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JBEBfl q}H:E; lEADEB, [Satuildat,
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THE FOREIGN; LEGION. I*F sfebgr truth; t...
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EXTEND- THE MELIT1A-! Theki* is no • que...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Jbebfl Q}H:E; Leadeb, [Satuildat,
JBEBfl q } H : E ; lEADEB , [ Satuildat ,
The Foreign; Legion. I*F Sfebgr Truth; T...
THE FOREIGN ; LEGION . I * F sfebgr truth ; the Ministerial bill for- atitfiWisinj * the Crown to enlist not more' than " 1 % O <^ fo reigners for ? the service of the country rW the * pr & senfc war was unexplained . The foreigners , it appear §; would be enlisted , drilled , ££ & '' thfeh employed against ; Russia ; liufc we a % e"nWtbld from' wha , tfebu » t ? riejr they w ^ mld bedi & WtP ; antJ ' we caiffiofi perceive that the allu- ^ s & tofto' Crfetthatty and Switzerland is a real de ~ fifiitftbHf'of ' the source whetted even the first
draft wotfld' be taken . The measure is open to obvious ** objections , and they have not been forgotten- bjr the Opposition . The idea of attehdrism-g the Crown to organise and ' drill an army of 15 , 000 foreigners within the United MlngdWniS repugna ' ttt to constitutional feeling ; th ^ i < 8 ett- 't && t we ' must ¦ rely upon foreigners to ' assist-tte in the-war is repugnant to the ^ newlyatsaketfed miMtary feeling of the country ; & fi & ttee idea-that"the bill is a weak poi « t in th © Mafetetial ¦ plan , is delightful to ¦» the 0
ppositifottU- Settee * it forms the obj > ee < i of * stsudied atotfa « fe £ and ; its success ^ caitKot- be atitifei p *^ . ^&&? i & giz % however ; jfcte good' grdnti ^ gs fm s ^ rffettsttre Wemploy ^ foreig ^ rersj attd we should Jttf th < Hasfrto object . If ? it were tKe intention i ^^ ce ^ theJ ^ ervie ^ of'PolesV attd . iBungamtJS , ; < W ? Italians ? we shotild'hail themeasure ; but-if ibafrf- weyeM the > pwpose , if ? there ^ were anyiaise ^ ionf of enablitig * the peoples to redress the balsam of unhappy affiances , and * to stand by in srafef of this
^ : co « nt « yin defending national indfc & nden ce' against f ifes chief' aggressor , there < k * b 13 i te n © ' nece ^ sitjr to Vaa . it the nuin < b « r ; © raBtiag ; thati und « r actual alliance withj Austria , this'oottatry could not employ the subjects dSi that power withowt ^ the : leave of their Gr © - * verrffioent , ^ still the *© are oth er coum tries'not in aKMriee 5 wtth us : whsr cotdd well famish : tbeir legions ; and surely"weave not bound to consider ih & convenience * of ^ aW $ ^^ tile It & lian aradi German ^ Governments * wkor < la
«© tr tnink < fit * , to 1 declare themselves om our s | i & nx & tbia war ; But " , the - number ^ of peoples "who are ? the natural enemies of . absolutism > is not Hraited ' to l ^ yOOO . " The Poles alone have ? » ot > : fcteen < - < reduced to that beggarly number .-TJfoe ^ xnere numerals * , therefore , make us doubt whether ; Governments intends to employ the s © as of the < oppressed nations-j or , if r Governs menti does so * whether' it can really rise < to so » gi * e » fc : a > daty -when , it begins with , so paltry an . instalment *
A » di what necessity i & tbeire for- bringing the ;* ifbreignr- recruits to be drilled on IS ? iffIisA soil ? ' Ministers 1 repel with indignation the idea that' foreigners are to - be organised , for pre * servfcftg"peaee ? at fromc z why . do we want' ^ them here- * at all , then ? They , could as' easily be drilled ^ at ; Malta asat' Aldershtot . Maltay , to tf & sure ? doesnotiie . to the North , and we . lcnow well ' sthni ? the marine campaign in the Baltic
cairaoUt be 1 * renewed ' ¦ without an army * But ttiw « pointy lilce * all' the essential points of . tlue Bllf . peniainB unexplained . Possibly ,, if Mb nibt « rs haA > the > courage to-explain r . what they de 1 si | j > V ; vr & ' might ? bV compelled to suppraaX ? tt ^ ewii ; If we " tenew any of the purposes for whiefe > this » foreign-auxiliary legion 'was ( io be employed ; we-mighii 6 ayit ' is most desiraWe to endow' the ' Crown whh > discretion- ^ to free its hands , an < l let' it' ma'ke usa of' any auxiliaries thai' itr ctuvfind . Wot mistrust tha discretion ¦
