Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-03-30
@ursigi blrma.
Victor Hugo to the Exiles of
Europe.
His speech on the Anniversary
OF the French Revolution OF
lk1S.

and had 1t not been, so TO speak. turned aside
from lis great aim, on the very morrow of its
advent had not the Reaction first, and
Lorts NAroLroS Afterwards Reaction
By trckery, and slow poisoning, --LouIs
BoNArAErE, by midnight assault, violation,
ambuscndc and murder, the
Republic had the Republic, in the splendid
days Of February, waved her standard above
the Alps and along the Rhine, and, in the
name Of France, flung abroad to Europe
this cry Liberty" which at that period, as
you will remember, would have suthccd to
achieve, on the Old Continent, the rising of
all the peoples and complete the downfall of
every throne if France, leaning upon the
mighty plaiye OF '92, had given aid, as was
her duty, to Italy. to Hungary, to Poland 10
Prussia. To Germany If, in one word, the
Europe Of the peoples had succeeded in
1913, % the Europe Of the Kings, the follow
ing would, after seven years of light and
liberty, have been the situation of the
Continent.
We should have behed it thus: The
Continent would be one single Ucople the
natonalities would be living their natural
life IN the common life Of al Italy would
belong to Italy, Poland would belong to
Poland, Hungary would belong to Hungary,
France would belong TO Europe, and Europe
would belong to ienanty.
There would be no longer any Rhine o
German river, no longer any Baltic and
Black seas, Russian lakes no Medteran-
can. a French lake; no Atlantic, as an
English sea no cannons on the Sound or at
Gibraltar; no hdmmoriicks at the Darden-
Giles. The Rivers free, the Straits free, the
Oceans irce
The European group, no longer forming
augbt but one nation, Germany would be
to France and France would he to Italy,
what to-day Normandy Is to Pictrdy and
Plcardy TO Lorraine no more war, and
army. In the single financial point OF view,
a net animal gam to Europe OF mIiiIards.'
No more frontiers, N more Custom Houses,
no more city impOsts, Cow and reform,
giganucally great, Of com aud produce ;
trade and industry doubled twenty-tod; ;
annual return Of profit tor the wealth OF the
Continent, at least ten mlliarls Add to
these the four mlliards saved by the
suppression Of armies, and at least two
two miliards more economlzed by the abo-
lltlon Of plraslticai empluyments through mt
the Continent, including the functions Of
kings, and you have annually lever OF SIX
teen mlllards, whefcwith TO move the ques-
tons of political economy. A civil list of
labor,--a sinking fund Tor poverty, draining
the very depths of involuntary ideness and
want, aud of the salary system with force
Of sixteen nllllnrds pee annum! Only
c @culate this enormous production Of proper
~. do not pause TO develop II.
4 ff,rffttatts a sts.lfffa,,
ing upon double metallic and paper basis,
and having for lis fulcrum the entire capital
of Europe, and Tor us motive power the free
activity of two hundred millions Of men, this
simple and single money would replace and
absorb Nil the absurd varieties ot coinage
now IN use, eth les Of princes, figures of
wreichcdncss varieties which are 50 many
sources of imp0vorishment, for, IN the tranler
from hand to hand of money, to multiply
variety Is to multiply the wear aud tear TO
multiply the wear and tear is to diminish the
and in money as ia everything
else, circulation is unity
Fraternity would ongendcr solidarity; the
credit Of all would be the property OF each
)ne, the labor of each one the guarantee Of
III.
itFNOIA W ~ dlN itliilf -ltttNuIl 10
associate freedom to possess freedom to
speak and TO write freedom to think
icedom 10 loyc--frcedom to believe, all
these liberties would form pinoply around
the citizen sheltered by them aud become
myt liable.
No application OF force, against any one
whoms0e,er. even to bring about good. For
wha, could It profit? by the simple force of
things by the mere increase OF light, by the
TACT alone Of open day replacing monarchal
and puestiY gloom, the air would have
become too iue for the respiration of the
mln OF force, the man Of fraud, the man Of
insehood. the mau Of prey. the man who
hires ont his fellows, the parasite, the slbrer,
the usurer, The foe Of Intelligence aud educa-
uon,--iu a word, OF aIl who fit, on bats
wings, through the dark.
The old system punishm,u,s would have
died ont, like the rest, War being dead,
the scliiod which has the same black root
would have dried up and disappeared of
itself. The sword, IN every form, would
hye vanished, and men, by this, have
doubted whether human beings had ever
dared TO put human beings to DEATH even IN
the past. There would be in me Elmo
L. NH -
s unSor Wv '.Y'I' =, . l,>n -.
nnJar nl,s- - ,,,ii,.',, '',,'' ,,,das -"
49,, IS ,aII',,s s"i''-'''- - d
nd - "o ~ -. al .aae
~ Paef'e ." " '''0 I" u9O","'
ou''os"f " 'ee uieSe 'a' re oeas'' VI nian
.'oa'''n' a. '"'y no" lepair 70 ,'i1 'l'ehagele
~ see 'ie ga, De's's t'''N oou nus maui
.uoP'9 wou'u say "eh lnat is sio-
~. ~ ''' Us '"e! ~" ''!' "e' 'n'' -
we should everyNhe behold the brain
the arm acting and matter obeying I;
serving the will of man social
experiments on mighty scale all the won
deriul iecundallons Of progress by progress /;
science struggling with cation; workshops
always open, whose doors poverty had only
to push IN order TO become transformed into
labor schools always open, whose doors
ignorance had only to push in order to be-
come transformed to inlelllgencei gratuIious
aud obligatory academies, where capacities
only should mark the limits Of instruction,
aud where the child of the poor should re-
,eive The same culture as the child of the rich