New French Laws.
The Times, 1824-04-26T00:00:00

'The Alinisters o1 this country have been accusel of incapacity ; and when we consider them individually, it is, in fact, difficult to find in. ny of them aiy talent above mediocrity- Ve cannot, how_ ever, deny that they show a sort ofdexterity in establishing despotism, and that they are almost is learned as the Imperial Government in the art of deluding or lulling asleep public opinion. The only question which now agitates the public mind, and to which the Government now draws general attention, is that relative to repayment of the rentes. All political conversations turn on this point; and the journals, either from ignorance or from regard to the funtlholders, talk of nothing else. lleantime, while this question is agitating in the Chamber of Deputies, or in the saloons of Paris, measures of great importance both to France and to foreign nations pass unobserved. The Govcrnment have takes or proposed three such measures, the consequences of which will be severely felt when the question of the rentes will be forgotten. The first relates to the recruiting or composition of the army ; the second to public in- struction; and the third to the duration of the legislative functionst of the Deputies. In this country the minute division of property and the high rate of wages giving to every man endowed witlh a robust constitution. the means of existence, the Government cannot obtain an army by voluntary enlistment, and is forced, like Buonaparte, to have recourse to theconscription. Inexecution ofthe law of 1817, itealls to the service alnual:y 40,000 men, drawn by lot fronm the young men who have attained the age of 21 years. After four years of service, these young men may, at pleasure, either return home or remain with the army; but there are few who adopt the latter alter native, or who do not prefer aniindustrious profession to thetrade of a soldier. This mode of recruiting offered several advantages: the first is, that the soldiers did not remain so long in the army as to be alien. ated from the feelings of the citizen, and to have private interests of their own; the second is, chat on leaving the service they were young enough to embrace an industrious course of life, and did not become a burden to the public ; the third is, that every year, 40,000 men exercised in the military service, returned to the class of citizens, and brought with them their experience and their cou- rage. This system, useful to France, afforded no cause of alarm to tbreign nations. The spirit of conquest coul4 not penetrate young imen wlho in entering the service had the certainity of leaving it at the end of a few years to devote themuselves to peaceful pursuits. Finally, the army, in time of peace, could uot rise much above 1j0,000 men, and that number was more than sufficient. But this system did not suit the lcoly AUiance, nor the party i Whose domintion it has established in France. In consequence, mi Ministry has proposed a change of the law in the Chamber of Pea. |The new law lias two disposi.ions, whicis in other times and in other circumstances would not less have alarmed foreign nations, than the friends of liberty in this country. The first raises to 110,000 mnen insteadl of 40,000 the annual quota: the second extends the oiuration of the service to eighit, instead of four years. The first consequence which results from this change is a pro4igious addition 'to our military force. Government willhaveat itscommand, during peace, an army of 480,000 so?dierS-an amounlt as considerable as the armies of Napoleon, when the French territory was as great again, and bad to struggle against all the Powers of the continent. The consequences which this change may produce for neiglh- bouring nations, alnd for France itself, it is not difficult to foresee. It is obvious, at first sight, that France, by increasiDg its army, mu.st make them place theirs on a sinmilar fboting, and this is done whi'e nearly all Europe is broken down with taxes for supporting a military force. The augmentation of their military Lstablishnients as much as possible wrill afford them little security, because there is none of themn so populous or so rich as to be able to contend with an army like that whici the French Government is about to create. If, for example, Belgium was threatened, what means would it have for resisting an army of nearly 500,000 mes ? Young men, who niist have left their homes at the age of 21, and passed eight years in camps or barracks, can neither have time nor taste for an industrious occupatior. They will, therefore, be under the necessity of remaining soldiers, or incurring the risk of becoming mendicants: butasin France private soldiers, and even many officers, are prohibited from rmarrying, they must consequently become strangers to every kind of faimily attachment, remain detached from all therest of the population, and regard the nmilitary profession as the sole business of their life. War, conquest, and pillage will thus be rendered the great objects of ambition to a considerable Part of the population; ar.d with such a spirit prevailing among 500,000 men, who want only a chief to lead thema, that chief will not be long in appearinr:. The faction which at present rules in France is also occupied in dividing among themselves the budget of a milliard of francs; but when this prey shall be found insuf- fic;ent to satisfy their rapacity, they will throw themselves on the neighbouring nations; the mer of the Imperial Government who are confounded with them will show them the way. The effects which the new military system must produce in France are easily foreseen. It is evident,in the first place, that such young men as may not wish to devote their lives to Uilit3ry service, will, if they are able, find substitutes. None will, there- fore, remain in the army except the youth