The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-04-18
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molllfy his anger. Then In 1860 the
first House of Commons convened,
presided over by the redoubtable Simon
de Montfort, Frenchman of noble
lineage who had been in the forefront
of oppositiOns to the royal eEcroach-
ments upon liberty. 1t was still possi-
ble, however, for the King to arbitrarily
inprison any of his subjects without
the formality of hearing that is, if
they had not force enough to resist ar
rest-and to confine them indefinitely. |
But this last vestige of royal preroga-
tive was swept away when the British
Parliament passed the Habeas Corpus
Act OH the 26th of May, 1879, upon
which our writ of habeas corpus is
founded, and which is considered the
bulwark of our liberties. And so by
succession of steps have the laws by
which we are governed been evolved.
Meanwhile affairs on the continent
had been growing worse. There was
nowhere to be found any system of
government which compared with that
of England. make no pretense to
completeness, as the scope of this pa
per will not permit of my delving into
details. The French monarchy founded
by Clovis was continually in state of
war. The barbarians from Germany
looked wistfully across the Rhine at
their more prosperous neighbors, and
the. result was clashes between the two
peoples. In 741 when the host of Sara
Gene invaders, after cOnquering Spain,
crossed into France with a view to con-
vert the natives to the doctrine of Ma
homet, or accept the alternative of
death, they were met on the plain of
| Tours by the Franks and Goths under
Charles Martel and signally defeated.
He thus established claim upon the
gratitude of every person who en-
joys the benefits of Christian civiliza-
ton. 1t was the son of Charles Martel,
Pepin lie Bref, who was raised to the
kingship by papal decree issued by
Pope Zacharais in $50 A. D., being the
first instance when the pope exercised
temporal power. The next illustrious
parsonage was Charlemagne, the son
of Pepin, who was created emperor by
the pope, and in return appointed the
pope temporal prince. This was the
foundation of the power exercised by
the head of the church, althO similar
privilege had been granted to them by
Constantine the Great, who founded
Constantinople in the year 224 A. D.
and was the first Roman emperor tt
embrace Christianity. The Carloving
ian dynasty became extinct about a.
A. D., and Hugh Capet, the founder ol
the Capetian dynasty, was installed a
king.
Meanwhile the Normans of whom
we have previously spoken. had VOL
their right to the Duchy of NorEand.
and were formidable competitors TO
honor in the field of chivalry. 1t wa
not until 1902, however, that the State
General, the first legislative assembl
convened in France and during the 48
years of their existence, accomplishe'
anything that could be classed as voic
ing popular sentiment, until they wer
aroused from their lethargy by tn
! Partisan mob of 1889. Spain, however
in spite of the Saracen invasion, ha
, steadily forged ahead, and in the earl
: part of the 10Th century was without
doubt the most powerful nation i
: Christendom. Her navigators ha
! penetrated to the remOtest regions Q
Q the earth, had discovered unknow
lands, and circumnavigated the glob'
Yet all of her achievements canne
atone for the atrocities committed
g her name. The inquisition. establishe
q in 1922 by Charles V. and abolished
II 1865, furnishes an example of inhuma
s cruelty which cannot be paralleled i
q the annals of history. The crueltit
l. practiced in the Netherlands by til
10 Duke of Alva and latterly by Alexal
: der Farnese, the Prince of Parma, WI
: butchered garrisons for refusing
= surrender, adds another count in Il
# indictment against her for misuse {
le power. Her present position anon
% the nations is another exempliicatie