Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-01-21

belongs to you and to ue. They are alIe I'd
eager to seize the legislative as well as the e1
ecutive departments. They talk of reformu
the Supreme Court for their purposes. The
who have taught and practiced the breaches
civil discipline, are becoming the conservatol
Of public order. On your retiracy, they will file
from its old guard the ensign Of the Constitu
ton. Why, to break up this Governme ent be
fore full hearing::of the grievances, is to b
worse even than Red Republcanism! Shall
be said that some of our friends ofthe South al
worse than the Red Communists of France
So IL would seem, and 80 | will proceed I
prove.
Apprehension of evil! It was the argumen
of despotism in France in 1851. Louis Napol
con used it for his bad purposes; but the Frenc
Republicans denounced 1t. Let me draw th
analogy.
In article forty-fve of the French Constitu
tion, il was enacted:
'Le President de la Repu ublique est elu pour quar
ans, ct est reelgbe quapres lntervals de quatr
annees. ."-AnnudiTe HfstO'1qae, 1913, Appendtc, p
In article one hundred and ten it was further
enacted:
''Lorsque dams lie derniere aimee dune Legislature
PAssemblee rationale aura ennis le que la Consti
tuition soft modiee tout on paIe il sera procede
| cette revision de Ia manvle resuivante.
lie Voeu exprme par pAsSemblee ne sera convert er
resolution dehnitve quapres tros deliberations
slves, prises chacune mois dntervale ct aux troll
quarts dessudrages eKprimes.
lie nombre des volants ne pourra etre moindre de-
cinq cents"
Thus, in l845, Louis Napoleon was elected
President for four years, the constitutional term
He was by the one hundred and tenth article,
ineligible to re election except after an inter-
val OF four years His term would have expir-
mi Tha af =
France, was signalzed by vague apprehensions
Of revolt, when the president should consti.
tutionaly go out. Under this apprehension the
National Legislature were summoned to change
the Constitution. ltrequired three express bal.
lots of the Assembly taken at months interval,
with three-fourths of the Assembly, aud at least
five hundred votes te be given, before the Con-
stitution could be so changed as to continue
Napoleon in power, Hereupon arose parlia-
mentary struggle, enequaled in any forum. II
was before the giant intellects of France
were exiled by the perfdity Of its ruler
Here was a country like france, with sixty
yeirs CT Iolii,al vicissdre wherein every ira
ditlon and compact had been violated and vet
even there, the Constitution of the new Repnb-
lie was invested with suCh sanctity, that it
defied the majority of the Assembly to change
l.. The Lafayettes, the Hugos, the Lamar
tines, the African Generals, Lamoriciere, Chan
GARNER, CaVaignac, Bedeau, Leao, struggled
against this change, with an eloquence radient
with French fervor. aud inspired with the
genius Of great deeds. Their President had
sworn to be "faithful to the Democratic Re-
public, one and undvsible, and to fulfil the
duties imposed by the Constitution At
length vote was taken. There were
446 for the amendment; only 276 against il a
rnai inritu Of lES. huI nnta h., ~,
ing three-fourths; The crafty President, find.
ing he could not change the Constitution in the
constitutional manner, began TO ply tn pop
ular will for his purposes. The Conseils Gem
eraux demanded, and two millions people peti-
TONED for the change. But the Republicans,
moderate aud red, stood their ground. Even
Prcudhon, blood-red Communist, from his pris-
on of St PelGgie, wrote Girardin that universal
suffrage would not be price enough for such
breach of the Constitution. The great question
WAS referred to committee, of which De Toe.
queVille was chairman. He, too withstood the
pressure Of power. The will of the minority,
for whose protection constitutions are made, be-
came, through the constituted mode of amend
ment, the will OF the majority; nay, of the State.
Just as nine States 10 this Union hold our Con
stitution in statu quo, against the will of the
remainder. These loyal Frenchmen appealed |
10 the nation, against the adherents of the Bour.
ION, Orleans, and Bonaparte. "NO," they said,
we will not give up the repose of France, at
he price Of quieting apprehension of future re-
1olt" They thus confined the enemies of the
Republic to the circle Of the Constitution, from
which they could not break without crime
They declared that the prolongation of the term
# Napoleon was q crime, impious and parrcidal.
When 1t was said that Napoleon would override
be Constitution with force in 1859, if not be-
ore, they answered: "SuCh crisis will be re.
olution, arising from violation of the funda.
rental compact In that case we declare that
nveloped in the flag of France, we will do the
uty which the salvation Of the Republic i'm.
oses"
On the other hand, 1t wasurged, as it is b ere
rged, that if the Constitution was not broken,
lere would be dangers more fatal By fore.
nowledge of disaster, it was urged that the
nd Of Napoleon's term must be a convulsion,
hich the Assembly, acting on an apprehen-
ion ought to bind in advance. To save him
'om perjury, majority of the Assembly were
illing to commit it themselves. So now, ac- ;
ording to my theory, South Carolina ould q
oud break the Constitution and her oath Of !
,alty in apprehension of an aggression which .
ie President elect, even if he would, has no s
over to commit :
The summer Of 1851 passed in France Again 4
nd again had the minority OF the Assembly /
sscued the Constitution from civil dethrone-
lent. They triumphed in the forum of reason. a
ut stay! In night-in the midst of the de- a
ates cf the Assembly-on that fatal Decem- :
er night, thelusurper seized the reins of power {;
nd like thief, by a nocturnal surprise, he !
fenced every voice but his own, muzzled the |;
less, struck down the Assembly, Transported !.
Ioadnra uithout ;ndomont ,,aJo L. 9 .
mock Dukes, and surrounded himself with =
10 bastards of his race. He illustrated the
ory of reign based on notification, force, i,
srjury, and fraud! And is this the banquet to \
hich the American people is invited, by those :
nong US who hate Red Republicans even worse a
ian black2 Let the American freeman n
ON this example, remember this lesson: If !.
,litical compacts like our Constitution, be q
oxen, the limits of authority are effaced. y
light succombs to force. 1t signifies little !,
neither such acts are done by Executive usur a
ltion, military compression, congressional q
,tion, or State secession; the Government Ia 6
one! States which will not keep inviolate the :;
yed principles of constitutional right, repudiate =
leir own strength, assassinate their own life, :
rnish their own glory, and will receive and -
,serve the ill-starred fate of France! In I.
hatever form these iniractions may come, his. !.
ry has but one answer for their effect. When
W is defed successfully, division will come :,
med with tenfold terror. Force will be ar
yed against force. The brute rules and rea, ,
IN dies. Ii not resisted, there is but one
tentative; yckes of wood instead of cords of =
Tx, and yokes of iron instead OF yokes Of wood. .
he red specter of revolution, or the gentler
ovemeDts of acquiescent infraction of the or =
mic law. There is but one step from the 4
n niN nj n ha
brave struggle, thus France lost the Repub +
G. What ahall wa cav of Amarina NTH 'hn.