The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-16

crowned beads of Europe, which is to
assemble at Paris on Thursday next the
f9'h instant, ia the most momentous ever
! held in the Old World. In another part of
this days paper will be found a highly inte-
resting sketch Of the plenipotentiaries aud of
the objects of the Congress, prepared for the
HERALD, This Congress is more important
than that Of Vienna, whose DEGREES it will an.
nul; yet the principal Powers are nearly the
same parties as before. The only difference is
that Napoleon will rule the councils of this
| Congress, whereas the former Congress assem-
! bled to overthrow the Napoleon dynasty for.
ever. The former Congress was the expression
| of despotism-this is the euAna,ion Of freedom.
What vast progress, therefore, has Europe
made in the principles of human liberty during
the last forty five years. The avOwed object
Of the former Congress was to subvert the free
dom and independence Of all nations who were
not able to resist the will of the armed conspi-
rators The design Of this is to establish the
principle of independent nationalities and the
right of the people to choose their own rulers.
| One result Of the former Congress was
|
of the Pope, overthrow by Napo-
leon l.; main object of this is to
| overthrow itagain in different mode, accord
| ing to the plan Of Napoleon I'LL The former
Congress was founded on the ignorance of the
| people-the latter is based upon the advancing
| intelligence of the age. When attending the
Congress of Laybach in 1921, whose edicts were
| fuller development of the obnoxious princi-
Piles of the Congress of Vienna the Emperor of
| Austria, in speech to the professors of
| public seminary, said he did not want their pu-
pills to know too much-he did not want learn
| ed or scientific men, but obedient subjects. The
world has outgrown this doctrine, aud Napo-
leon ILL.,, recognizing the fact, proclaims the
| principle that the people can never know too
much. The increased intercourse Of Europe,
particularly England, Germany and France,
with the republic of the United States, during
the last twenty years, has liberalized and es-
tablshed its craftsmanship, and the emigrants
from the Old World are so many political mis-
sionaries, propagandists of freedom among the
| kindred of their native land A wonderful
change has come over the spirit Of monarchy's
| dream in Europe since 1915.
| Nor is the contrast between Europe now and
then more remarkable in anything than in the
changed position of England. Then, in the
words of her own Napier, the author of the
Peninsular war, she-the theory Of whose gov
eminent is limited monarchy, with Protestant
ascendency in Church and State-fought in
Spain for "an absolute king and an intolerant
church, and then she combined with the
other Powers of Europe to strengthen and en-
large the temporal sovereignty of the Pope, and
to establish despotism on the ruins of the
liberty and independence of the Italian peo-
pie. Then, by armed intervention she over
| threw the rights of the French nation, by de-
! throning their lawful sovereign, Napoleon L.
| the choice of the people-and sending him
| into exile to Elba while she forced upon them
| the hated Bourbons, of whom it was truly
| said by Bonaparte that during their exile they
! had learned nothing and forgotten nothing"
After the restoration Of the dynasty in the per-
| son of Louis XVIII, Alexander of Russia gave
] him good advice. He said 1.-THE doctrine of di-
vine right to the crown is now seen through, aud
repudiated by the people of France. You
mnst obtain an election to the throne by the
Senate, that you may be understood to reign
by new title, by voluntary appeal to the
people," The Bourbon rejected the advice
with scorn, and said that in placing him upon
the throne the allied arms of Europe had ''re-
established principle" 1t was in such
spirit the French monarch began his reign;
and when, in less than year, the people had
become sick Of his tyranny, their beloved En-.
peror, with whom faith had been broken by
the Allies and Louis, suddenly returned to
France, astonishing all Europe as much as if
an earthquake had happened; and when, with
! Corporal's guard, he marched through the heart
of France to Paris, and not finger was raised
| against him, and the Bourbon fed at the ap-
proach Of the true King, England again proceed
ed to deprive the people of France of their cho-
sen sovereign, and sent him to an exile
whence there was no return, while she forced
back an odious monarch upon them by an
army Of 65o,O0O men and fifty eight ships of
the line, at an expense Of five hundred and
| fifty millions of dollars. All this was done in
violation of the principles Of the English revo-
luton of 1858, by which the right of the people
to choose their own kings and of the Parlia-
ment to change the reigning dynasty was es-
tablished. BY that right alone George Ill sat
on the throne; and yet his agents, Wellington
and Castlereagh, and the money of the peo-
pie, were employed in asserting a contrary
principle political aristocracy Of sovereigns
to swallow up the independence of the smaller
Powers, and to parcel out kingdoms without
regard either to their kings or the people. But
they were afraid to openly avow this policy in
England, and in Parliament the palpable false
hood was put forth that "they had no disposi-
ton to interfere with the rights of the French
nation in the choice of their own rulers"
All this Ia chanred NOW Tho odintaof fha