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Leader (1850-1860), 6th December 1851, Edition Town of 2, Page 1151, Untitled Article

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      " ~ 7 T \ rt 2 . Universal suffrage is reestablished . The law fthe 31 st of May is repealed . , , . •' Art 3 The French people are convoked in their i ndve colleges , from the 14 th to the 21 st of December . " Art 4 . The state of siege is decreed in the whole of ? he first military division . •< Art 5 . The Council of State is dissolved . « Art 6 . The Minister of the Interior is charged with * hp execution of this decree . in " Louis Napoleon Bonafabte . " A second proclamation is in the form of an " Appeal to the People " : —

      " APPEA . Ii TO THE PEOPLE . « Frenchmen , —The present situation cannot last much longer . Each day the situation of the country becomes worse . * The Assembly , which ought to be the firmest supporter of order , has become a theatre of plots . The patriotism of 300 of it members could not arrest its fatal tendencies . In place of making laws for the general interest of the people , it was forging arms for civil war . It attacked the power I hold directly from the people ; it encour aged every evil passion ; it endangered the repose of France . I have dissolved it , and I make the whole people judge between me and it . The Constitution ,

      as you know , had been made with the object of weakening beforehand the powers ypu intrusted tome . Six millions of rotes were a striking protest against it , and yet I have faithfully observed it . Provocations , calumnies , outrages , found me passive . But now that the fundamental part is no longer respected by those who incessantly invoke it , and the men who have already destroyed two monarchies , wish to tie up my hands in order to overthrow the Republic , my duty is to baffle their perfidious projects , to maintain the Republic , and to save the country by appealing to the solemn judgments of the only Sovereign I recognize in France—the people .

      11 then , make a loyal appeal to the entire nation ; and I say to you , if you wish to continue this state of disquietude and malaise that degrades you and endangers the future , choose another person in my place ; for I no longer wish for a place which is powerless for good , but which makes me responsible for acts that I cannot hinder , and chains me to the helm when I see the vessel rushing into the abyss . If , on the contrary , you have still confidence in me , give me the means of accomplishing

      the grand mission I hold from you . That mission consists in closing the era of revolution , in satisfying the legitimate wants of the people , and in protecting them against subversive passions . It consists especially to create institutions which survive men , and which are the foundation on which something durable is based . Persuaded that the instability of power , that the preponderance of a single Assembly , are the permanent causes of trouble and discord , I submit to your suffrages the fundamental bases of a constitution which the assemblies

      will develope hereafter . " 1 . A responsible chief named for ten years . 41 2 . The Ministers dependent on the Executive alone " 3 . A Council of State formed of the most distinguished men , preparing the laws and maintaining the discussion before the legislative corps . " 4 . A legislative corps , discussing and voting the laws , named by universal suffrage , without the scrutin de Hate which falsifies the election . " 6 . A second Assembly formed of all the illustrious persons of the nation ; a preponderating power , guardian of the fundamental pact and of public liberty .

      " This system , created by the First Consul in the beginning of the present century , has already given to France repose and prosperity . It guarantees them still . Such is my profound conviction . If you partake it , declare so by your suffrages . If , on the contrary , you prefer a Government without force , Monarchical or Republican , borrowed from some chimerical future , reply in the negative . Thus , then , for the first time since 1804 you will vote with complete knowledge of the fact , and knowing for whom and for what you vote . 11 shall

      If I do not obtain the majority of the votes , I summon a new Assembly , and lay down before it the mission I have received from you . But if you believe that the cause of which my name ia the symbol , that is , France regenerated by the revolution of ' 89 , and organized by the Emperor , is still yours ; proclaim it to be so by ratifying the powers I demand of you . Then France and Europe will be preserved from anarchy , obstacles will be removed , rivalries will have disappeared , for all will respect , ia the will of the people , the decree of Providence .

