Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-10-13
M. THEIRS SPEAKS FROM THE
GRAVE.

OF NJ. TIMERS, has FOUND ana pup
lished an address to the electors of
Paris, which was recently written
by the great eX-President and on
the correction of which he was en-
gagged on the day of his death. 1t
! refers to the complications Occa-
stoned by MacMahOn's rash action
in di5missing the Republican cabi-
net and dissOlving the legislative
chambers for the purpose of forcing
a mOnarchical reaction. No one of
the splendid mental qualities which
so long made Theirs the first citizen
of France has failed to exhibit itself
in this document; it is a grand and
exhaustive refutatiOn of the whole
groundwork OF MacMahOn's mani
festO, tearing to pieces the excuses of
of that officer for having brought
France to the verge of civil war.
The whole paper will be read by all
Europe and by all Americans who
desire to know what is transporting
beyond the Atlantic. We regret
much that we have not room for the
whole, but insist upon making room
for one paragraph. He is comment
ing upon the stale preteXt for
" coup de main" in the cry that
France IS IN danger:
AN ANTI-REPUBLICAN REPUBLIC.
Such is, repeat the Republic, not of the
republicans, but of the anti-republicans.
That is theirs and theirs alone. What is the
explanation of such a mistake? This, which
l have heard given for more than half
century, France perishes, is about to perish,
she must be saVed!" Fatal word, the fore
runner of all the faults ofgoverments falling
into madness before falling into decay.
Alas! if the word were true, how many
times already would not France have per-
ished? So often has she been agitated so
often has she suffered, but she has not per-
ished but those have persisted who pretend
ed to wish to save her. They may have
dragged her with them into the abyss but
she has raised herself again with the assist
ance of honest men who, after having vain
~ warned her of the peril into which she
was being precipitated, have, nevertheless,
done everything to snatch her from it. And,
upon this point, implore the true conSer-
natives, honest men whom ] do not con-
found with the pretended conservatives who
at present make their voices heard. / i'm
plOre them to recall all the occasions on
which they have exclaimed, " France per-
isheS, let Us save her, and to save her let us
resist let US resist " Resistance has been
made; what has happened? Under Charles
Y, under Louis Philippe, under Napoleon
Ill, people exclaimed Let us resist !"
What was asked for under Charles X? That
ii should be recognized that the King could
do nothing without the Chamber, that is to
say, without the country. Resistance was
made to the famous ordinances. France did
not perish it is the royalty of Charles Y.
" nprlShp1 and parliamentary
principles were cOnSecr0ted at once by the
charter of 1880. France suffered, no doubt,
but she soon tiOuriShed again, and her pros
perity seemed as though it ought to last
long while. Uuhappily, one point had been
neglected. The suffrage was too restricted.
Two hundred thousand electors represented
37,OOO,OO0 of Frenchmen. The fact struck
every one and it was said that 100000 citi-
ZenS could not pretend to be the whole of
France. a modest reform was asked for,
which would have given $4,000 or 10000 cleo
tors more. Immediately a cry TeSOunded-
" France is about to perish if resistance is
not made to the revolution which is carrying
it away!" Resistance was made the revO-
luton of 1913 broke out, and we had uniVer-
sal suffrage, that is to say from S,0OO,O00 to
100000 of electors. France did not perish,
however. Constitutional royalty, which
might have given us a wise liberty, perish
ed, and France, after having suffered-fOr
every revolution causes ufferings-France
raised herself again and went through three
years of agitation and disorder, which
brought her TO Napoleon III. The latter
did not hesitate, and, to save France, all lib
critics We're taken from us at once. The i'm
peTial constitution of 1904 was re-cStabliShed;
no longer any press or Parliamentary dis
cusSion; every year a fOrtnight'S budget
only, representing whole session, and then
silence. The Emperor alone governed, the
Emperor alone. All liberties were in his
hands, which, despite himself opened one
day. All liberties escaped from him.
FALL OF THE BONAPARTES.
They would have saved him, perhaps; but
Immediately there was cry of France is
about to perish !" and he then instructive
ly sought refuge in war from the reViving
liberties. This time, indeed, France did
nearly perish. She was only diSmembered
she was obliged to abandon to the victorious
enemy an enormous portion of her riches.
But at length she saved herself; and, after
having attempted to recreate an absolute
Monarchy, she has established the Repub-
lie. France has not persisted but three
regimes have persisted, and France has been
cruelty tried, to arrive at length, in three
steps, at the modern democratic form. She
has increasingly developed herself, while
remaining the grandest spectacle afforded
now to the terror, now to the admiration, of
the world, and always to its imitation. l
implore honest men, very honest men, edu-
Gated, better educated than enllghted, but
unfortunately prompt 10 be alarmed, to look
upon this picture of successive disasters and
TO reflect The devastating torrent, As they
term it, before which they eNclaim each
time that France is about to perish, and
they must resist, is il not this great century
which is called the nineteenth, and which
carries along with il the whole of humani-
ty? This nineteenth century, who made it"
II is not we, any more than we made the six
teenth out of which issued Bacon and DeS-
cartes, that is..tO say, modern philosophy; the
seventeenth century, the century of Pascal,
BOSSuet, Newton, LeibnitZ; the eighteenth
finally, out of which issued MOnteSquieu,
Noltaire, Rousseau, Frederick the Great, and
that great French philosophy which, apply
ing the human mind to search for the laws
of society. destroyed feudal mOnarchieS, and
which, applying science to the well-being
of man, gave to Europe and to the two
worlds " the rights of man, not the equali-
~ of conditions, but the equality OF rights, I
the means of gaining the equality of condi- +
tons as much possible, which entran-
chiSed the Serfs of Russia, the negroes of
America; which gave steam to men, liberty I
of thought, liberty of conscience TO all peO- .
pies; which opened up to the sight of man /.
the celestial spheres, and revealed to laplace /
the secrets of the system of the world. And .
would il not be "a Veritable anachrOnlSm I
this inSenSate resistance to progress bywhich I
the whole of humanity has 50 much profit I
ed, and for which France has had the honor /
OF giving the signal for she has marched, /
with the torch OF genius in her hand, at the /
head OF humanity? Well, after so many j
ruins, as II not time to question oneself, to /
LSuect and TO ask whether ii is net OF the .
mi5SISh OF humanity that one is afraid, 4
s;stjI II Is not that that one is madly re-
SoN httEIGNTN OF THE NATION
rance has not persisted lint tlraa mon,
archleS have perished Their ra1,,a ~, ,IS,a
nc SUI -tllelF heirs, raising theD,SaI,-as
agatlh, threatening each other. wish 70 a.
Pu!e neatp OF ruins among themSelN-aS