The Portland daily press., 1871-03-21
DAILY PRESS,
PORTLAND.
TUESDAY. MARCH q, 1871.
wore Sorrows for France.

To those who look with confidence for the
amelioyation Of the condition OF manKlho
through the gradual triumph ct the popular
element in human governments there co"o
hardly come sad Ter news than that OF Inc
rious disorders in Paris The ezcesses =, ,,d
first great Flench Revolution. the D'oo 80
pameless horrors of 1872, were s"'"'io
make anarchy ard democracy ."
throughout Europe for nearly ceh'"s ~ "n'
almost 10 ueutraze the example Vi s"eeesH-
-, .o.,,,,onveal,b on this side Of the Allan
~ Far nearly that length OF time popular
',,,orsments in the old world have found the
me .nory of that fatal year to be as substantial
AN obstacle in the way OF their success as the
power of monaIchs and the force OF inertia OF
Z existing Institutions. II is interesting, as
matter of speculation, TO consider what would
have been the condition of Europe to day if
.he revolutionary spirit of France had never
hazed into the insane fury that brought OIL
um on the whole mighty and on the whoie
benefcent and necessary popular uprlsins-
if the Girondists instead of the JacoDins nau
controlled the course OF events 10 the o""
Robcspierre, Danton and Marat had never gov
the uuper hand But it was among the IN
scrntah,e degrees of destiny for the affection
otmap that they should exert their baeul in
fuence over the most important event of the
century, and that, as if by the special interpo-
sition of some higher power, such prodigy
as the raising upoi the Bonapartes in the lit
tie island of Corsica TO succeed them should
occur And it is just here that the extent OF
the misfortune that is now Detailing France is
most plainly visible. The Bonapartes by the
miseries their imperialism has inflicted on
their country and on mankind had just dispos
ed men to look once more with favor ana
newly enkndIed expectancy TO democracy as
arelief from the political evils they have sui
farad Cesarism, after career of singular
success, had become more disreputable than
Socialism ITSELF For nearly two decades the
I.,t and the worst of The Bonapartes had been
the most successful living incubator OF the
grim Chelsea philosophers dogma that the
rabble needs master. He had preserved Or
der. given The millions of small property-hold
ers throughout Fl ance security and qu'et, con-
structed useful and magnificent public wolks
and made pleasant outside show o. peace and
from the Gallo metropolis exclaimed TO those
who denounced the Emperor-"Look at the
streets OF Paris-compare them with those Oh
New York; But it had just been found
that those twenty years Ct imperialism mao
emascuated France. The police arrange
mepts we're good, but the intellectual anc
moral progress OF the people was retrogressive
The masses of Frenchmen had become race
OF pismies, wi neither mental nor mora
force towards, liars, thieves-a little people
over whom the German colossi strobe like Oh
ants among the inhabitants OF LilhputC@ssr
ism was suddenly at discount when the
glittering bubble of the second empire buls
at the touch OF Won Moltke's sword.
But it is greatly TO be feared that "thf
Reds" are engaged, in turn, in the work o
bringing about reaction, and that the peo-
pie will soon he crying out again as Justify a.
ever for master. 1t is to be feared tina. il
the proviIces there will be decided impulse
toward the enervating and barbarizing, bu
soothing and tranquilizing, embrace OF Bona
partisan, as a relief from the agitation ant
alarms TO which the sans cullotte of Paris ex
pose lnem Inc pToN'sioHdi SoFciniheH
which the Partisan mob is striving TO over
throw is probably but the forerunner of thu
restoration of the Orleans family, il left to full
al its purposes without interference, but it il
legitimate government in the strictes
sense OF The word, based as it is on the SUI
frages of the people Of France, and it is inf
ni;ely to lie regretted that the extreme Re-
publicans have seen fit to appeal once more
to violence and bloodshed in disregard OF the
deliberate and solemn decision Of a majority
If their fellow citizens. From this side Of the
Atia1.'"it seem as if Republic, founded or
the assent Of c-e peotae, neSAa rs. eettev ther
constitutional hierarchy with an Orlean
prince at its head, but the r,aople have prob
ably decided otherwise in their electis.s, of III
Assembly. For the present they have de
clared that they are not ready to govern
themselves, and the conduct OF the mob a
Paris goes long way towards justiiyins
their conclusion.