of the lower classes and of the ruling faction-the former, because they have not the mneans of finding substitutes; the latter, because they will be certain of ebtain- ing all the lucrative or honouracle ranks, independent of any kind of merit. Tne second effect of the new law will be to divide the population into two parties ; theone, active and industrious, will be unacquainted with the use of arms and incapable of resistance; the other, indolent and unaccustomed to any civil labour, will be in possession of all the military force and talents of the country, and will have noth-ng to do in tine of peace but to oppress the citizens, and in time of war but to pillage foreigners. While all the Govern- meats of the Continent are driving their people back into barbarism, none of them have taken so bold a step in this way as that of the Prench Government. The nieasure adopted with respect to pUblic Institutions appears at first sight of little importance. It is an ordinance, merely direct- ing teachers, keepers of boarding-schools, &c., teprovide themselves with new licences within a fixed period. What is the object of this measure ? it is to exclude from the business of instruction, with as little noise as possible, all persons who are not couspletely devoted to the ruling faction. No one will be dismissed, for that the King has promised; but nolicences will be retuined except to friends. As to the others, nothing will be given to them, and it will be said that they have no claim: they wilU be told that they have no reason to complain, for if they receive no appoinunent, none was promised them. It will, perhaps, be difficult for your English simplicity to under- stand the ingenuity of this process; I shall therefore endeavour to make it clear to you. Wl hen his Most Christian) Mlajesty, by the assistance of Divine Providence and aforeign army,wvas restored to the throne of his fathers, he promised his well-beloved subjects that no person should bedismissed; that all officers should preserve their ranks; aU magistrates their authority; all savaous their places and pensions. On the other hand, his Most Christian Majesty had pro- mised to such of his friends as followed him in his travels, to give theia ranks, employments, and pensions. How was he to manage, so as not to break his royal word to the former, and still to keep all the promises he had made to the latter ? This would have puzzled a common sort of King; but the Sovereign of France was not at all embarrassed, for he availed himself of his genius. The promise made vas that nobody should be dismissed; but there was no promise for the preservation of any institution. An ordi- inance appeared declaring that the army was dissolved. Tlie old officers could not complain that they were dismissed, for it had not been pro- mised that ar armny was to be kept up on their account. The sante day,. however,there appeared another orgiiance,declaring that there should be an army, and to this anny tie friends of' thc enigration were ap_ pointed officers. The same thing wass lone With respect to the C(ourt of Cazsation. No Judge was dismissed, but the Court was re-creat- ed bean ordinance,and th)e former judges were ntOt re-ap 4ed for no such promise had been made to them. The savans expericncd the same fate. Nobody was dismissted from the listitute of France, but an ordinance declared that the Institute was suppressed. Next day,anotherordinau)nc deelared that the Institute was re-established; new nmenbers were appointed, and the worldi was intbfmed that 3. de Vaublanc was a philoso her, and l. de Seize a nian of letters. Now conmcs the turn of Professors and Mllasters of establishments for education. No one will be dismissed-that you may be sure of. But when a licence is not renewed it can.ot be said that such re- newal was promised, and they would be obliged quietly to resign. At the sanme tinle they would not have been so scrupulously dealt with, had it not been for the resistance made by the moaster of the sclool of Souza; but the dismissal of that respectable man front an establishment which he had himself created, and wlio pos. sessed the confidenice of all the faniilies of the South of Prance, the violence to which it was necessary to resort to deprive him of his property, and the dismissals which have been the consequence of those proceedings, have made the Governnment feel that in future inidirect Mleans will be the safest. Thus nobody will hereafter be dismissed;* no licence will be taken trom any person: and, in a word, care will be taken to give no person any rig!t to cotlplain , but every one will be required to take out a new licence; and those who do inot obtain one will be obliged to retire. The Ultras are en_ chantedl to find that the Government unites so much discretion wittl its power. Thev say that the King possesses the wisdom of Solo- - mon ; which nsa'kes others say, that if he hIas not all the qualities of the Jewish Mlonarch It is not for want of the will. Thie measure which the Govemmnent has adopted with respect to schools would not in a free country kave the importance that be- longs to it here; but you know that in France the Government has i made education an object of tnonopolv, of wvhich it is nmore jealoua- than of the monopoly of tobacco. This monopoly of instructiun be' gan to be acquired by the Jesuits iinmediately anfer the first restora- tion; but the late ordinance throws it entirely itito their hands.- Thuts, while on the one band an army fitted to establish miltary' * despotism in all its energy is created, public instruction is, on thl`' other hand, so organized as to prepare hg public ntiind for servitudet ` I say nothing t,, you at present of.nte creation of aseptennial Partn iamcnt-n institution inits nature analogousto the army; itl-tr. foirmed itn the time spirit, and for theanend. NEW FRBNCH LA W'S. PARIS, APRIL 0.