New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-04
FRANCE.
rnosrcC1iovs OF TIE PREss-MANIFESrA -. n,
OF PUBLIC OPINION-THE hLrO"i vi
..vr,.N.trr, CnNs.,IRACY.

Dina No, 17-Thc trial of the arbitrarily selec'e"
f,v from tbe many individuals who TOOK part l." mo
Etue manifestation at Baudins grave ana III 'iS
snbscription TO his monument ehGou Oh ue o'''Hu
dav in their condemnation by the IoHce Co"i' ~
S,iII Going on at the bar of public opinion, with
Tho difference that i'll this tribunal the abiest adVo
otoo ON both sides are rightly considering the I'M
rial prosacutor as the chief party on trial. con-
nlte importial account of this Baudin affair would
ho one of the most instructive documents that could
Ina written. not only for the past and current, but
rerbaps of the future history Of the Second Empire
The legal trial is not only the most important poi-
cal trial that has occurred for some years. but as
tinpushed in several remarkable features from any
politcal trial that has occurred here since 1872
have only to point out some OF the most Striking
Of these.
The accused were prosecuted and cSndcmncu lor
violation of two articles of the Law of Genera SAFE
ty. This law was rushed through the Legislature ~
1853 under the high pressure of the Orsn scare. II
was declared to be an exceptional, transitory law"
Its most atrocious provisions were repeated SoHio
vears ago Until last Saturday it had never Deeh APP
nlied Int three times so far as publicly KNOWN vi
the eight condemned, the most severely puls"c" ~
Mr. Decscluze who is 10 suffer six months impfiSon
nept with loss for that period OF ms cVi lHhs anu
TO nay 1000 francs fine Pcyrat OF the Hrc"" N"''o"
al and three other editors who pu1,h'l s,n.c',,-
non lists i'm lcir j0uTDalS,aIe to pay VII'ucs t.I
10 fnTni>L tho court with show OF legal premises
fur this their fOreCOnc conclusion, me lVS,Cu!l'E
oeicer fried TO prove that these men btd IhtcuceH
uioeI , u.c, or ectcd with combined understand
ING for the purpose Of exciting hatEeu ahI c9l't'ut
of the Emperors Government. Nov IL, al ,T - 49,
that he brought forward IN the case % 'lr' 'cig
cluze and pcvrat are these: DC'"5cluZe lhlsh'U III
the Rcrdl of the 29th this paragraph; me JoHfhal
that saws tho cemeteries will be Clo'cd 10
tbe public on All Souls Day is evidently
mistaken TITO people cannot be- prevented
from honoring itself IN doing honor 10 tue memory
l.. 1,r.a l.ff ora II
Who like CayaimuC have worn OUT thrir ives
in STRUGGLES for liberty; OF those VINO Ine I.H,,
din have fallen martyrs in the defense OF law"
@ lie sent a note to lcylat on NOV. Z" promising as
his own uaper % weekly, would EOi appear liii INC
9Th, that PcyTat should olen the SUBSCRIPTION VI
nubiised in tEs rcair National on TIE 4th, accom-
PANIED with brief vatoil.! Announcing tIe SUD
fcriptiOn. +. The criminal Pcyrat published IN the
g,Eir Of tie 5b the first list OF suborbcIs adding
TO and IS guilt the heiuous r!"ucUVcr o. an
extract from Ieuots history Of TIE Coup dEJat III
Paris l7ih editiOnl ON the death OF louln ana SOHO
verses en- the same subject. 3. leiescuz' on the
sans Gay published an account OF the mamleS!a-
taOn' at Hau,.iuS grave 81, nacH!i'ol is, "Du
uall on departmental journals 10 JOIN Ia inc SID
Observe now. What tho prosecuting attorney
omitted to ohScTvo-that fcylat aud De!escluze
we're personally STRANGERS to each other. and
inst Introduced TO each other IN TIE c0uItIoom on
the FIST day Of the t'ial that neither Of them too1
part in tn manifestation at BludinS grave; that al
thc acts Of either OF then regarding the subscription
are. by the prosecutors Own showing, comitted
of November that they received so much us an init
nation that the authorities were abort TO consider
their acts rs criminal. IL from this date that
the subscription took its second great impulse, and
was taken up by journal aItcr Journal 10 the number
in all, by last saturday. OF 20; ard thar men OF az
parties and Of the highest standing at the bar ANA
IN socicty-mcn Ike Berryer, aud Fayre, aud Provost
PaTadol, and Marie-began sending III Their names
and letters OF adhesion.
