Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-03-09
THE FRENCH CONSTITUTION.

That any one man should make laws for ma
ton, and execute them HIMSELF is generally re-
garded, i'm this country at least, as monstrous
wrong. Even in England, two hundred years
ago, Charles l. lost his head, and James ii. lost
his throne, for attempting to do so. In every
country where freedom passes for anything at
all,--in all countries, except the barbarous des-
potisms of the East,--whether monarchy or re-
public, the people have been supposed to have
right, to some share at least, of the law-making
power They are to be governed by the laws;
IL is their interests--their lives their property,
their labor which are 70 be affected by them. In
this country they are regarded as the only right
full source Of law.
The spectacle which France presents to the
world now is an anomaly. One man holds in
his hand all that there is of government in
France. His viH is The only law for thirty five
millions of people. What he permits, they may
do what he forbids, they may not do. If he
chooses to do so, he can seize any one of them,
and imprson, Danish, or butcher him,-just as
he sees fit He has done all this in repeated
instances He shot two thousand men in the
street. without shadow of law except his own
will He has banishcd hundreds of the abest
and best men in France,--not for any offense,
but because he saw fit to do so. He forbids
men to print, or write or talk about politics, and
he imprisons or banishes them if they do not
obey.
But, say his defenders, he has given France a
Constitutional Government and that is a Sc.
curity against tyranny. We have seen in Amer.
lean papers, within few days, very elaborate
attempts to show that this Constitution is O
very good one, and that it offers quite as good
securities against oppression as our own. This
is, certainly, a singular task for republican jour
nails A Constitution is good for nothing un.
less it secures to the people certain rights ano
certain guarantees. Our Constitution provides
that the people shall elect the members of Con
gress,--that the States shall elect the Senate
that each shall be a check upon the other, anc
that both shall check the Executive. The French
Constitution provides for the election of an AS
sembly, but that body is checked by the Senate
and Council of State land both these bodies
are appointed by the President, who has, more
over the exclusive initiative of all laws,--in 9th
er words, no law can be passed which he does
not first prepare. He has absolute command o.
the army and navy can give to any Senator he
likes 10000 francs year and convokes anC
prorogues the Legislative body at his discretion
Ii is not easy to see how such an instrument az
this restricts in any particular, or upon any poin
the absolute power of the President. He cal
do just what he pleases. He makes all the laws
that govern France; and he holds in his hands
the power Of enforcing it.
Can the people of France, or of any other civ
iized nation, long be content under the absolute
domination Of any one man? The world mus
have gone backward rapidly within the last TIVE
hundred years, if such result be possible. They
may for time submit to it,-they may not full
ly understand upon the instant the real characte
of the Government imposed upon them. Blu
absolute monarchy can never again be perma
nently established in the West of Europe. Eli
the Louis Napoleon must change his Constitu
ton, and impose limits upon the power of tn
Executive, or time will inevitably bring speed
termination to his reign. N. Y. Times.