New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-20
wishes OF the people, and establishing at

wishes OF the people, and establishing at
last by force government OF reaction
The next device was the Septennate.
Some acute priest or servile deputy must
have invented the singular expedient, and
| whispered it a. the Elysees into no unwill-
| ing ears. BY majority SO small as scarcely
! TO insure respect for . common decree. in
! an Assembly which notorlouslv had been
| condemned Vy every recent election as no
! longe. ia possession OF the sutfrayes Of more
! than a small fraction o: the people. Mac.
MahOn was declared dictator OF France for
seven years. He promised to maintain the
Authority Of the usurping Assembly: the
Assembly. or its majority. pledged them
/ selves 20 obey the dictator: the priesthood
bsnd0ned Henri Y. t. ally themselves
| his resolution TO maintain his position
by force o! arms against the people
I whom he had iabored 70 deceive. and even
| against the Assembly from which he de-
| rived his office. What are the limits of
| his power. what is to be the policy Of. his
| government, no one pretends to suggest.
He is despof. seltchosen, and maintained
| by The army and the priests. He may rule
witt, the cruelty o: q DR.. Fsancia. the jea!.
| Gus suspicion of Dionysiu.. yet no one
| will have any opportunity to murmur. He
| has waved the sword Of military violence
| before the people. and hidden them obey.
Pats trembies befOre the military class
aud it- silent chief as it trembled before
the rule OF its butchers ia iiis and the
Duke OF Burgundy, the leader Of the assas.
sins. its politicians rage against one another
with trightfui inenaces: tyranny produces
:ts necessary results: and the Seine may
Oncs more run with the blood Of couteadiny
factions.
In the wei! known show place around the
Louvre and the Tuileries. the Palais Royal
and the Place HendOme, where from age to
age the fierce passions of an uneducated
amt halfbarbarOus people have found an
u.teIance in succession of irighttu! deeds:
where from the days when the Burgundian
butchers flung the bodies Of their victims
into the Seine. when the HuguenOts He'd
Though all these dim and narrow streets,
chased by the Catholic assassins. when the
JacObins ruled in yOnder market place and
the gulllOtine labored in the Place de 10
Greve. from the conspirac.es aga:ns. the
first SapOean to the slaughter OF Innocent
spectators on tho fairest OF Partisan boule.
wards under the last. through the civil strife
Of four centuries. until tho recent horrors of
the Commune. the French have never lost
tho medieval thirst for bloodshed, and have
never attained TO the humanity Of a rising |
civilization. Education has been stopped |
by an autOcratic church. The people have |
been shut out from the influence of the |
better minds Of other nations. While Lon.
don has yielded slowly to reform. and even |
Vienna entered upon new progress, Paris |
still vibrates with medieval impulses and |
avows its hatred, il we may trust M. LIE. |
moline. for all that is 'biblicai. puritanical. |
and that savors OF moral ]
IL prefers, he asserts. license |
and chivAlry." It is plain that it the 4
butchers of Burgundy in some new form
are not let loose upon Paris. II will not be
because its popular editors teach 1t common !
sense.
Under these tall gray houses and through !
these narrow streets the Partisan duelists
have for four centuries piled their dreadful
trade. This povcl system Of murder eprang
lp in the fifteenth century. In the six
zenith it had reached in Paris the height of
general insanity. \ look, q smile, q cold |
DOw. hint OF rivalry, were thought sutfi-
'ient to lead to an instant encounter. The
Point Neuf was the favOrte scene Of the
Partisan duel Of the reign OF Henri III. or
Louis NH. The fierce MercutiOs. witty
md insolent crossed swords at word. and
,nly repented OF their mad passions when
he deadly thrust was given. Every day
he combat went on. Twenty. and some
lines . hundred, cavaliers met in these
ayage massacres. 1t is easy to soc
vhere the twenty Bonapartists who re-
entity were anxious to fight twenty Re
ublicsns have looked for instruction.
Sui willis in all other lands the "bibli-
al, pur.t lnical, and methodistical" inllu-
nee which NJ. l.emoiue so con.emns ha,
anisbed the chivalric form of murder. in |
'aris 1t prevails with . constant intensity. |
20 the shame OF letters il is not found that
lte!ligence or literary eminencs eradicates
ne bSrbarOus passion. The chief editors of
'aris are among its most noted duelists.
Inc is renowned. for twenty encounters.
nd has slain four OF his fellOw-ccuntrymen;
e is a leader Of French "society." Another,
le chief OF the fraternity, the most success I
IL and wealthy. has had bu. four duels.
ut in one killed the mos: accomplished {
his contemporaries. The liberal journal. .
ts vowed 10 avenge the death of their com.
sniOn. but Girardin would never fight
gain. Few members of the press but have
cen led by the example of their chiefs into
10 fearful custom. One can scarcely grasp
hand among the French editors that NAV !
OF be stained with blood, or has not aimed /,
le murderous blow. 1t would seem that ,
terature should at last set itself against I.
rivalry, and men Of letters rise beyond =
e barbarism around them. Let dukes !
I'd marshals alone emulate the Pawuee s
ID Sioux if they will.