The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-26
Franco and Constitutional Govern
ment.

Neither the Rochefort affair, nor the more
serious complication growing out of the kill
ing of Victor Noir by Prince Napoleon, has
shaken the purpose of the Emperor, or seems
to have diminished his strength with the
army and the masses of the people.
Rochefort might have made himself mar
tyr whose name and memory should encour
age the people to overthrow, if they could,
the Imperial government; but timidity, or
the thought that, for him, the living Roche
fort was more worth than the dead hero, al
lowed the decisive moment to pass, and now
his name is connected with an absurd .fasco
instead of with story of devotion and sacri-
flee which might go sounding down the ages
OF France. The policy of the government
towards Rochefort has been wise and tenn
perate. As long as he confined himself to
abusing the Emperor and his ministers, no
heed was given him; but when he became
rioter. fanting and blanched by the way, the
law closed its hand and sent him 10 Jail, as
it would have sent any gantn who made
disturbance on the Boulevards. This was a
mortal wound, and the present indications
are that Rochefort is politically dead
The Victor Noir affair is embarrassing and
is still an element Of trouble. Say what men
may of abstract justice, there are few who
expect or desire, that Prince Napoleon, how
ever guilty, shall be sent to the scaffold. The
Emperor has the power to save; and, if the
Prince Napoleon be condemned to death,
will, undoubtedly, save his cousin from the
last extremity of the law. The Third Napo-
leon is no Brutus, and the better for France
that he is not. If he allow the Prince to
escape, RocheforJ and his followers will
Shrek and howl, declaring that there is one
law for the Prince and another for the pea
SAINT. And if the Prince be executed, the
popular verdict will be that the Emperor
sacrificed his cousin to public opinion, and
had not the pluck to rescue one of his blood
from the hands of the public executioner.
There are extenuating circumstances; and
in France the aversion to the death penalty
is stronger every day. Napoleon will not
allow his cousin to he executed, but his con-
duct will be so arranged as to jar as little as
possible upon the sensitive public nerve.
The Emperor is preparing himself for new
trouble, and preparing well. Doubts were
cast upon his sincerity in attempting a COIL
stitutional government, but he persevered.
The premier, NJ. Olivier, was baited and
bullied, but he still moved forward. And
now the Emperor tells his ministers that the
work OF liberalization must go on and that
The Senate must have only concurrent
power, not a prohibitory power, in the coun-
ellis OF the nation. This looks like business.
So far the Emperor's conduct is rational and
consistent. From his point of view, and
from that OF millions of others, it is indis-
pensable that u steady hand should hold the
reins while changes were made in the gov
ernment OF nation which has known no
mean between license and despotism.
The people now are accustomed to the
meassre of constitutional liberty which is
gwen thnm, and the Emperor goes still fur
ther forward in order to put an end, as he
says IN his letters to Minister OLIVIER to the
lmmoderate desi,e for change which pos
sesSes certain spirits who distrust the public
mind, 10y their belief in the instability of the
present rule.