The New York herald., 1873-12-01
PLAYING POLITICS.
The Thirteen Constitutions
of Poor France.
WHAT WILL TIE NEXT ONE BE9


fewer than IL constitutions since the year 1850,
and are now about to try Q thirteenth. To citi-
zen Of the United States IL must seem strange that
sharp and civilized people should not be able to
hit once and for all on q method OF making laws
and then stick TO that method, and this citizen
must say to himself, .What are these Frenchmen
driving at with their endless revolutionsp What
do they want, and when will they stopSn The last
part OF this question is less easy TO
answer than the first Like other nations,
France is on the search for politi-
Cal system which shall give her liberty and
order; but, having never been allowed to NEEDLE
with politics at all until "a years ago, she is much
In the position OF child who has iound watch,
and, in trying to overregulate 1t, clean it and re-
wind it, is continually breaking the springs. Poll
tics are to Frencnmen new science, and the
reason why their many experiments with 1t have
hitherto failed is because French innovators have
taken great pains to change the names OF things
without ever altering the things themselves. They
have repeatedly proclaimed in their constitutions
that all men were free, but they never applied
themselves to making the people understand what
freedom meant, what were its limits, how it was
to be exercised and how defended; and the conse-
quence has been that average Frenchmen are as
benighted now as to the true sense OF the word
.liberiy" as their ancestors were century ago.
IL
day cease, and that Frencbmen viii come to un-
derstand, like members OF the Anglo Saxon race.
that freedom is not thing depending on mere
paper formula; but meanwhile any American who
takes glance at the IL constitutions under which
France has endeavored to thrive since her great
Revolution will be struck by tie fact that every
thing which human ingenuity could devise to give
country the semolance OF popular institutions has
been attempted over and over again. Under any
one of these constitutions people trained to the
uses OF liberty might have lived happy.
THE CONSTITUTION OF 1871.
1t has just been said that the people OF France
were allowed no voice in the government OF their
country until 1883. Previous to that time the
63 kings who had ruled over France since the ac-
cession OF Pharamond, in the year 40 had all been
despots, whose authority was more or less held in
check by turbulent iendal lords, each on his own
lands petty king. But the crown sue
cessivey got the better OF these mobiles and
offered in this respect contrary
example to England, where the barons by wiring
ing Magma Charta from John early obtained the
upper hand OF royalty and Kept 1t ever after.
Cardinal Richelieu stamped out the last vestiges
OF feudal independence, and when Louis XIV. took
the sceptre at Mazarn's death, in 1862 he was the
uncontested and absolute master Of all France
1t is true that there existed a so-calied Parlia.
ment in Paris which claimed the privilege OF
registering the Kings DEGREES, and. now and then,
OF protesting against them; but this was mere
judicial body. and all its attempts to assume
political power were rudely put down. 1t had also
been the practice of some of the kings, beginning
with Philip Augustus Twelfth century, to summon
at fitful intervals the States General-that, is as
semblies OF mobiles, church dignitaries and bur.
gesses. Whenever these States General met 1t was
sure sign that the country was over
taxed, and that the Crown feared to levy
more supplies without obtaining show Of
popular assent; but In 1914 the States conyoked
by the Queen Regent-Marie de- Medici-wefe so
unrny that or the next 175 years successive kings
would not hear speak Of them. In 1889, however,
the financial situation OF France had grown 30
desperate, owing to wars, administrative corrup-
ton and the UNJUST immunity OF the nobility and
clergy from taxation, that when Louis XVI. said 10
his Minister Turg0t, "How can we possibly
diminish our crushing national debts" that states
man shrewdly replied, "The question is not how
we may diminish the debt, sire, but how we may
increase it.n With much reluctance it was re-
solved to summon the states General, and, accord.
ingly on the 5th OF May there met at Versailles an
assembly OF 400 mobiles, elected by the peers;
400 clergymen, delegated by their own order,
and 400 bnrgesses, returned by the taxpayers,
of cities. The King gave this assembly clearly to
understand that Its functions were purely Of
financial nature, but the public mind was in too
great state OF ferment for these restrictions to
have any weight. great number OF the noble
men Deputies had fought in the American War OF
independence, aud these, under the leadership or
Lafayette, soon joined the Deputies of the Third
Estate, who, with o section OF the more liberal
clergy, resolved themselves into National AS
sembly, and swore not to separate until they had
ed a n
Deputies advocated extreme measures. They
simply wished TO Iorce the nobility and clergy to
pay taxes; and If the mobiles had been reasonable
the French constitution would have been the
exact copy OF the British; that Is, there would
have been an hereditary House OF Lords, and
House OF Commons composed OF borough and
county members, the latter OF whom would, OF
course. have been nominees OF the land owners.
But the mobiles would make no concessions In
consequence the Assembly grew more radical
every day, and the constitution voted In 1871 was
intended to debar the nobility from all ascendency
In the Legislature. This constitution conferred the
suffrage on all citizens who paid 200 francs a year
taxes, and Instituted convention OF 700 members,
who were to sit for seven years and to vote all
laws and supplies. The royal prerogative was
reduced to the mere right OF veto and the
King was not TO have the power OF dis
solving the Convention. Naturally. therefore,
in case OF conflict between the Crown
and the Legislature the Crown would have to
yield, and Louis XVI this so wen that he orth-
with took measures Tor quitting the country. The
nobes, too instead OF remaining In France aud
trying TO control the new Assembly by getting
elected to sit in 1t, emgrated by the hundreds,
hoping 10 invade France with the Prussian armies
and bring the reyolutionists to their senses But
these schemes failed. The Prussians were repulsed
and Louis XVI was arrested IN his flight brought
back 10 Paris AS prisoner, and, after twelve
months OF ceaseess trouble and confusion, Gnally
deposed on September 2l, 1892 and committed for
trial the charge Of conspiring against his
people.
THE CONSTITUTIONS OF 1893 AND 1875.
ON the 2st OF January, 1893, Louis XVI. was be-
headed. and a few days afterwards a new consti-