Ono other little fact that the prosecuting officer
does not mentionperhaps did not know Of, but that
positively dds that tlle idea OF tle DaUdin sub
diet r-NfflT gtla TNrtR gfrlt
wards, Monday evening, by some persons who lad
stopped after retqTnng from the cemetery, and was
only accepted by DelescIuzc-yoTy readily. indeed
when he came ill., at later moment.
To make ont a "maneuyeT" and "Hteil0cRces q Tin.
terier from the above FACTS, u was necessary that
the prosecutor should combine them by and with con-
lectures. hypothesis. and differences. But with
This generous contri bution Of his chain and wool lie
wove but sieazy pot out OF them 80 that the Court
arerward IN toe motives OF lis decision had to add
yet more devils dust Thus 10 give q sample
or two Of this judicial shOddy: Seeing that. since
the death Of Daudin. killed tie 81 Dee, 1911 on
barrcade seventeen years have passed and that this
event seemed 10 haze fallen into Oblivion
In this "motfp naively put at the head Of all the
rest lies nutshcled the key 10 this prosecution ard
20 the Imperial view OF the actual situation. Within
public memory r0wingever liycler and more richly
stored with details of the origin of the Second Empire
In less than three months IenOts impartial record
of some of TIC events OF the comp deiat has reached
its seventh edition. DccembrcA lOnuieT's repetition
of the story has passed through several large
editions within month. A few other recent ndicrs
of the remarkable revival of historical memory and
political vitality in France have been from time 10
time noticed of late in this correspondence.
For nearly seventeen years 10 impartially dry
port OF the coup detat, mHeh less any approach 10
philosophical history OF IT, OF criticism of It's events
aud principles suffered to be printed in France.
Government mstOOk a silence of its own imposing
for final oblivion. After the 18th of January promises
Of more freedom and the tardily following press
law--restricteG as il is-tO Immediately punish those
who first began to take advantage of them. was
thought nUdicOus by their cOncessOr And so Roche
fort was restlessly borne with till his eleventh
ber and IenOts book, beng scTupulOuSly free from
general reflections, and being in the first editions
high pTced volume, was tolerated and nc wspapor
notices of it, and cautions discussions In the newspa-
pers of the origins Of this Government provoked by
Ut, were wiuked at for a time-but with vince.
Three weeks ago little note IN the Mopcur reminded
needless editors of the SeRdtaS Consult which fOTbids
any discussion by any one of the Constitution And
they frequently reminded, in sem-Official
way that the coup Petat had, in sort been sponged
out of history by the popular vote of December -,
that abSOlyed the author of II from hls SIN uf sin
there werel of illegality For the Government felt
bitterly the vice of its origin. Ii Is, Gambetti told
the Judges last Saturday the stain Of blood on Lady
Macbeths hand. And so the GOYerninent feels the
extreme importance of instituing new chronology,
and dating its birth from December 20 ignoring the
first days of that fatal month. II can but deprecate
the eyOcatiOn Of Bandns names. The white shaft OF
his monument would rise, balcful as Banquos ghost,
a standing rcprOach and q menacing prophecy.
The first effort TO arrest the Baudln movement had
for immediate effect, as have said, 10 provoke new
subscriptions by the thousand, and In notable part
from subscribers who, without this prOyOcatIOn,
would never have adhered TO- they did not at the
outset approve Of the movement. At the trial the
accused were defended by four or five eminent
lawyers All Of these practced orators and logcians
jnduged ia historical esSaying on the coup detat-
treating Of that theme with an unrestrained acute
ness of criticism aud severity of appreciation equal
10 that dsplayed by SchOelcher OF kinglake Whose
hooks are forbidden in france and with an elO-
ouece especially in the instances OF the venerable
Cremieux and of NJ Gambetti, which SchOelcher and
KinglaLe are not masters Of And. by one of the
numerous inconsistencies that mark the Govern