The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-12-01


street.
The French Journals and the Filibusters-
Napoleon the First and Walker the First.
The French journals. and particularly the
organ of Louis Napoleon, lie Constitutional, are
greatly alarmed at the events which are trans
piring on this side of the ocean. They think
that the United States ought to be satisfied with
creating disorder in the financial world ruin
ing private fortunes and bringing destruction
on the two continents of Europe and America
and not 60 into flibusterism and the extension
of the area of freedom at all.
Hereupon the Constitutional proceeds to read
the United States in general, and the New
YORK HERALD in particular, homily on inter-
national law and the duties of nations Now,
we have studied that mass of wise laws known
as the international law of Europe, quite as
much as all the writer's of the French journals
together; and whenever we have held it up to
the light of European history we have found
priests to preach upon, but not at all
adapted to their practice. We need go no
further back than the present century, nor
beyond the history of France itself, to
show that flibusterism has been, not only
the rule, but the best rule for that nation
of half men half monkeys that call themselves
Frenchmen. The best rule they have had in
the nineteenth century was that of the Corscan
filibuster, Napoleon l. He reduced them to or
der, gave them wise laws and any quantity of
glory and finally got over very ingeniously the
fact of his being foreign flibuster by perfect
ing the annexation of Corsica to France.
After his defeat, the country banded about
some time between idiots and intriguers con-
tented with none, till finally new ilibuster
came upon the stage-one who is cross of the
Dutchman with the Creole. His first attempt
at filibustering was at Strasbourg, where he fail
ed his second was at Boulogne, and that, too,
failed; but his third succeeded, and now Napo-
leon Ill. has shown himself as great, if not a
greater man than the first of his name. lie has
kept up the profession with little by-prac-
tice in Algeria, where he trained st. Arnaud
and Pellissier, and has again given order, and
the only government they can live under, to the
people of France who 20 closely resemble In
their moral aspects, the hybrid races of Central
America. We have a large respect and admi-
ration for this successful flibuster, who has
been blessing 70 France and to Europe, though
not exactly through the process of or respect
for European international law, 50 solemnly
enunciated at Vienna in 1875
But the French journals do not understand
the vast difference that exists between filibuster
ism in Europe and in America. There 1t is the
plottings of kings and priests; here it is the de-
velopement of freedom, order, and good go
vernment by the elevation of the people, and
the exercise of the will Of the majority for the
great good of all. In Europe the people have
no voice in the highest and noblest attributes
that concern them. If we wish to know what
France will do, or say, or think, under any
given circumstances. we 90 to the great man
that lives at II. Cloud and he can tell us in a
breath. But IL we wish to know how a great
and free people will act under similar circum-
stances, we 90 to an independent press, and its
utteranccs are the utterances of the majesty Of
the people. Filibusterism here differs radically
from flibustcrism in Europe because here il is
the extension of the right of self-govcrnment,
while there it is simply the extension of the
power Of crowned heads. of men booted and
spurred to ride the ignorant masses. That is
what Walker Is carrying to Central America,
where few ambitious leaders are fighting each
other and eating out the substance Of the people.
Perhaps as flibusterism established Napoleon
the First N France, IL may also establish q
Walker the First in Central Americas and If the
Constitutional still doubts the judgment of the
NEw York HERALD in this matter, let it ponder
over the news that has already gone to Europe
since the expression Of our views thereon, and
watch the current Of great events that are fast
developing in this hemisphere.