The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-17
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
UPON CURRENT ToPIos-ooMPHED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
FEDERALISM AND FRANCE.

and clearer as this otherwise confused and
confusing revolution in Paris drags its slow
length along, is that Proudhon's idea of fed
Grafton as the secret of the only practicable
mode of popular government in France has
struck deep root into the minds of the Re-
publicans, and will have to be very gravely
considered indeed by French statesmen,
whether they succeed in suppressing the
present revolution or not. How serious the
case is, and hopeless it makes even popular
prophets like NJ. Louis Blanc, nothing shows
more clearly than the letter in which M.
Louis Blanc-(who headed the poll
in Paris, when the Assembly was
least of the veneration which Victor Hugo
has erected almost into faith has declared
against it, thereby, no doubt sacrificing de-
liberately many of his adherents among the
extreme party. For, well considered, there Is
hardly any legitimate escape from the royal
and imperial principle inFrance except theFed-
eral principle-while, on the other hand there
is hardly any legitimate escape from the fede-
ralization of France except the royal or i'm
perial principle. M. Louis Blanc really knows
this He knows that the Assembly of which
he is a member, elected by universal suffrage,
would return to royalty or imperialism to-
morrow if it were allowed to act freely. He
knows that any successor to it, elected in the
same way would do the same He knows
that the only conceivable chance for "a re-
pubicIone and indivsible" in France is not the
very republican proposal to restrict the
electoral suffrage by law excluding the
mass of the peasantry. He knows that this
would mean the towns governing the country
districts, against their will, by ideas only
popular in the towns. He knows, on the
other hand, that federation would be a Sc
curity against royalty and Imperialism on the
same principle on which the cellular structure
of ship is a security against the mischief of
leak. Separate the State into distinct pro-
vincial compartments, and you have
guarantee against the spread of any
centralizing enthusiasm, because no pro-
vince could hope to place king or
emperor over all France without giving up it's
own local rights and liberties, TO which the
provinces would probably be even more
deeply attached than to any central princi-
pie whatever. The very provinces, like
Brittany, which are most deeply royalist,
are also most deeply attached to their own
local habits and rights. Grant them the lat
ter, and they will gladly waive their demand
for king; but refuse them the local rights,
and Immediately they press for the acceptance
of their single centralizing idea. M. Louis
Blanc knows all this, nay, has known and
pondered it for years. And yet he cannot and
will not admit the idea of federation
'France advancing united and compact
that of the world, with Paris-the immortal
Paris-for capital, is prospect which tempts
me, he says, more, L admit, than France
reverting, after being torn in pieces, to that
italian Federalism of the middle ages which
was the cause of continual intestine conten-
tions in Italy, and which delivered her, lace
rated by herself, to the blows of every foreign
invader" No doubt it does. But he does
not tell us, what we suspect to be the simple
truth, that the alternative to this miserable
picture of France ''torn in pieces" andrevert-
ing to ''that Italian Federalism of the middle
ages which was the cause of continual intestine
contentious in Italy, and which delivered
her, lacerated by herself, to the blows of
every foreign invader, is hardly France, free,
united, and compact, but France united and
compact under a government which sup
presses either freedom of the country or the
freedom of the towns. ''Not, he goes on to
say, ''thes am for Capitalization carried to
extremes. Far from it, l consider that the
Commune represents the idea of unity not
less than the State, although under another
aspect. The State corresponds with the
principle of nationality, the Commune COR
responds with the principle of association; if
the State Is the edifce, the
Commune is the foundation, =
which would be exceedingly WELL. if
it only did not happen that the various 'foun-
dations of the edihce" are laid on very diff
ferent levels, and are not therefore, in any
way suitable for the foundations of one and
the same edifce. But as it does happen in
point of fact that such Oommunes as those of
Paris, Marseilles, Lyons, St. Etienne, ETC.,
would be foundations of one sort of edifce
and the departmental or provisional organi-
cations would be foundations of quite an
other, and that no common edifce could
be raised on these very uneven fouada-
tions, M. Louis Blanc's letter must be
taken to mean that after weighing all the
evils of both solutions, he finds the evil
of Federalism, with the weakness aud
probable impotence it would impose on
France, even more intolerable than the evils
of civilization in which either the peasants
must govern the cities or the cities must gov
ern the peasants. No doubt he would far
prefer the latter kind of Capitalization, if he
could see his way to it. But he must, we
think, be taken to have admitted that if, as is
probable, it is not possible-if the peasants
from their superior numbers must have a
greater weight in any homogeneous organiza-
tlon of France than the cities-even so,
homogeneousness with vastly less liberty for
the cities, would be preferable to Federalism
with complete liberty. NJ Louis Blanc wants
"a republic one and indiVisibe, but yet
would prefer, as we gather, 'France one and
indlvlslele, even If not a republic, to France
torn and divided among a number of Com
munes, however free.
This is remarkable opinion to be passed
by one who was really the most popular man
in Paris, the representative, par egceLLence.
of the higher Socialistic ideas, and therefore
above all things likely to give the fullest
weight to that craving after Federalism which
seems to be the only distinct feature in the
new revolution. And there is great reason
20 haIiaya fbof Nj T,Ouis Rlane does NOT 4,