The weekly union record., 1864-04-02
The Succession English and American

Never has the prospect Of hereditary mon-
archy in England been perfectly. remarks the
Public Ledger. probably, for thousand years, or
at least since the Conquest There is no dispute
question about the succession. and the heir apPar
ent to the throne now has to succeed him.
In the life and reign of George the Second, there
was 4 grandson born and brought up as his success
sor But the StuArts still had Iowerful adhe
and the father of George the Third. Prince Fred
erick. died ten year, before his father. The English
people Of full of joy at their secure life.
not that they particularly admire the Prince Of
Wales his younger brother being gcnearlly prefer
red as a brighter man and a better fellow, but
because everything thatiensures a quiet stability to
the Government and avoids all possibility of dis
pute as to the succession is great blessing to 4
nation which has so much wealth liable to plunder,
and so much dependent the credit of the Govern
ment itself, and that would all melt into thin air
with any protracted internal struggle.
1t is strange thing that a people who can feel
all this 50 keenly when it touches them and thci,
Constitution, little understand the feelings
of an American about his Constitutional Govern
ment. We elect our President every four years and
the stability of our Government depends upon all
the requirements Of the Constitution being exactly
complied with. The succession Of Office with us
answer. to the hereditary succession of monarches.
OF course this portion of our Constitution comes
into play much oftener than in Europe and is there
fore more vital point with Yet it has estab-
i>hed sixteen distinct Presidents in the Chair and
five of them twice in succession. Queen Victoria is
only the eighth Of her line since revolution But
Abraham Lincoln is the twenty-frst in the success
sion of our line of Presidents. And when by
violence the rebels would. by force fraud or com
promise, have broken in upon onr succession,it was
because the stability of the whole Government of
the country for all coming time depended upon a
break in tho constitutional line being rendered i'm
possible Of success, that the people rose one man
to put down the rebellion at any cost.
We may now congratulate ourselves that each day
shows the fearful, retrbuton falling the heads of
rebels leaves little doubt that Constitu =
ton will in this respect become stronger than ever
and the fate Detailing its enemies is such that few
will be disposed TO try the same again. 1t is
strange, think, that 4 nation like the English
who have had such bitter experiences of disputed
succession, and pay rouudly TO keep up their
be reditary system, and who in q thousand years,
have not had twenty successive m0Darchs under
any constitution, should not appreciate strug
giles to preserve succession, which has already
done so much for us-done it cbeaply and so we'll
1t is strange they cannot see what the cause of the
Pretender in England, that of Jefferson Davis
and the rebels is in this country and that the dying
out OF the former is not more certain as fact Of
the past than that of the rebes is in the future
Even now prince, may marry and heirs be born,
but there is better prospect that there will be
twenty more Presidents constitutionally chosen in
America than twenty or ten more of the defendants
of Victoria sitting on an English throne.