ittritma > ' case , became it does > not appear : to be lfettg « iono « gn . If i our Government intends to Bftvndhreally frco , it would not disengage- itself { b &' umnfg' only 15 , O &® foreigners as an i » 3 tru-t menfcj . and remain bound as to all other fbrcjigTjBra i who 1 would be so eminently our natural < alli < 30 $ . If » the object is to let loose the © oIcbh upon < RtiBsiay ¦ why oblige them to > corae touthia-country j , as . if ) England Jay in tlvo road fwmvInlandito > St . , Petorabanrgi 1 If Gove » n « mont stood in fear of the Opposition—ifritiap *
prehended- the jealousies that still survive amongst us on behalf of the constituted Governments abroad : —it should rather have left this measure alone altogether than have designed one -which can alarm the Absolutist party without satisfying the National party . If th « re is a latent greatness in Ministers , let it corae out : they need not fear it . If they designed to carry on the war with all the resources-of strength that they can muster , let then ? say so , and fear no man out of the Cabinet , or in it ; for then they would be supported by an entire body of the English people . But they will not win support by abortive fragi ments of great measures ^
Extend- The Melit1a-! Theki* Is No • Que...
EXTEND- THE MELIT 1 A- ! Theki * is no question that Lord Palmerston's Bill-for'sanctioningthe service-of ; Militia reglments , who volunteer beyond the bounds of the : j United Kinrgdom , will pass during the shopfc sitting . It follows : almost as a matter of course that . other rnen will be required at home to : supply , the places ofi those sent abroad . The whole of thei present' militia will bey embodied , but the whole of the present militia > we con - beive , -will not be 'suflficieiit to seoure the safety
ojiwaescouatry . or-to supply the requirenaents of the foreign services ; -r--and we do not rely on thei Enlistment , of BoreigneiS' BiJL becoming ' law * . Already . LordiPalmerston talks of sendingi miEtiat garrisons to the North . American coJoaiesjithougK : we can hardly think' it probable thai ; anyv regiments can be required in ; . Canada , unless ioun Governanent is bent upon quarrelling with = the United . Statesr—for the
colonists themselves , have , undertaken to guard the > British : pro-vmces for . the British Grown . Ifi they / were attacked . by an enemy ,. their , cry ofs "help would , bring over the border thousands of T those Ytankee riflemen who were quite prepared to take leave of : " the old woraaa" and the children in ; IBS 7 to defend the colonies against another , enemyi ,. The Yankees would be quite as : vifilling- to bring down a ^ Russian as any other land of " b ' ar . ' The defence of those
provinces ^ therefore , may be . left , as all really free countries naay , to their . own resideiitsand neighbours ! Nevertheless > it is clear that an extension of the militia should anticipate any , crying demand " far it . Already , the regiments along the ' whole o £ the . east and south coasts are : to be embodied for- evident purposes ; but all of our coasts which are accessible to a foreign foe , should be prepared in case some possible disaster should prevent the Russians from being intercepted by seav We cannot anticipate any such , result ";
but ! we have already learned in this war not to count upon human j calculations ; and it would be- disgrace as well as calamity , if the Russians came and found the Ehglwh people unprepared . Moreover , Lord , John RuaselLsays that the war istoibe-puotiiacted ; it is quite evident that its immediate progress is ^ totally uncertain !; our alliances are still unawangedi with ; the excep--tionof the French ;; wo "shall , therefore , want militiamen i to recruit the ¦ armies abroad as well »«¦ atihorae , ; and . if'the Czar should , malce hisi liesistatrc © ; commensurate to the extent of to
his territories ^ . his re sources , and the greatness of his enemiesj , wo shall have to provide larger armies abroad than we have over done oewwe . t The only , relief - in that necessity would come from . th ' oao nationalities , who arc ready . to ^ assist us- in brealdng up tlio absolutist' system ; but theiDuko off Argyle indignantly repels foiv the preaonti Government , the mission of < assistingthose nationalitica . We are nob to accept the alliance' ofl Roland ,. Hungary , or Italy ; we have- nob ; procured ! effectuall y th © alliance oi Auatria ; , w « discern the enmity of Prussia ;
