Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-12-29
TRIAL OF THE THIRTEEN.

The decision Of the Supreme Court of Appel settles
the question of the right Of association 10 France Thir
teen gentlemen have been finally pronounced guilty of Sc
dton, because they met at the house of M Carrier Pages
previous to- the last general election to confer upon the
best Of securing the return of certain Opposition
candidates The discrepancies cOnessedly existing be-
tween their individual convictions precuded the possibility
of any charge being made against them of dynaso de-
mocratic plotngs A more Heterogeneous assemblage
for the size of it, existed Legumists Oreaniss
and Republicans met together private dwelling
without the show aecta,n of publicity to ascertain
how far they could honeraby cooperate promoting the
return of independent candidates to the Corps Legsatf
The only test they agreed to acknowledge that of in
dependency of Government Influence: the only qualca
ton they held Indispensable that should not be
in Imperial livery Bourbonsts there of the Berger
type and uramontanists of the school of M Faoux NJ
Theirs had his admirers aud Odon Barrot had hs friends
Jules Favre and CIR, mieuI numbered in the gathering two
three of their allies Past differences were laid aside
and former resentments hushed with the aim and
for the common purpose of securing, if possible, such
minority in the Chamber nomnally empowered to make
laws and impose taxes might give utterance to the
sonabe dissent of large portion Of the community from
the fore On and financial policy OF the Government No
question whatever raised of organic change Not
word was said Of altering The suffrage of modifying the Lee
gsature of changing the succession to the throne No
sought than the practical exercise of liberty to
think and speak educSted men in civilized country al
ways have claimed and must claim to do If universal
suffrage not meant to be mockery in France, it
their admitted privilege, nay their most obvious duty to
consider beforehand whom they should elect The act of
voting when they had made up their minds might be per-
formed silently instead OF UOce but the previous
qures and discussions to the character aud capacity
possessed by candidates must be open aud the
comparing beforehand their relative strength aud accepta
bty must somehow other be ound The voting would
obviously be of little avail without the inquiry. 81
To tell the French people they may for against
the nominee ia each prefecture is neither in
sound say that they elect representatives
To elect does not to choose between sung snar
ing Intellectually at the nomination of particular ind
vdual or the other hand making show of ssentiug
thereto To elect choose from amongst several
between two. Unless freedom of candidature be
cognised the form of what is mscaed election Ia simply
egregious cheat, politically meaningless, aud morally
worth nothing But the liberty of candidature is likewise
empty impOture, if previous conference and comparison
the conrbuve strength Of sections and classes of the
community be inhibited Without the right of peaccable
association it is impossible perhaps, IN any country but
above ALL in France that there should be freedom Of
ddature freedom Of choice. Napoleon III compre-
bends this we'll and therefore the Procueur Imperial has
been engaged for many months in hunting from court to
court thirteen gentlemen who acted Opposition Com
mtee in Paris previous to the last general election He
has succeeded in obtaining fnal judgment against
them from the Court of Appeal and they await their
tehce IL argued cogsnty but of course uacouviuc
ingly by NM Desmsrest Picard, and Berger that the
law against political societies tending to control modify
the policy of the Government had not been violated be
cause twenty individuals could be named amongst
when any prgity existed the subject OF Imperial ea-
ousy The of the defendants the Indictment
alone forthcoming and it was only inferensly proved
that there might must have been many
respoDdence with them la vain the counsel for the de-
fence challenged the prosecutors to say who these anoH
might be- The ruled that this was
unnecessary In vain they asked whether departmental
town committees would be equally held to be Illegal
the logic Of nculpaton seemed to imply the court put
this aside question not before them Ia vain tue
venerable Berger hs brow enwreathed with the homage
paid by the English Bar to his courage and cCnsancy adj
ued the judges to rise superior to the supersous reg
for tschnicaes, 10 construe tho law which
must presumably have been made in spirit and 10
worthy OF an enlightened Government aud enlightened
people He seemed to them who Knocked and no
heed whatever given to his noble appeals. Nothing
is left to popular discomfort in France but to conspre
lis mouth is shut it only for tbs future beckon aud
make secret sgnsa terrible alternative for despotism
London Examiner.