Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-04-04
A REMARKABLY POLITICAL REEVE
LATION.

AAO&s
From the Chicago Times.
A significant debate lately occurred in
the French Senate on the project with rela-
ton to the seaatus-eoasultHBl. The question
turned largely on the benefits of a form of
government in which the ministry is or is
not responsible to the legislative body
In the course of the discussion, a long
argument was made by the Duke de Per-
signy against ministerial responsibility.
He showed that were the cabinet ministers
of the United States responsible to Con-
gress there would have been failure to
conquer the South. He said "Take the
case Of America during the late war. The
chambers of the North were as ardent as
the government for the conquest Of the
! South but suppose there had been respon-
| sible ministers sitting in them, do you sup
pose the issue would have been the same
| At every battle lost there would have been
a change of ministry, an upset Of the state,
| and the rout of the armies would have ex-
tended 10 all mems minds"
| There is a sound political truth in this
statement; but Its chief value depends
upon its being the precursor to what was
said Immediately after by the noble speaker.
| After showing that our success--so far as
our own efforts are ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
upon the fact that cur ministry is not re-
sponsible TO the Legislature, he proceeded
10 prove that it was nothing but miaiste-
rial responsibility which prevented theinter-
ference of England, during the late war, in
favor of the South. He said: "Look at
the attitude of England during that strug-
gle. The sentiments Of our neighbor were
| yf,,,lff,I I'll -. I.
not for a establishment Of the Union.
Never was finer occasion presented to free
England, for some centuries, from her
American nightmare"
All this is true, beyond all doubt. And
now for the reason why England did not
seize this opportunity TO rid itself of its
American nightmare" The speaker
added:
Bat her responsible ministers were
there! They counted the ranks of their
adversaries-so many Radicals who will
vote for the Union from political passion,
so many Tories, who, though they wish for
the same things as the Wings, will vote
against them to turn them ont. Before
this calculation they stopped short, inert
and discouraged; and thegoddess opportu-
| nifty escaped their powerless hands. Shades
Of Pitt and Chatham, you ought to shue-
der: for the instrument which in your
hands was one of force, has become in
those ofyour. successors one Of weakness p
Ii would thus seem that, according to
the view Of high French minister, one
whose position enables him to know state
secrets and to read the motives underlying
national policies, We owe the non-interfer-
ence Of England simply to the fear that
the measure favoring an active interposi.
ton might imperil the official existence o.
half dozen cabinet ministers. From all
that we know of England, we have a right
to conclude that it was anything else but q
want Of inclination which prevented the
administration from putting an end to the
war and the American republic
Very fortunately, we have system o
government in which the ministerial agen-
cies are comparatively free from response
bility. Perhaps, then, when England gets
fairly embroiled with Ireland-as it will
in time-we may embrace the opportunity
to free ourselves, not for "some centuries,
but forever, from our English might
mare"