National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-01-12
The Year A. u. 1872.

pearance of the figures which together
indicate the year now before us, and
which must now he inscribed al the head
of every letter, borne on TIE front of each
newspaDer ana print, on the cover Of ev.
cry monthly or quarterly. 81 let us, for
n few moments, hook ahead an see what
the New Year is likely 10 bring us.
We are TO choose President in 1872 -
so much is certain--nnless, indeed. there
should be more than tw" candidates, and
no one receive MAORI y Of the electoral
votes in which cas-, the President would
be chosen by the H,lse OF REPRESENTA-
rivcs in February, 1873.
Tho yeai 1T before ns is no. the con-
tenary OF nv great event in mo lern his
TRY. 4 hunlre wears lr,fiLhers
AFRO rant claim of the British Crown aud
Parliament nj unlimitel, urbllancel
power to tax them. without even the for
malitv of asking ih3ir leave hut only
the discerning few as yet ,resaw the
bloody struggle that was then imminen'.
One hundred years ago, pe.ce was very
general throughout both hemiSphercs,
except hat the Partition Of Poland among
her three powerful neiglLors had been
cr ell and Initiated
Frinc. seems sm pthare bl. not
,ln-pny Volcano, Just rally to WON'T
flame an ashes, Vet not likely very soon
to tronb'e the reposa OF her neignb )rs.
That her present gov maut c,nnot ont
last the C ming yer, is H'e prediction ::
hu' who shall tell what fl ;lIion of mor-
archy shall snnpant the doomed R.pnb-
lie ? The priests anl rnder pea>antry
would have Henry " if they corll the
army officers pref'r Napoleon III the
manufacturers and shopkeepers lean to
ward the House OF Orl"an> the workers
for wages constitute thu maip strength uf
the Rel II lie. Tint Tniers will soon
cease to he President. few doubt beyond
that. all is blind conf 'cture.
Great Britain SEEMS to be gravitating
toward republic in fact if It in name
but the obstacles to I've encountered nr,.
gigantic. Among Christian countries,
there remains no other whose social
structure is so essentially arirtocratic as
hers. A hundred families own half her
immense wealth the greater portion of
her soil belongs to Il much smaller num-
Der. A social revolution in the British
Isles may he the bloo,liest ard most de-
strucive that the world has vet seen. l.
can hardly be initiated while the N .tion-
al Finances remain rs sound and hopeful
IS they now are, and majority of the
rural tenantry continue attached to the
feudal lords by tie If common interest.
Yet the day of strenuous effort for rad
zeal up.urning in Britain cannot be far
distant The union of Church and State
is probably The next bulwark OF aristoc.
lacv to BE- assaile,l and suhverted
Sp,in has made more progress toward
daylight within the last ten years than
any o her country. Till lately thrnn
Of bigotiy and imbocie despotism, she
has to-day a LIBERAL constitution aud n
parliamentary regime, and is rapidly
gaining in popular intelligence anl pop
ular power Her iearfully disordered fl |
nauces and her enormously over-oeneral |
ed army are the chief remaining obsta-
cIes TO her complete renovation.
Italy is No longer a chaos of nominally |
i'll dependent but impotent states aud of
foreign provinces, Int liberal kingdom |
of twenty five millions, rapidly growing
in intelligence, cohesion, and strength. |
More newspapers are issued weekly in |
my quarter of her arena than in the pc
uinsula twenty years ago. She needs |
I,ut peace and a policy which shall serve
to develop her material resources to rem
der her, bv the close Of this century, |
one of the Great Powers of Europe.
Germany to-day is tho strongest and |
most influential among those Powers /:
bat her Emperor and Prime Minister are
both ol men so is his military brain.
Won Moltkc. When these pa away, as
in the order of nature they soon must.
the prestig" of the monarch will fade,
and the E Enpire en- pr upon that work of
>ociil mrlioration which has nlrea ly been
hhyed too long, allow ing Au-tIi,, and
even r lssla, t., tx" the lead of her
ihesr two great military m"narc.li-s are
likely to be invo we'd IN deadly strife a
II" distant day ; but Germany will stasd
lloof If the voice of Ler people shall be
heuri.
Mexico and all Spanish America seem
to u- a continual anarchy, when in fact
they are in most respects what Europe
and Christendom were ten To twelve cen
Iuries ago. lar wider exDan~e and
sparser population are the most essential
points OF difference.
On the whole, we hope to he OBLIGED
to chronicle little or no clrnage III lS72
' ct the lIoolie>t years of the past have
been ushered in rs peac fully rs this now
promises to lie. Let Us reverently trust
that Whatever of agony and woe the New
Year NAV bear in IFS bosom may lie over.
-ulcd for good, and that the human race
nay risIbly, palpab'y profit by all its
suierinGs and sorrows.