The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-07
Prospects OF Revolution In Spain, Franc
and Europe generally.

l
Prospects OF Revolution In spain, France
and Europe generally.
| Our last letters from Europe state that the is
sue in Spain is still undecided, and that the Sc
cret societies in France are largely on the in
| crease
We incline to the belief that the movement at
the head of which General ODonnell has placed
himself, will be- at least for time, outwardly
successful. 1t is not as is known, revolution;
it is counter revolution, get up with the view
of diminishing the power Of the Cortes and the
responsibility of government and increasing the
prerogatives of the crown. Its head is believed
to be the Queen; its chiefpromoters are suspect
ed Of being Queen Christina, now at Paris and
the Emperor Of the French. The belief in the
completely of the latte, rests, first, on his init
macy with Queen Christina; secondly, on va
riety of remarks he il said to have uttered in re-
ference to the necessity Of a change in Spain; and
thirdly on the fact that over two millions Of
francs were RENTED to Madrid in gold by the
Credit Mobilier of Paris just before the late out
break. The idea derives additional plausibility
from the manifess help which Napoleon would
derive from the establishment of more arbitra-
ry government N Spain; help both present and
prospective; present, as it would tend to consol-
date the reins of monarchcal authority for the
time; prospective, as it would render areyolu-
ton certain in the future, and would thus open a
door for French intervention, in case it should be
convenient.
For sixty years the French have been trying to
force on the people Of Spain their system Of cen
| tralization. 1t has been wisely resisted by the
| Spaniards, who judged that the benefit procured
in the shape Of increased strength impaired to
| the central power-was more than counterbalanc-
ed by the injury it involved, by weakening and
paralyzng the extremities Of the national body.
We shall now see whether this effort will be more
successful than the others. Our reasons for sup
posing that it will are, first the strong position
occupied by the Queen at the head Of q powerful
body of soldiery, led by bold INSCRIPTIONS lead
ers secondly the attitude Of France, which has
already sent an army to the frontier and money
TO Madrid, and whose conduct at Rome shows
how readily it would interfere in Spain were in
terventon required and thirdly, the seeming
helplessness Of the Spanish people of the pro-
vinces-who for the last century and a half never
seem to have been able to hold their own against
any enemy. England and one or two other Pow
| ers will be placed in an embarrassing position,
/ should the struggle last for how can she inter-
fere on behalf Of absolutsm on the one side. Or
how combat her ally Napoleon, on the other?
\ But the chances are that the British government
viii contrive to creep out Of the responsibility,
leaving the settlement of the question to the En-
| p,ror Of the French.
| Turning TO France. il is clear that. I'M
less some startling accident occurs TO d.
| vert attention from home affairs another outbreak
| will be imminent before twelve months pass
over. We hear already that the troops are so
disafected that the Emperor dare not let them
20 TO Paris and that even his police are 20 cor
| rupi that he employs three sets to watch each
| other. II seems also, from letters received by
| the French exilcs here-who are already bawlng
| at The prospect Of more guillotines-that France
| was never 20 thoroughly organized for revolution
! as atthc present moment Never were the secret
| societies 30 lourishing or so confident From all
| this one may infer that an outbreak il probable
A revolution Is a very different thing. So Gar as
experience teaches. the same generation rarely
accompanies two revolutions. The men who
| achieve O revolution may fail in their object. as
| tie leaders did in 1880 and ls4S; and they may
ardently desire to renew the experiment, in order
| to guard against the perils which wrecked them.
II i natural that they should conspire and plot
and always fancy themselves on the eve of a sue
ccssful revolution. But II Is not natural that
when the time comes they should find the people
ready TO join thcm The operatives. mechanics
| and vorkmen Of every kind who have carried
| through a revolution have paid the penalty.
i They have seen their friends shot They have
gone without work Their families have endur-
/ cd priyaton. They have themselves made enc
mics And in return for all this thoy have abso-
lutely nothing TO show. but new head on the
| national coin. These men will think twice be-
fore they embark in a revolutionary movement
raise tarricadcs and shoot the sergents de VILE
again.
| Therefore II il that we think the French revo-
| utionarics are premature in their movements
| Let them beware Of finding themselves q handful
/ of leaders without troops. themselves divided
| jealous. preeipitatc, and opposed 10 one Of the
coolest and most interruptions soyereims OF the
day, with great army to hack him and the con-
sorvativc sense Of the nation by bis side.
There may be a successful counter-revoution
IN Spain, and very likely there will be a revolu-
ton Of some kind in Italy but revolution Of
the nature that people expect in France is what
we do not look for.
Morn BACKING AND FILLING At WASHINGTON
We learn by telegraph that The administration
| Is undecided whether or no 10 censure Colonel
sumner for disowning the Topeka Legislature
and has called uron him for an explanation Of his
conduct in tha, affair II will be remembered
that on that tecas;on Colonel Sumner entered the