THE COUP D'ETAT IN FRANCE.
20 Porehester Terrace, 161/1 December 18.51. Sin—There is one feature in the recent coup d'etat, which, if I mistake not, has hitherto escaped notice, and to which I would beg leave to draw your attention. It is well known that all that is destructive* in the doc- trines of Socialism finds its chief adherents in the French peasantry. Now, at the election in December 1848, the great bulk of Louis Napoleon's sup- porters was made up of this class. Moreover, the ranks of the French army are mainly recruited from the peasantry. Bearing this in mind, we need no longer be surprised at the wanton destruction of life and property perpetrated on the Boulevards the other day. In fact, the Socialist army of France, or at least that portion of it congregated within the walls of Paris, true to its principles, did then but exhibit its innate hatred of the bourgeoisie; and at this moment, Louis Napoleon is to be looked upon as nothing more than the chief of a hired band of Socialists leagued against the property and intelli- gence of the country ; which, to use a French term, he is " exploiting" for his own selfish ends, under the flimsy pretext of affording them protection. To escape immediate danger, the timid bourgeoisie may possibly be induced to support this man, whose standard, says the Petrie, is "la famille et la propriete " (of which, by the way, he possesses neither) ; but this would only be to imitate the device of the ostrich, in the hour of danger ; and, to use Mr. Carlyle's expressive words, "No ostrich, intent on gross terrene pro- vender, and sticking its head into fallacies, but will be awakened one day— in a terrible ci posteriori manner, if not otherwise."
* I use this word advisedly; for among the manufacturing population of France Socialism presents, comparatitely speaking, quite a conservative phasis; confining itself simply to the discussion of "coapemtion " AS a means of relieving or destroy- ing "mist,re." See an interesting paper in the Reese des Lieu: ifondes of last Sep- tember, entitled " Les Populations Ouvrieres."
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