      " Done at the Palace of the Elysee this 2 nd of December . Louis Napolkon JJonai'Autk . " A third is to the Army : — " I'UOCLAMATION OF THK l'UUSIDENT OF TUB ItEPUBI . IC TO THIS AUMY . " Soldiers !—Be proud of your mission ; you will save the country . I rely upon you not to violate the laws , but to command respect for tho first law of the countrynational sovereignty—of which I am the legitimate repreHcntativo . " You long Buffered , like me , from the obstacles that prevented me doing you all the good I intended and oppoHed the demonatrationa of your sympathy in my favour . 1 hone obstacles are removed . The Assembly Bought to impair the authority which I derive from the entire nation ; it has ceased to exist . ¦

      "imafcc a loyal appeal to the people and the army , a « d 1 tell them—Either give mo the meaim of insuring y ° ur prosperity , or choose another in my pluce . " In 1830 , an well us in 1848 , you wero treated as a Vl > nquiHlud army . After having branded your heroieal diHiutcrcHtedncHs , they disdained to consult your aympatjueH and washes , and , neverthelcHH , you aro the tUttti of *»? nation . To-day , at thin solemn moment , 1 wish the Toior « of the uriny to ho heurd . ' Vote , then , freely as citizens ; but , us soldiers , do not lor that pasBivo obedience to the orders o ( the chief

      of the Government is the rigorous duty of the army , from the general down to the soldier . It is for me , who am responsible for my actions before the people and posterity , to adopt the measures most conducive to the public welfare . " As for you , maintain entire the rules of discipline and honour . By your imposing attitude , assist the country in manifesting its will with calmness and reflection . Be ready to repress all attempt against the free

      exercise of the sovereignty of the people . " Soldiers , I do not speak to you of the recollections attached to my name . They are engraved on your hearts . We are united by indissoluble ties . Your history is mine . There is between us in the past a community of glory and misfortunes . There shall be in the future a community of sentiments and resolutions for the repose and grandeur of France . " ( Signed ) Louis Napoleon Bonaparte . " Palace of the Elyse " e , December 2 . " The Prefect of Police to the inhabitants of Paris : — " Parisians , —The President of the Republic , by a courageous initiative , has baffled the machinations of parties and put an end to the anguish of the country . It is in the name of the people , in its interest , and for the maintenance of the press , that the event is accomplished . " It is to the judgment of the people that Louis Napoleon Bonaparte submits his conduct . " The greatness of the act makes you understand with what imposing and solemn silence the free exercise of the popular sovereignty ought to be manifested . To-day , as yesterday , let order be our watchword ; let all good citizens , animated as I am by the love of the country , aid me in my unalterable resolution .

      " Have confidence in him whom 6 , 000 , 000 of votes have raised to the first dignity of the country . When he summons the entire people to express their will , the factious alone would place obstacles in . the way . Any attempt at disorder shall be promptly and inflexibly repressed . De Matjpas , Prefect of Police . " December 2 , 1851 . " The following circular has been addressed to the Commissaries of Police by the Prefect : — " Monsieur le Commissaire , —The more circumstances

      become serious , the more important do your functions also become . Watch with courage and with unflinching energy for the purpose of supporting and maintaining the public tranquillity . Do not tolerate the slightest assemblage on any point of the capital ; do not permit any meeting , the object of which may appear to you to be suspicious . Let no attempt at disturbance take place without immediately putting a stop to it by inflexible measures of repression . I rely on your devotedness ; rely on my support . De Maupas . "