we rely upon France , whose conduct depends upon the life of one mortal man ; we count for the defeuce of our coasts upon a fleet that is a mortal structure not unassailable by the hostile elements of air , water , or fire . It is clear , therefore , that the people should be put in train to defend ^ itself , unl « ss , indeed , we have amongst us statesmen who would be willing some day , upon an excuse of . necessity , to surrender our administration to the satraps of the Czar .
More immediately the militia is required-for the purposes already mentioned , and for thkt of affording a nursery to the recruitment of the line . The progress of recruitment , recently , has been satisfactory . The character of the recruits , at all events physically , has not been worse ; but there have been fluctuations in the supply , and even the enrolment of the militia is not quite what it ought to be in all parts . In some parts of Scotland there is a decided hitch , and in some of the English counties an
extension might , also make us conscious of deficiency . The causes are evident , and the Scotch ^ casei presents , them with peculiar nakedness .- The northern counties do not present above a sixteenth of the number required to fill up the militia rolls . Is it that theclansmen have lost' their spirit ? The Highlanders at Balaklava can answer the question-^ NTow , it is not that the spirit has left the Highlanders , ; but that the Highlanders have
left the Highlands . They were first of all carried away by the ejectments for the benefit , of the landed proprietors , and subsequently they have emigrated for their own benefit . The ejectments were a positive act of misappropriation . The English landlord is not the owner of the soil ; he is only its governor ,, with certain proprietary rights * In modern times he has become a trader , instead of a lord *
and he has expelled the peojale i « whose numbers rand gallantry , he used to 'take a . pride-The punishment for that usurpation . has no $ r come upon , us , ; when we ? want the men . and find them gone . It is , the same in this country ^ though to a less extent . England , has parted with her . people at the rate of ' a million in three years- ; : and . why ? For the twofold reason , that the . people cannot obtain here the livelihood which they can in the West , and that they are deprived h'ere of . those political and social rights ; which they secure in the West .
They , have been taught by landlords and farmers to regulate their residence and their conduct of life entirely by the higgling" of the market '; their value in the land became only a question of wages , and they have followed wagies-4 Deprived of their rights' in their country , they retain no dutiea to their country , They : have gone to provinces * some of 1 them s . till < British , where men acquire rights , and with them duties . They have gone whew the residents * make , a nation , and when we want theoi we discover the reasons why we have not retained
them-It so happens , however , that . the extensions of the militia is one . of the very first and . most efficacious steps towards the restoration both of lights and duties . It is true that these acts fof . disposing of the militiamen , are , in ,. a constitutional sense ,. illegal , for they are tab © passed ; without the consent of the militiamen , who ,, not allowed the suffrage , are not , re » presented iu Parliament . But the very , act
gives to thase unenfranchised classes ,, to a «« cei > tain extent , a right which every . Englishman enjoys under , the BUI of Rights , but * which has been takon away from him by subsequent stabutea , —tho right of possessing and bearing arms . This right is expressly scoured by the constitution of tho Unitod States , whither 'Englishmen emigrate by . prcferenco foi-i the jxua-poee . of enjoy nag ! that and the . rights * tliofc follow from it . Na disarmed : people cant . bb
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 16, 1854, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_16121854/page/14/
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