New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-11-13
sOULE-NAPOLEOH.

The French Emperor has taken the very extra
ordinary step of excluding, in fact expelllng, an
American Minister Plenipotentiary from the soil
of France Mr.. Pierre Soule, our Minister 70
Spain, on landing last month at Calais on his way
from England to Spain found himself stopped BY
a mandate from Paris and turned back to En-
gland again. Our Minister at Paris, Gen. Mason,
Immediately demonstrated against this insult in
energetic terms, but to no purpose; meanwhile
Mr.. Soule returned per force to England and is
still forbidden to cross the French territory his
way to the only place at which his diplomatic
functions can be discharged-and which, by the
way, be ought not to have quilted.
Our habiual readers are quite awse that we
esteemed the appointments of Mr.. Soule as Minis
ter to Madrid most unwise one, aud that we
have seen abundant reason since 10 confirm our
original impression. But Mr.. Soule sfaults, what
ever their extent or character, are not such as
should subject him to discipline at the hands Of
Napoleon Ill, by the grace of immeasursble per-
fdy and scoundrelism, Emperor Of the French.
NJ. Soule was never his subject, though he was
formerly Frenchman, which nationality he has
deliberately surrendered. He Is now an American
citizen and entitled to all the rights of American
citizenship, in France as elsewhere. The Lon
don Times, In assuming that Louis Napoleon has
a right to deal otherwise with him than with
native born American, assumes what our Govern
ment can never concede without compromising
the personal rights Of Three Millions Of our Peo-
pie. This will never be done.
Let US not be misunderstood. We admit with
out restriction, the right of the French Govern
ment to determine what foreigners shall or shall
not be admitted into France. But if the French
despot has a right to exclude, without q reason
that he is not ashamed to give, a representative
of our Government from France, we have a right
at least equally perfect to withdraw our Embas-
sadOr from Paris and request Napoleon's emissary
here to take himself out of the United States. If
the Emperor has right to do what he likes with
his own, our Government has an equal right, on
receiving fsgrant insult. to decline further in.
tereourse with the author of that insult. There
surely is nothing in the character or career Of
Louis Napoleon which should render familiarity
with him particularly desirable.
The London Times has some true and some not
so opposite observations on Mr.. Soule's conduct
and bearing in Europe, and on the folly of our send
ing a notorious Fillibuster as our Envoy to the
Spanish Court. But these afford no justification
for the insult in questions and it is not wise in an
spologst for Louis Napoleon to provoke reminis-
ceaces. For what has the French Emperor him.
self BEEN for the better part Of his adult fe but
an sdventurer, an agitator, and a conspiratorl
How came he to be Emperor but through sue
cessful revolution first and successful usurpa-
ton afterwardl Does it become the champion of
the hero Of the Boulogne and Strasburg demon.
STATIONS to reproach us with sending an agtator
to Europe Shall the defenders of that Louis
Napoleon who was known in this City, and still
better in London, rebuke our functonaries for
keeping loose political company 1t is not the
business Of French monarch to select associates
for American ambassadors, nor does the fact that
those associates, because they are conspirators
as yet unsuccessful, authorize the lucky and
crowned conspirator to treat this country with
marked incivility.
We await with anxiety the response Of Gov.
Marcy to this insult. We trust i. will evince
equal dignity and spirit, and will prove by its
calmneu and obvious justice that the attitude
therein taken will not be abandoned. We are
not required to spill French blood because of this
freak Of despOt; but, until he shall have learned
to treat all our National representatives With
eamity, it would be we'll to relieve him wholly