, exiled and
imprisoned thousands on thousands of its cit
liens; they made Louis Napoleon Dictator,
and are about to crown him Emperor ; and
probably it is they who have just sup
pressed the constitution of the Free City
of Bremen, and extinguished the last relic
of liberty in Germany.
None of all this has been done by Nicho-
las Romanof, Francis Joseph Hapsburg,
Louis Napoleon, Haynau, st. Arnaud or
any other of the distinguished persons gen.
orally supposed to have been concerned in
the various events alluded to. None ct the
bloodshed, none of the misery endured is
to be charged to their account. The radi-
Gals, the reformers, are guilty, and alone
guilty of it all. They it is, with their ex-
IRENE notions of Democracy and Progress,
who have destroyed liberty in Europe. II
they had only gone for our American sort
of liberty, and kept clear Of their theo-
ries, all would have gone well with that
continent.
OF course Senator BELL has a right to
entertain what opinion he chooses about
the republicans of Europe, and about any
particular portion of them. But we make
free to say that he does great injustice
when he charges them with the defeat Of
freedom. They doubtless made mistakes,
which concurred in producing the final re-
suit. But had their theories been of our
kind even, it would not have helped matters.
kossuth, in Hungary, regarded the Ameri
can Constitution as the model for the re-
public into which he expected his country
to grow. Mazzini longed for a United
Italy, with local self-government. They
had no rash, no frightful notions; they at
tackled neither life, nor property, nor NOR
ais. nor religion. But they were over
whelmed all the same. And so would
WASHINGTON have been had he occupied
the place of either.
Is was the brutal and inscriptions power
of absolutism that destroyed liberty in Eu-
rope.
Mr.. BELL admits as much. He expects
that the united despots will ere long assail
the United States. Whyl Because we
are red republicans, enemies of life, property
and morals! Not at all. We represent
popular freedom and popular self-govern-
-ment. We represent Democracy. Whether
limited or not, that is their deadly foe.
They must put it down even here. 1t is
dangerous TO them. A sea stretching a