      It does not appear how many of the representatives are positively arrested . Probably all who can be found are at least gardis a vice . This morning ( says the correspondent of the Daily News , writingat three in the afternoon of Monday ) , at four o ' clock , General Changarnier was arrested at his lodgings , where several other representatives were assembled , who were also arrested . They were all conveyed to Vincennes . General Lamoriciere and M . Thiers were among these . ( Another account states that M . Thiers did not sleep at home on Monday night . ) At the moment of his arrest General Changarnier harangued the troops sent to take him ; but the soldiers refused to listen to him , and his voice was drowned in the noise of drums . A battalion

      is still posted close to hia lodgings , and is employed in making searches in the neighbourhood . General Cavaignac is arrested , as are also the following Members of the Assembly : Charras , Roger du Nord , Bedeau , Lefl 6 , Baune , Greppo , Baze , Midi , Nadaud , and Valentin . Among those you will recognize several names of the Mountain . The whole Board of the Assembly is said to have been arrested . Charras is said to have killed one of the men who attempted to arrest him . M . Dtipin has returned to his former house in the Hue du Bac , and lias invited tho representatives to meet there . His hotel is occupied militarily . M . Mallac , former chef do cabinet of M . Duchatel , haa been arrested . Several

      ofliqea of papers have been occupied militarily ; among these are the National , Opinion J ' ublujue , Messngcr , Iirfpublique , Ordrc , and Avencmcnt , which papers are suspended , ( by a late account we find that , all the papers , except the Constitutionncl , La Patria ( Uonapartist ) , and the eternal Journal des Dl \ J > ats , always on the right side , are Huspended . La l ' rvssc , which promoted the election of M . Bonaparte , to avenge its huhpeiiHion and the imprisonment of Einilc de Girardiu by Cuvnignac , in June , ' 48 , has not escaped the gratitude of princes ' . The Director-General of the Pout lias been ordered to reserve to-day and to-morrow all the places of the rnall . esposteu for the Prefects , Sub-prefects , and other functionaries who aro repairing to their postn . The President i « making , at thin moment , the round of the principal quartern oi" Paris . General Roquet , bin aide-de-camp , ha . s just ridden , at ii walk , along tho Boulevards , with two or three orderlies . lie is received with deafening cheera of " Vive la 116-publique ! " All the avenues of the Legislative Palace arc beset with troops . A line of infantry ext . endn from the Port Itoyalc along the . Qtiui d'Orsay . Tho cavalry occupies tho Place de la Concorde an far an tho Itond Point , the Quai Billy , and the . bridge . The boulevards ami streets generally arc at this hour , three t . m ., crowded with people . The Presidents removed from the Klytfee to the TuilerioH . The entrance to the gardeim in of course ! iuaecrHHiblc . Tho Carrousel in full of troopH and cannon . M . Baze , the Questor of the Assembly , lum tho ' most obnoxious and implacable of Louiu Jtfanglcon ' a iwaonul enemies , ia « uid to huve ctfouped .

      It was at five o ' clock this morning that they took possession of their departments . At the same hour the troops were directed in great numbers to the neighbourhood of the Assembly , and the other points of Paris which they were directed to guard . The arrest of the representatives , who were arrested at their own houses , took place this morning at six o ' clock , by detachments of police , assisted by the Republican Guards . The number of arrests amounts , it appears , to about sixty-seven . The prisoners were carried , not to Vincennes , as was generally supposed , but to the Prison Mazos .

      The approaches to the National Assembly and the Elyse ' e were guarded at an early hour , but at the outside of the line of troops a considerable crowd had collected , and many persons exclaimed , * II a bien fait' ; but there were fewer cries than usual in political demonstrations . At about eleven o ' clock an attempt was made by about forty members of the Assembly to force their way to the Legislative Palace , but they were all turned back . A regiment of lancers was drawn up along the quay towards Passy . No carriages were allowed to cross the bridge opposite the Assembly . The steps and garden of the Legislative Palace were occupied by the Republican Guard in their yellow cross-belts . A correspondent of the Times writes : —¦

