Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-12-16
FOREIGN POLICY-FRANCE AFTER
THE COUP D'ETAT-THE PHEss-
puRrIC INSTRUCTION.. ..4...,, .ss....s ~

PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. ...s.sas-s, &
The complete control over the National
Guard, comprehending, as we have said, almost
tho whole of the citizens of France, was but
branch of the constrained system of Louis Ma
poleon's government upon the social institur
tons of the French. Toreview the opinions OF
a people, at a certain stated day, under the pre-
text of public service, was not deemed sum
Gent to avert the danger Of hostile opinions,
It was deemed necessary that these opinions
should not be aroused or excited, ana IN
that view, the suppression of all social agency
or combination tending towards that desired
object had to take place. When governments
have made the first step in the way OF arbitrary
measures, il is impossible for them to stop hall
way. They must proceed onward til they have
RIM over the whole track aud succeeded in either
apulyinp the whole code of personal authority
or failed in the attempt In modern Europe
the man who makes himself the prophet OF his
people Is liable to perish in the conflict, II ne
allows single man to deny the quality he as
sumes. or to spurn the laws he enacts. In
order to prevent the French from doing So
Louis Napoleon deprived them Of the priv
lege of uttering their thoughts through the
press, or Of communicating them by means
of public meetings or associations. To that
effect he promulged law upon the press, one
against secret societies, and one against public
meetings or associations. So, the pen and the
speech, those two suns ofmodern institutions
!"
Implying liberty and education--were refused to
the French people. But TO stop the spirit Of lib
erty in the midst of the XIX century was i'm
possible. Unable TO be heard in the rostrum,
-or through thepress, i took its way in another
direction, and not 6nding>a proper issue, roars
now in the fields Of Crimea.
The law upon the PRESS, or organic decree,
as II is called, was like all the laws we have
already considered, concocted in such q way
as to be entirely under the control of the gov
eminent. The laws relating to that object are
severe in the extreme. We will quote here
some Of their provisions. .,8 +. #.
Article irst Of the organic decree says:
"No paper or periodicals speaking upon pc
I;,;cal or social questions, whether issued daily
or at certain fixed times in whole or in parts
can be advertised or sold without previous
authorization.
aThe introducers or distributors Of foreigl
papers, whose circulation has not been per
mitted, will be liable to q punishment Of on
month, to one year imprisonment, and to a fin
of twenty 10 one thousand dollars. aIs,s
paper can be published without a or
yious deposit Of FIVE to ten thousand dollars
and three thousand on cities under fifty thou'
and inhabitants. They must be submitted
the stamps, the amount Of which will be 81
centimes or one cent and q fifth by the sheet.
aAll papers publishing or reproducing falls
news will be fined, and the editors put in jail
"The reproduction Of the debates Of the SCI
ate, other than those published in the of6ci'
paper, is forbidden. II lis equally forbidden
give an account OF the prosecutions concernin
the delinquency Of the press. II is left to u
discretion Of the courts or tribunals, in Q
civil or criminal offences 10 allow or prevc
the publication Of the debates.
"Any paper can be suspended BY order Of u