Adolphe Deschamps
Encyclopedia
Adolphe Deschamps (born in Melle, Belgium
, 17 June 1807, died Manage, 19 July 1875) was a Belgian statesman and publisher, the brother of Cardinal Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps
.
He entered public life about 1830 and soon became popular through his contributions to several Catholic newspapers. Having founded, with his friend Pierre de Decker
, La Revue de Bruxelles, he advocated in that paper a system of parliamentary government which was termed "government of the centres". The ministries were to be composed of Catholics and Liberals and to be supported by the moderate elements of the two parties. The scheme worked successfully for some years. In 1834 Dechamps was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, where his talent as an orator soon secured him a prominent position. In 1836 he participated very actively in the discussion of the bill on the organization of the communes, and in 1839 he opposed the Treaty of London, 1839
. The Great Power
s had imposed that treaty on Belgium and Holland in 1834, but the latter had delayed accepting it in the hope that she might eventually obtain better conditions. Deschamps, with many others, held that by this delay Holland had forfeited her right to the advantages granted her by the Powers and they urged the Government to appeal to arms rather than to surrender any part of Belgian territory. This warlike policy, however, would have been opposed by the Great Powers, and peace was finally signed with Holland.
He also played a leading part in the passing of the bill on elementary education. Up to 1842 there had been no elementary public schools in Belgium, although there were numerous schools organized under the direction of the clergy. One of the provisions of the new bill enacted that religious instruction was to form an essential part of public education and to be under the control of the clergy. The bill was passed almost unanimously by the votes of both Catholics and Liberals. From 1843 to 1848 Dechamps was a member of several ministries. After the defeat of his party in 1848 he became the leader of the Catholic minority in the Chamber of Representatives and retained that position for several years. In 1864 he retired from politics and engaged in financial enterprises, but his ventures proved unsuccessful.
Melle, Belgium
Melle is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Gontrode and Melle proper. On January 1, 2006 Melle had a total population of 10,585...
, 17 June 1807, died Manage, 19 July 1875) was a Belgian statesman and publisher, the brother of Cardinal Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps
Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps
Victor Augustin Isidore Dechamps was a Belgian Archbishop of Mechlin, Cardinal and Primate of Belgium....
.
He entered public life about 1830 and soon became popular through his contributions to several Catholic newspapers. Having founded, with his friend Pierre de Decker
Pierre de Decker
Pierre Jacques François de Decker was a Belgian Roman Catholic politician, statesman and author....
, La Revue de Bruxelles, he advocated in that paper a system of parliamentary government which was termed "government of the centres". The ministries were to be composed of Catholics and Liberals and to be supported by the moderate elements of the two parties. The scheme worked successfully for some years. In 1834 Dechamps was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, where his talent as an orator soon secured him a prominent position. In 1836 he participated very actively in the discussion of the bill on the organization of the communes, and in 1839 he opposed the Treaty of London, 1839
Treaty of London, 1839
The Treaty of London, also called the First Treaty of London or the Convention of 1839, was a treaty signed on 19 April 1839 between the European great powers, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium. It was the direct follow-up of the 1831 'Treaty of the XXIV Articles'...
. The Great Power
Great power
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength and diplomatic and cultural influence which may cause small powers to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions...
s had imposed that treaty on Belgium and Holland in 1834, but the latter had delayed accepting it in the hope that she might eventually obtain better conditions. Deschamps, with many others, held that by this delay Holland had forfeited her right to the advantages granted her by the Powers and they urged the Government to appeal to arms rather than to surrender any part of Belgian territory. This warlike policy, however, would have been opposed by the Great Powers, and peace was finally signed with Holland.
He also played a leading part in the passing of the bill on elementary education. Up to 1842 there had been no elementary public schools in Belgium, although there were numerous schools organized under the direction of the clergy. One of the provisions of the new bill enacted that religious instruction was to form an essential part of public education and to be under the control of the clergy. The bill was passed almost unanimously by the votes of both Catholics and Liberals. From 1843 to 1848 Dechamps was a member of several ministries. After the defeat of his party in 1848 he became the leader of the Catholic minority in the Chamber of Representatives and retained that position for several years. In 1864 he retired from politics and engaged in financial enterprises, but his ventures proved unsuccessful.
Published works
- Le second Empire (Brussels, 1859);
- Le second Empire et l'Angleterre (Brussels, 1865);
- Jules César; l'empire jugé par l'empereur (Brussels, 1865);
- La France et l'Allemagne (Brussels, 1865);
- La Convention de Gastein (Brussels, 1865);
- Les partis en Belgique et le nouveau règne (Brussels, 1866);
- L'école daBs ses rapports avec l'Eglise, l'Etat et la liberté (Brussels, 1869);
- Le prince de Bismarck et l'entrevue des trois empereurs (Brussels, 1873).