LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
DICTATORSHIPS AND PARLIAMENTS.
(TO THE EDITOR OF THE EPROTAT0R:1
have been much gratified to see that you found my objec- tions to the policy you support in France worthy of so long a reply. As often happens in controversy, your arguments against consulting the people of France only tend to confirm my opinion. The friends of dictators and dictatorships, whether Imperial or Republican, are all very much alike. I recognize in the 'Spectator the familiar arguments with which the Imperialist Press, during the last twenty years, has opposed Parliamentary Government (" le regne des bavards"). Let me quote your own words :—" Constitu- tional principles are means to ends, and not ends themselves. . . National leaders could not summon an assembly . . . to sit in judg- ment on the policy of the nation, without virtually proclaiming to the nation that their hope of success is gone. . . . The million have no opinions ; for this they look to their leaders, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred they would infinitely rather leave it to them, so long as they see in them self-confidence, clearness of
purpose, resolve. . . . France . . . would say, Asking our opinion in the sense of convoking a great Assembly of talkers is a very bad sign, and means that you have no confidence in yourselves. . . . What would an army think of a General who wanted to poll the soldiers for advice as to the plan of his campaign ? . . . While you can lead us, we follow. When you ask us to lead you, we can follow no longer, because we are sure you have lost trust in yourselves' There are many problems which are solved by action, and not by talking The people of France know that he knows far better than any Assembly what his chances of success are, and would not thank him in the least for asking their opinion so long as he had full confidence in his own." Methinks I hear the voice of Paul de Cassagnac.
So fair an opponent as you are, Sir, will allow that the Bona- partists have as full a right to their favourite dictator as you have to yours, while I retain my old objection to all despota.—I am, [" A Whig " has made a very artistic selection of fragments of sentences, with the effect of entirely misrepresenting, of course not intentionally, the political drift of what we wrote. The readers of this letter should look back to the article of last week. —En. Spectator.]
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