The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-25

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maintain order on the day on which he trampled
under foot the Constitution he had sworn to main
tain, ia this not sufficient proof that outside of
him. the Republic had absolutely nothing to fear
Who would have attacked it? Who would have
dared to attack, while he was defending itP He
who would have been the more inyincible the more
respect he would have manifested for the Repub-
lie
ssNo, there was nothing, absolutely nothing to
fear for the preservation OF the Constitution, for
the continuance Of the Republic, for the conserve
ton Of liberty, and the maintenance Of order The
two elections of March, 1852, that for the Legisa-
tive Assembly and that for President Of the Re-
public, would have passed by as peaceably as the
election Of December 10, 1s48, when,-notwith-
standing the liberty Of the press, and the right to
hold public meetings at that time perfectly un-
trammelled, there had not been anywhere. in any
city or country hamlet, single act committed at-
tempting to interfere with the exercise of the
right OF universal suffrage.
Ell, then, in all that precedes, there is not
single word that can be gainsaid, what are we to
think of the pompous eloquence of which n. the
Minister of State, has just been soemnly delivered
and against The justice Of which we protest with
all the energy, inspired by tho vivdness of our re-
collections :?
ssNo, it is not true that in his hands the country
has been conducted gradually, and witt. each sue
cessive year, to greater ard nobler destinies.
France is not more powerful to-day than she was
in February, 1851. Is she moro free Is the
country or the administration responsible for til
many rreparable faults that have been committedie
And it new mistakes are to aggrarate the evil,
what means has France to throw into the balance
the weight of her opinion2
EMILE DE GIRARDN."
Here, then, we have in brief review Of the En-
peror's administration, from the coup Getat to the
close Of February 1867, as vieEed from tho stand
point of the opposition 1T IL interesting and in
structivo, and, to American readers Just now, very
suggestive.
The government Of LOUIS NApoLEoNis is an anom-
ally in the history of governments. It is an at
tempt to unite incompatibles elements which
from their very nature arc mutually repellant.
Universal suffrage, the quintesssnce Of thorough
democracy, and liberal constitution. with q repro
sentative legislature, are here attempted to- be.
grated upon an autocratic. despotism. An army
of 1000, GOO men and Parliament elected by uni
yersal suffrage, must needs be very heterogeneous
components Of the, same body polite. The En-
perora ministers knew what they were about when
they opposed his late reform" measures. They
knew that free press could not possibly co-exist
with his Msjesty's government. One or the other
must tnll, and of course thesword is mighaer than
the pen. How foolish of H. EMILE DE G1aARD1N
to imagine that because there was a free press in
England in Belgium, and ~ the United States lat
least formerly therefore he could print what he
liked in La Lioertel The Emperor's decree, apro-
pos of the press, he should have known, was only
meant in Pickwickan senso. The. rress should
be free, provided, (understood,) it say nothing
prejudicial to our government.
The above article is nothing more than a brief
and pointed abstract of what Ii. JULES FAvRI said
in the Chamber but the latter was privileged as
a member Of Parliament; add, besides, the words
Of NJ. EMILE DE G1nARDN whre more caustic, and
of character to do incaleuhble mischief I'd the
Government. TWAS Necessity, therefore, that the
writer should be put in plake Of security and his
Journal be suspended for s6ason.
True, We have affairs Of otf own, vital in their
importance, that command oa time and attention,
but we make no apology to q readers for troub-
ling th,m with this long srtf2 on French afairs
careful perusal may teach tem lessons that are
not wiihnut THAR n.x,linn t;-al tvH1r
tory. -. III. l.es' 't,-a=.i' - :