The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-07
France and Louis Napoleon.
A LECrUsE BY MIR. 0ROR0E sUasER


A LECrUsE BY MIR. GEORGE sUasER.
One OF the most interesting and instructive lectures
which We have listened 10 this delivered
evening by Mr.. George Sumner, before large respeota
BILE apprecave audience In the lecture OF tho
Mercantile Library. The lecturer brought 70 the treat
men his subject thorough knowledge Of the character
Of the French people, practical acquaintance with
their political history. Tne following brief synopsis
OF his able discoprse:-
To distant observer France. said he, may we'll seem
enigma Impossible 10 comprehend. At enc moment
shs stands the apparent champion Of democracy-the
next she rushes with seeming blndnaes INTO the lover
deep OF po,,sm Are these ohsnsA I'm ono extreme
tie other the result merely Of ski@es OF character
are they merely sps,modic affections OF revolution
royalty, or are they the result OF causes which
the careful observer may penetrate! Is France,
IN that, hopoessy doomed 70 swing pendulum like, be
tween anarchy on one side and the absence Of all ber
ty the oiherf This the point Mr. proposed 70
examine. He believed France had made change with
out good oousehnt every change had brought to light
defects OF interior organization not before recognized and
had taught her better to know herself and therefore, put
her forward the road 10 improvement Promising that
the preudces against France due 10 hs conduct of
her aI revolution, he proceeded TO show tho hsrgh
oppression of un,axed nobility and vicious clergy
which had led 10 that revoluhon-,rsced om original
documents q portion Of them In the archives OF Bsr
ln) the nrgues of tho court, while pretending 10
France by foreign troops; made II clear that
these acts OF violence, which have thrown = shade
over the Revolution OF 49, did not occur until after tao
foreign AZ mies her soil, marching to desrey
Paris and vinc,cased the morality Of history by show
Ing that the msgaors Of he Reign Of Terror among
Ms vcinn Tho establishment Of the empire, made
by the armed coalitions against France the
OF i,s cownia when forgot It's origin; tSe bind and
rabid violence of the old mobiles who crowded bsox TO
a "
e utter dsreeard for pubic opinion or right and the
Son,sqoens So L Isn Of Of Chs1lss X & Me,o all clearly
1850. To- the Emperor NchOl.s, in which no
bad placed him the throne OF France" or the
luton Of 48 Mr.. g. spoke personal witness bore
umony 70 the general neral good oo1ducl Of the people End
cious ignorant The by which Louis Napoleon
snus.ed himself into the Office Of President, and pre-
pared os his violent usur patton were fully exposed In
these Mr. showed exact knowledge OF the financial
condition and economic influtn which are q. work
in Franco. Tho rich bankers and maaufsctur
(his 900 shareholders In government) had never
been whrg 80 tax persona property, and the great
burden o taxation thrown by them upon land and
upon small p-opiietors who since the revolution OF
so are very tax arabic land 10 In
the WORT Of imposition, for It Is tax pro-
ducon ano not on consumpton-a tax which RESTS In
dustry the opiset ipstead Of quietly waiting TO Gull s
nspei deficiencies Of that q Ioas Philippe bad added
sodtons 4e per cent to tho land tax This naturally
enough aroused proprietor and no cononneed
In snathems the Provisional government, the re-
public ard the land tax Ths state Of things was
sdoiy turned scrount by Louis NspDeons emssAres,
promised the country people in nis not only
large dmlnutOp of the lax bit the actual
IRON mis- pocket Of the io.y 70 par cent Thus ho
won the favor OF the people; and on the 2sh
mitigation OF the lane tax WAS takeo, audit was from the
conviction On the par, cf the country population that
steps vculd be continuecths no would put the
saddle ct thxsiion the rigot horsetha they gave
him power. The bstory Of this land tax, as traced by
sy Who osrcd twahr rds OF the land were roe from
Taxation ihc mddDg cssre', once IN power desermined
Sc make the srsoctscy pay heavily for their past short
cofnngS; The land tax made or the principal
oi revenue ard 30 bsx continued tesnwhel land
ed property from the arisocracy W tho peopIe they
bad tseptton and through at reigns have beea
Obliged pay this unequil tar The result o all whcn
k tha; the great Of small laad owners. the
taxed Lolders Of personal property occupy the
portion did The nobi y and clergy bsiore tbe
FIRE. revolution. This uuwise exemption of personal
property, while stimulates the zeai Of honest states
sId economists 20 labor for It's reform furnishes at
tie tsne time, sad Mr.. sunbGr, stepping rtole for
usuyefs and deuasogues. How the hopes Of his
too crtdIlol, followers had been deceived; how
Louis Napoleon began as Louis Phiipre did,
by aduaticn of The Emperor Nicholas, mse,lng
RON him simlar reoua How ne hai leut btouelf 70
wuh which the Ni,sisspp scheme OF Law, booesty
rsef--waa all ske,chod by the l,cturor Men OF
6sous Atty, n political and lnsacisl, a. well ss
dou,esto h @, p seed by him In high po.iton,-a con
tempt Tor honest and sow gsins spreading through the
land-a respect for wealth regardless OF the BY
xb,sh scscired o,tered-lersture and tho press mug
,ed-losthsome scenes OF prongate debsuon made the
principal attraction at the thestreunu Paris under this
reign to tpoFe who claim Puritan sernnes, ap
pears hkea second Babylon. glo~i,g tribute was
paid 10 two who stand out IRON this
utter dsrkncss-Henn Martin and Julos Simon,
the former puhrslirg his great History OF
prnce 10 which regardless Of the dcsposm around him,
end the warnings given him. ho speaks boldly for liberty
srd for truth tmon giving mp bis poet Professor Of
Philosophy si sorbonne wrtr his remarkable work
Duiy, stimulating 10 bsb ane noble conduct, and vim
dicAtDg before tbe creduous the grand truths OF
Oh rsiapity Mr. sumner showed how every successive
revolution In France lees violent than that which
preceded ithov the so control or the masses had in
creased with umc and eduoaton and gave as proof OF
this words which, the violent clubs Of 1913
ofien heard from the Triumphant people "We ask
cusve lessaon for Ives; the contrary lei US
meu Der always 10 guard the rights OF the minority
law OF civilized states throws IFS tuelsry protection
with specsl force minors and wards 90 let ~ hold
pg power remember hat the oeieaed minority are our
walds and hat their responsible guardians" !"
Compared with sentiment OF high and generous states
mnpibip Hke his whs. ignohe contrast presented
BY that cry d eensgogues-tnat 1ndisn v1whoop OF
party hpders-so the victor belong the spo'h. The con-
rlson Of this instructive lecture confirmed the propos
ton with which Il comuenced-vindcssed the character
of the Of the French people, showed there vas
Lore them and fer them, however be there might be
from temporary Of adron and unprinciped
usnrper.
Durps i,s delivery the lecturer vas frequently pte~-