OCR Text |
Show FRANCE AGAIN. Over thirty millions of people inhabit in-habit that portion of southwestern Europe, which hai sea ports at once upon the English Channel, the Atlantic, Atlan-tic, and the Mediterranean, known as Fraiwe. For ovor a tbouiaud years they have exercised a wonderful influence influ-ence in tho affairs of the world. Great in tho arts, groat in scionco, exceedingly exceed-ingly eminent in literature, building jnajinifieoDt cities that attract the attention at-tention of tho world, and with their ooIonUte ponotratiog threo continents, they have failed to learn the principle of self-government. There is not now, and there never his been, any real republicanism in Franco, For the last century the government gov-ernment has experienced, a crushing monarchy, a terrible revolution with assumed tribunes acting as despots, a military autocracy, two more revolutions revolu-tions giving power alternately to mon-archial mon-archial despotism and imperial sway, then, again, a monarchy, aud, within a few brief years, the revolution of I S30 which placed Louis Phillipe on the throne, who, after eighteen yean governing gov-erning the destinies of France, was compelled to take a sudden departuro owing to another revolution. Then came another republic, with Louis Napoleon Na-poleon as president, who, by the coup cT etat, slaughtered .his enemies, tranquilized Paris, won the title of j "The man of December," and restored re-stored tho empire. For over twenty i years France boro the sway of this man, whoso reticence and eubtility in politics gave him a position which actually controlled European diplomacy, diplo-macy, and accorded Mm the title of "The man of Destiny." How the world used to wonder as to what Louis Napoleon was going to dol When England, France and Sardinia gave their aid to Turkey, "The Colossus of the North" having made one of its traditional attacks on "The Key to the Indies," this one man received credit for thwarting tho aims of the Czar. And when at Magenta and Solfcrino he gave Piedmont to Sardinia and proved the possibility of Italian unity. But, basing reliance dpon a war department de-partment utterly unreliable, and catering cater-ing to the strong desire of France for military glory and the control of the Khine, he embarked in a war for which ho was unprepared and at Sedan he Dowed to an unconquerable destiny and yielded himself prisoner to William Wil-liam of Prussia, To the French people this was a mostunpardonableoffence. With them success is glory, defeat is disgraco. Ilad Napoleon conquered at Sedan, although he had looked on the slaugh ter of whole, hecatombs of his men, France would have applauded applaud-ed and semi-deified him, but the Prussians were the conquerors and Napoleon's empire was gone; his wife, even, being compelled to flee in terror to England. Then came scenes of blood, and disaster, such as lew nations have witoeseed iu the same short period of time. The government was again a military dictatorship. Following this came an attempt at constitutional con-stitutional government in the election of an assembly with the express pur-p"i pur-p"i of deciding on peace and war. This assembly met the requirements of the nation, so far as that question was concerned. It then assumed functions never committed to it; but making Thiers president did the wisest thing it oould do under the circumstances. circum-stances. Still he has proved, from the moment he took office, his incapability oi comprehending true republican principles. He has been virtually dictator, dic-tator, setting the will of the assembly at defiance and demanding their adhesion ad-hesion to his personality, while the members never seemed to think that the people should have any voice as to their continuity in office. This reminds one of the old Arenetian style of republic re-public which was really a worse despotism des-potism than any which now exists in Europe. With its Doge, its Council of Ten, and its privileged aristocracy, it laid some claim to a republican form of government. But it was not a government gov-ernment "of the people, for the people," peo-ple," which is the only true republicanism. republi-canism. No more is the form of repuli-can repuli-can government now existing in France a true expression of the will of the people. Hence we find the assembly and the president in a condition of chronic antagonism, without any con-Btitutional con-Btitutional declarations to jcovern either, and this very condition of affairs threatening the peace of Europe; for, while there is no doubt that the monarchies of that continent are anxious to stifle the barren form of a republic existing in France, what the future form of government may bo is a subject for grave consideration amoDg statesmen and diplomats. One thing may be assumed from past hiatcry and present indications, that France will soon again fall into the arms of the monarchists and imrjerialists. |