The Morning herald., 1876-02-26
WILMINGTON, FEBRUARY 2e. 1875
THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

majority of the French people are in favor
Of Republican form Of government for
France. To one who looks beneath the
surface Of things, and who is competent to
make an intelligent survey Of the history
of the French people, this uprising in IA
vor of Republican form Of government ia
not at all surprising. 1t is simply werk-
ing Of the old leayen, implanted in the
mind Of France by the municipalities
which were so ruthlessly destroyed by
Louis XIV.
Previous to this time France was gov.
erned in great measure by her different
provincial parliaments and her old char
tered cities, such as Marseilles, Orleans'
Toulon and Beauvais, were the models on
which the municipal governments Of
western Europe were constructed.
During the long, in many respects
glorious, and in many, disastrous, and
bloody reign, Of Louis XIV, the powers of
the old provincial assemblys or partial
ments were destroyed; the citizens
Of the chartered towns we're shorn
of their municipal rights; every order
and condition Of man, politically COLI
sidered, were reduced to base and igno-
bic civic equality; orrather all were de-
prived of political rights, and the grand
Monarch, as he is called, once boastingly
said: Il am the State" Thus despolic
power reached its highest development in
Western Europe. During the regency
and the reign of Louis XVI. corruption
and oppression IN almost every conceiva.
bic form of cri linal wrongs were perpe-
tated by the court upon the suffering peo-
pie of France.
The dragons teeth sown by the court
and the nobility Of France produced its
full corp of armed men. The revolution
came at first led, directed and governed
by such men as Lafayette, Petion and
others Of that stamp, aimed at giving to
France reform Of government, RepubH-
can in character, at the head of which,
however, they intended Louis XVI. should
continue, but his power was to be hedged
round and sircumscribed by constitutional
guarantees Of the strongest kind, and
sustained by an armed faction. But the
revolution burst all bounds and with
devastating power Of a lava stream it
swept away the throne, the church, feu-
dalism, the Law Of Entail, primogeniture
and all those rights that were considered
heretofore to be the special privilege Of
those who we're called the governing
class.
The kings OF Europe combined to war
against this revolutionary nation, and
made threats Of determination against the
political rulers who were at the head of
the Republic which grew out of the rev.
elution. They were answered back with
scorn and defiance; --and the Phrvgian
cap and tricolor became at once symbol
Of terror and power in every capital in
Europe. We pa, over the wonderful
episode of ..,apc!eon's career, remarking
simply that in his celebrated code
Napoleon he gave to France a
system Of jurisprudence moi
equaled by any existing code Of law:
in the world. Upon his fall, the repre-.
sentative ami type Of the power swept Out
Of France by the revolution, was brough,
back again in the train of the Holy Allies
as the confederation Of all the kings O
Europe was called, and once again absolu
ism and despotism was imposed upor
France by the lance Of Cossack and The
bayonet of the Guardsmen. So it will bt
seen that the people Of France were ap tt
this time the maddened actors in a revolu
ton, frenzied with the military glory o
N"polean, as the victims Of his conquerors
and in truth, whether thay did or did no
think and philosophise upon governmental
theories, there was no opportunity for thei1
application or realization.
Fifteen years of peace gave the French
people an opportunity to see their Owl
political condition. And to bring about
change for the better, Thiers, Guizot, La
fitte and others felt it was necessity t.
crush the absolutish1'of the old Bourbon
that was imposed upon France by tn
allies. This was effected by the revolu
tion Of 1880, when Charles X was driver
out Of France and Louis Philip was calle,
xo tLo %bwooo oa L;oo &c ~, E..u.l