The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1865-11-23
Dc Tocqueyillc on t;,c Duration of Imperial
Government In Franco.


Government III France.
The new volume of De TocYuEyIIi-Es letters,
Just published in Paris, contains the following.
dated February 81. 1858, AMI addressed to M' Dr
BEAUMONT
capnot tell you, NJ dea- friend how much
your last letter has interested nc aId low entire
others with that Til the Tale of liberty Lake you,
| have never beer more entirely convinced that
liberty alone can give to human society III Senefai,
and to the individuals which compose 1t Ill partlc-
which our race is capable. Every day conlirms me
more in This l.eiict: my o%il observations, tho
lapsc life the rccoe c;ions OF history tho events
of :he present day. foreign nations, our o"n 81!
combine to give 70 these opinions OF our youth the
force os absolute Conviction.
That liberty is the s:,e qua n4.: to torrl great
and viriIe nation. IS, 70 ny mind: c"deiicc iseif.
On This point have :. filth which shc!l. be
glad to hay: OF many c;hGrs. l;ut how ci:iic;;it
il is 10 ostablis liberty firmly IN nations which
have lost the us. aid cVe: ,it true conception Of
i'll How pcwcrlcss aro institutions .whe. thcy
are nu; e. :tcrc,l hy ll+ IDEAS and habits u The
People. | l.ayl always thought THAI - ndnc
France free ration in the true sense Of The
world )-;iiat enterprise t. "hicn We haze dcvatcd
our lives 10 the rx;:ii! nc oar small a1iitiesi
have sl..aya thought, say, thai this enterprise
Was gra:;: but r:.,i One. l think it every day
nore rash. bu more grand also: and E.i !:uc ;'',
that were 10 DC nor.. again, shoEii still f.;cf
to risk everything in this hazardous undertaking,
rather than 10 bow n!,iCr necessity - serve VIII
others DC more fortunate than wc Iayc Been?
know not: bu! ak myself whittier, il: o3s ;:".
sliali IN France free nation, al least what
You and mean i.Y the word Tha: does not
mean thai we shalt not scc roTci'!sio:is.
N9tlIinS. l"licrc me, IS sttic1. IN i;iif'lrH!con
circumstance. q mc;r turn given IL aiars a.: ac
cilent whatsoever, laay bring CA extraordinary
events To force every man from his retreat. It
was to that alluded in my lest etc, and :.ot to
the establishment: uf regular liberty. Eut what
makes me fear that a"thns vii for long ;iihe
make free, Is that ac a-c no ;lic de=ir" 20 be
s." = = Net Indeed, That IN: oio ''f these
who sa: that We arc d-..rcp:: ari corrupt .:a
ior, destined to par?ctiiai serviite. Iiinse who,
with this lIoinn exhibit the v:;es os tic Roman
empire ami coinrisccrtly :raag:nc that sc ar, to
reproduce them 81. s:nailci scale, are pcople who
seem TO ms 20 iiyy IL !:oo:; ard :os in Tie reality
ur their age.
w.r;I ar,l terrified: liz anarchy. Tr ma wanting
in the sound and city conception %! ireedu ;.t
VT arc wort! more ;'ial on: prescht u'sidY. "n
arc not vc; ripe 70: the Cieintive and regular
establishment nj ,cSpUier;: ara ;i (IuVcTiii'Lt
will in this out II ever !. a;tains sufficient scr'I-
tx Ia discourage cuspir acies, to cause the li.ch
cal parties 81 drop Ic:r arms. a:iu u crush t!:':
from the .ccuc. Tl:. Government T0i!ld then bc
astonahcd. in ilc llcyiay of It's triumph To find
stratum of bitterness and opposition Icnetli that
IaTer of obscGuiCi;s followers who LOW seem 10
cover the srrIaca of France
I sometimes think that the only chance o. see
iii, strong love Of liberty revive in France is in
the Tranquil and apparently deliniive establish
mgnt Of absolute power. Observe the working Oi
all our revolutions; can ;iow he described with
great precisoi. The experience of seventy years
has proved that tfo people alone cannot make
revolution: az lon; as that necessary element OF
revolutions works alone, ii is paweress. L does
not become irresistible till portion VI the cd,l-
Gated classes has joined it; and these classes will
only lend their moral support or i!eir material
to the pocIlc when they cease to fesr
it. Hence it is that at the very moment when each
Of the governments We have lad III the last sixty
years appeared to pc the strongest, that IT. 4 caught
tue disease by which il w;.s to perish The rcsto-
ration bcgan TO die the day when nobody talked
any loager of killing it. and so with the July mon
nrchv I think it vii: be 80 with the present gov
rrnuent Paul tM dc Beaumout's youngest son,
hen child will tel! me il l am mistaken.