The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-01-23


z AGENCY In NORFOLK.
WIN. r. roerxR ESQ, IL the Agent for the DAILY
DuSArca IN Norfolk. the circulation OF the paper
thsre hsysus increased 20 an extent demanding per
souai attention 10 its distribution. the
urnalism and Liberty I'm France
The nevspapers Of New York and Pniiaaeipnia
sympashize profoundly with the an'ictions OF the
press in France. A contemporary declares 'na'
Journalism In France, under the present govern
msut. IN understood TO be neither pleasant nor
profitable, not pleasant because the discussion OF
usit,cs and public affairs 10 90 limited by law, and
the trsnsgressors Of that law 20 hedged In with
mains and penalties, that man OF active intellect
must submit to 1e s'cribeed, cabined, and confn-
cd" or eontsmplate-as its inevitable alternative,
the ssizure aud suspension Of bic Press, with
strong probability Of Its owner being sent to pri
SON. Not profitable, because fines and smeroe-
msuts for criticism upon public men and public
measures are 90 common, that It is utterly impos
sibls for the EDITORS pocket,-work as hard a.
that editor may,-to get the better of the govern
~ssn. Hence 4, IL NO wonder that " hat Is known
Ana understood la England and the United States
n the aIberty of the Press" is rapidly coming to
have no existence in France.
our contemporary proceeds to remsfk that "the
careful reader Of the foreign news, of late, will
have observed the strong tendency, on the part
Of many Of the more influential Of the Partisan
Journals, TO break loose, by fits and starts, from
the letters which bind them,--but, it must have
he%u observed, likewise, that that tendency has
been met by the Government letting fall the sword
of Damociss upon them,--in the shape OF fines and
imprisonments and suspensions.
asIouis Napoleon, however, having put the Press
under his feet and shut up all the recognized ave-
nuss of Public Opinion, appears to have FELT him
uelf strong enough to grant an Indulgence TO the
Journalists whom he had thus weakened and muz-
xled IL might be polite. too, and expedient, to
make some show of freedom of the press when
all such freedom Is aunihilated-and 80, IL was
SracIousy given out, not long since, that, on the
1st Of January, 1858, general amnesty would De
offered 10 all such journals a. had given the gov
srnment offence, by over free-and-essy Criticisms
npon State affairs. This measure, II Is expected,
viii prove highly advantageous for journals OF
every shade. The last We heard OF La Presse, II
was suspended for two months; the Steele mad re-
esived three advertisements (warnings) IL bsta-
fstte' had received three also, besides summons
20 snsver a charge Of Outrage on public morals
for which II might be suppressed IN toto. Inc
Constitutional, the 'Patrie, the Revue dc PARIS,
the Gazette de France aud the Union, nave
each received two notifications while the spec
tsteur.' the sCharivari,' aud the Correspondent,
have been visited with The Courier de Paris,
the Pays the Revue des Deux Mondes ana the
skevus Contemporaries are the only Journals that
have not, syst, felt the heavy hand OF the oneia'
censor"
The provincial Journals, it 10 added, are In no
better plight than their metropolitan contempora-
riea.
We confess that we do rot see In all this any
thing which calls for 30 much American astonish-
msnt and horror. Before there can be free press,
there must be free people. We have seen no
evidence az yet that the masses of France desire
political liberty. We have seeu repeated and over
whelmipg demonstrations that they like and ap-
prove the government of Napoleon. They called
hin to his present position, and endowed him with
his tremendous power, by such majority as no
ruler OF a monarchy or a republic ever before re-
ceived. The French people regard themselves as
ruling France, by Louis Napoleon, their deputy.
That 10 their idea and his upon that subject. They
do not desire to bewilder themselves with any
complex ideas In government. They think that 1t
10 o. we'll to elect one man to work the govern
ment machine, as to have several departments ana
Q hydraheaded monster. This is French demo
cracy, though we may call IL despotism. small
minority in France desire Republic still more
inconsiderable faction sigh after legitimacy, and
q considerable number Of political adventures
pant for revolution, pottage and plumber But the
French masses are we'll content with their demo
cratic empire, anu VIC EthlIy NOV SEQ why ]hn'e
RIGA should mourn over the condition of people
who are we'll satisfied with their own lot The
helmet of liberty will not fit every head, nor the
garment of free institutions every back. II the
French do not want what we call freedom, why |
should we break our hearts over TINS dinerehce OF
tastes and opinions'
On the whole, the French are not such great |
fools "a we might suppose. If they enjoy security
Of property and person under their government; |
there are no unjust and oppressive burthens and
restrictions upon their industry and enterprise;
II they have all the enoyments Of life. except the
privilege Of voting annually for every officer OF
the government, from Emperor to constable,-a
privilege which they would not exercise II they
possessed IL, and which would form but a very in
considerable item in the sum total Of human hap
piness-why should VIC mourn over their meian
choly fatef Let us leave that fine fellow, the
Freedman, to enjoy himself in his own way; 10
delight his eyes with shows and parades, ana pis
stomach with excellent soup; to take Madame anu
the little ones to the theatre and the puohc gar.
dens; to exult in the military renown Oh oeau.hui
France, and in the reputation OF her graho
Napoleon whom he has elected to transact the ma
tional business As for the French revoiutionistS,
who has any faith in their professions OF love iof
the people, Who believes that If Louis Napoleon
were driven from France tomorrow, kepuohe
would succeed him, capable OF lasting ninety
dsysi Have we soon forgotten is4s! HaSe
Lsdru Rollin and his associates passed from the
memory Of mani Do we not remember the pranxs
n,avsd bv the Paris editors whom that revolution
osst into powsrf Why exchange Louis Napoleon
for another King, who, in all probability, would
mot pos,sss hundredth part of his administrative
ability. and who, in his turn, would be upset by
another revolution In less than five years.
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