      " I have walked through the principal thoroughfares of Paris from seven o ' clock this morning until twelve o ' clock , the moment at which I am writing . I have entered into conversation with the Blouses Teading the President ' s decree , and I have not heard one word of disapprobation by anybody at the President ' s coup d etat . The general remark of the operatives was , ' Ma foi , il a bien fait ; maintenant nous voterons puisqu'il a retabli le suffrage universel . ' I was passing the Pont de la Concorde about ten o ' clock , when I overtook M . Larochejacquelin , who was proceeding to the Chamber of Deputies , followed by a number of persons who appeared to wish to prevent him , by representing to him the danger . He , however , persevered , and the Iron gate

      was opened to him , and he was permitted to enter . Whether he was allowed to return I know not . The troops who occupied the Chamber of Deputies , when they saw a crowd advancing over the bridge , showed by the earnestness with which they raised their muskets , that they were determined to maintain their ground . When I passed there again , in about half an hour , the troops were reinforced by several pieces of artillery . I met the President of the Republic at eleven o ' clock . He was crossing the Pont Royal , from the side of the Tuiieries . He was surrounded by a numerous and brilliant staff of general

      officers , and was preceded and followed by a strong body of Cuirassiers and Lancers . He wore his usual uniform . of a general of the National Guard and the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour . He bowed right and left and raised his cocked hat to the crowds , who then began to fill the streets . Most of the men raised their hats in return , and there was some cheering , but no enthusiasm . He was followed by an immense mob , shouting ' Vive la Republique ! ' which they were permitted to do in full liberty . I can safely assert that there was not one cry of ' Vive Napoleon ' as long as the cortege was within my Bight . "

      The question most asked when Louis Napoleon ' s proclamations became known was , " But what will the assembly do ? " That body has not allowed its answer to be long waited for . As early as eight o ' clock some representatives assembled at the residence of M . Odilon Barrot , but it was immediately after decided to go to M . Daru ' s , one of the Vice-Presidents of the assembly . 'Towards eleven o ' clock nearly 200 representatives were assembled . They decided that they ought to proceed to the Legislative Palace , and formally claim their right to hold their

      sitting . They then proceeded to the Palace , and advance in a body towards the usual gates of entrance . They were there refused admittance , the officer of the troops on guard at the gate , informing them that the Legislative Assembly no longer existed , having been dissolved by a degree of the President of the Republic . Some of the representatives expressed themselves warmly , it is said , ; it such language , and even attempted to force their way in , in doing which one of them , M . _ de Larey , was , 1 understand , wounded with a bayonet .

      The representatives , alter formally summoning the oflicers in guard of the entrance to afford them admission , left , the place , and on the invitation of M . Darn , one of the Vice-Presidents , proceeded to his apartment to deliberate . They were on the point of commencing , when a message arrived from ( ieneial Lauriston , colonel of the Tenth Legion , declaring that he placed the Mairie of the Tenth arroudissenicnt at their disposal , and that the Tenth Legion was prepared to defend them from all violence . Thither the members of the Legislative Assembly repaired , and taking posHCHtuon of one of the great rooms

      of the Maine , proceeded to deliberate , M . Daru being ill the chair . After a deliberation conducted in due form , and at which the Hhort-liand writers of the Moniteur were present , the ; conduct of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was declared to be illegal , and contrary in every respect to the eonntitution . In consequence they afiinned him to have forfeited all claim to the high dignity of President , of the . Republic , and |>; isned a decree pronouncing hit * decheimcc , in conformity with art . (> H . of the constitution . Another decree frees the officers of the army and navy and the public functionaries from their oath of obedience to Louis Nanolcon .

      The High Court of . Justice is convoked to judge the President , and his Mmilters . Thin decree wan signed by all the members present , with M . Duiu'h name at the head . Amongst the other names arc those of <> . Barrot , De Hro « lie , Mole , 'Dufrmre , Passy , Do Tocqueville , ( Justave < le Beaumont , Queutiu Haucliart , Dufour , l ) e Tracy , CoqucJceJ , Mortimer 'l ' crnuux , De Kerdrcl , and Pi « catory .

      Untitled Article

      dbc . 6 , 1851 . ] © fie vLtauet . 1151

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 6, 1851, page 1151, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1912/page/3/