The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-07 00:00:00

M. GAMBETTA AT BORDEAUX.

--
More than 50,000 rwrsons took part in a clemonstra.
tion on New Year's Day, which was made in front of
the Preftcture, at Bordeaux. Two addresses were
presented to the members of the Na,ional G went.
went, and in reply M. Gatubetta made a speech
from the balaouy of the Prefecture, in the course of
which he Raid : - . . . . . .

((Ii the face of this magnificent spectacle, In face of all
the cit zone emcmbled here to welcome the dawn of our
income which iv due to the perseverance and tenacity of our
efforts, I say that our success Is well merited for two
reasons: firstly, bacillus) France has had faith In her-
mit( ; secondly, because, alvne in the universe. France
today renrements justice sled right. (Prolonged ap-
pluove) Yes ;bt It be for ever closed, if pow ible let It to
Sorrier eft iced from our memory, this horrible 3 ear of IWO,
which while it h witnessed the felt of the mdet deceitful
and most corrupt of Governments, has also b.sided us over
to the Insolent fortune of the foreigner. We must not
for;-et, citizens, that this reverse of fortune aphid which
we are bottling to day is the very work of Ii rapartist
intzlgual abroad Let each one bear his share of respensibility
to history. It was in this very town that the Man of December,
the Man of stedan,the man who tried f,l gelignite France, ut-
tered the memorable impoitere—' the Empire Is Peace.'
Ills reign we must confess, hail to be endured for the ea pia-
I Mon of .our own site, for we are to blame for having so long
suLtaitted lo it. Nothing put or unjust happens In history
hut what hears its fruits. Mut because we hateo en's toted
to this reign of 20 years that we must au` nut tic-day to
foreign invasion up to the WA+ of our glorious cspital. And
It is necense all the scenes of power and of grandeur were
systematical), drained In t.ht coentry ; Ii is bocau e
we had lost that retrieving power, without which
nothing can either ender° or triumph in this world
—.namely, the idea of ditty and of virtue—that It was
theught for rus meat France was about to disappear
Continued epplause. It was at the moment that the Re-
public, sprit ging into file for the third time in our history,
assumed the duty, the honour, and the periled savieg France.
( kothuslastie cries of 'Long live the Republic ') It was on
the Sila of September i the enemy was advancing by forced
marches °a Paris; our arsenals were empty, heif nor army
captured, cur rcaouras scattere I and frittered away on all
eldre : a double Government—one captive, the othei flying;
a Chamber whose past servllliy made it incapable of eeising
the helm. Oh, oil that day no one gainsaid the legitimacy
of the Republic. (twee later on, when the It epublic had been
bye neht to a state of snored inviolability Israel I) when it be-
came patent that the Republic had redeemed its promise «if
the oth of September to live the honour of the country, to
organiz the defence. to enaintedu order; when it was proved
that, thanko to the Republic, France would not perish, that
she must triumph ; that, through her, right would nvercome
brute force—it was then that the adversaries of the Republic,
to whom It now Insure, qidetude and security, began to con-
test its legitimvey and questiou its origin. Continued cries
of ' Long live the Republic !') The Republic, devoted and
ticket to the defence and the welfere of the country,
Is Irrevocably established. is Immortal D not,
however, confound the Republic w,th the members
of its Government, who, by the force of Events, have been
temporarily lifted into power. When they shall have ful-
filled their task, which is to expel the foreianer, they will
relinquish them power And submit theneelves to thej udg-
meld of their fellow citizens. This task—this mission —which
has to be wrought out to the cud, mutt be accompliihed at

any price, to the entire exclusion of .elf-interest What we
must attain to, under heavy prnalties, Is, ant, the seeiyand
the respect of the liberty of all, perfect liberty, liberty even
so far as to submit to disparagement, to calumny, to Chalet
secondly, respect on the port of all Wends and dissentients for
right and the authority of Government. Speech most boas fern
as thought, and respected in all its rhgeession• up to that fatal
limit where it would become a resolve and Red to acts It
this boundary Is overstepped-21 vii it re give expression to
the opinion of allsthe members of the GOeernment—you mar
rely on energetic repression. (Continued cheering ) I will
not close without telling you that the Government, having
union for its base, expresses, serves, and presumes to serve,
roily public stint" In oppositiou to thorn despotic Govern-
ment" which hove preceded us, met hove only been guided
by their dynastic lust of power I thenk the pArlotic
p( pulation of Bordeaux, as well as the inhalutsuits of the
neighbouring towns and country parts who are gathered
here to-day, for the striking support which they afford to
the Republican Government by this humming manifesta-
tion on the ant day of le7l. I thank them especially In the
name of our dear besieged brethren, in the name of our
heroic Parish whose example enratns us, and guides and (s-
-etter, us to emulation. Ala ! Would theycould be witnesses,
those dear heateged ones, of all the sympathy and self-
devotion round within us by their valour; their faith in
success would be incremisd, if, indeed, any hosresse be poet-
isle. We will transmit your eve d hikes, rißrams. Soon rosy
we, cutting our we, through the enemy's lines. hoboes( them
vial yore, together attlc tito expreseion of the world's
mindration and of the profound and ICH wishalla eratitude
of France. Long live Prance! Long live the U public."

At the close of M. Giembetta's addreas indescribable
emotion WAS manifested by the imooenee crowd that
had assenil.led, WI prolonged shouts were heard of
" Virc la France / " " /114 Piria 1" "Vge Gatniatta
" Vice la ll,publ ique l"