The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-12-27
Our French Correspondence.


PARIS, Nov. q, 1913.
The APPROACHING Political Cowtest-History of
Evsnts-1he Candidates General Cava,gnac-
LOUIS NAPOLEON and his Receptl0ns--Ffench
Eiectio xsrfng--The Clubs, &C., &C., &c.
The iull which has for some time prevailed in
our political atmosphere, 10 about to be broken.
The clouds have gathered, and we witness now
all the proenostlcs Of a coming storm Public
expectation has waited Tor this, although the
quarter of the armament In which the thunder
was about to break seemed uncertain To enable
you SO far distant from the theatre of these events
to comprehend all the gravity Of this act Of the re-
evolutionary drama upon which the curtain Is about
TO rise, I must recall your memory some OF the
sad events which preceded he tragedy Of June.
You will recollect that, until the establishment
OF the Dictatorship, in The last week of June, the
Executive Government, was vested in five lndividu-
ais, bearing the utle Of the Executive Commiss on
These individuals were MN. de Lamartine,
Arago, GARNER Pages, Ledru Rollln, and Marie.
They, as you recollect, constituted part OF the
original Provisional Government of France, and
were continued, by the authority OF the Ass mbly,
alter May. The Irognostics OF tn storm which
broke out in the Ind Of June were numerous and
evident. The asst PRACTICAL political observer
could rot fail to notice them. The event was
therefore expected by the Executive Com mission,
and n,easu es were takel {, provide against 1t.
Orders were issued by them to tlelr M lister of
War, who, at the moment, was General Cavagnac,
10 provide Ger ain military force in the capitol,
and to adopt ot er measures, the particulars of
which need not be here stated
The event arrived, and with Its terrible results
you are already acquainted. After the insurrec.
Il.
by the necessity of dealing with upwards OF ten
thousand insurgent prisoners, by whom all the
prisons and forts around Paris were literally
crammed. A COMMITTEE of Enquiry was formed
in the Assembly, to investigate the lnsurrectlon
and It's authors. Public attention was engrossed by
the consideration how to deal with those members
/ Of the Assembly against whom there appeared some
ground of accusation, but who had not yet been
arrested Several tumultuous debates took place,
and resolutions not in very strict harmony with
each other were passed. At length, as you are
aware, this storm OF discussion was appeased by
the adoption OF DEGREES of accusation against MN.
Caussdere and Louis Blanc, and the evasion of
|. these individuals
A general calm followed this but the members
Of the Executive Commission, who, In June, had
been superseded by the Dictatorship, and who
opinion, by being restored to their functions after
the exigency which produced the Dictatorship had
ceased, now began to murmur, first In low and in
district tones, but louder and more distinct by
degrees. At length their complaints assumed
tangible and unmistakeable form. They declared
that tho blood which was shed in June must not
be allowed to lay at their doors-that they had
,oreseen, as they ought to have done, the coming
IN h,1 IN
minister of war, which, if duly executed, would
have prevented II, or at least have lessened the
bloodshed, and circumscr1bed it within narrow
limlts-that such orders were not executed, and
that the catastrophe which ensued was altogether
to be sscrlbed to the neglect of such orders. You
will see, therefore, that this was tantamount to
shifting the responsibility of the events Of June
from their own shoulders to those Of Gen. Cavaig-
mac But this is not all. The more inveterate
opponents of Gen. CavaIgnac-and among them
more especially M. Emile de Girardin, the editor
of La Presse, whose journal was arbitrarily sus-
pended, and whose person was arbitrarily impri-
soned by Gen. Cavaignac-has taken most signal
revenge upon him by publishing, with pitiless per-
tinacity, daily those charges against the general
arising out of the circumstances have mentioned.
M de Girardn demonstrates, IN the opinion OF
many, with force quite irresistible, that Gen.
Cavs,gnac not only caused the insurrectlon of
June BY his dlsobedlence Of the orders OF his SUI
periors but that he did so for the express purpose
OF placing the Assembly in position In which
there would be political and moral necessity
Of nominating him (Cavaignac) dictator; and that
this was done by Cavagnac with view to the
establishment OF his present canddateship to the
Presidency of the Republic: 1t would be lmpos-
sble to give an idea OF the effect o. :nese pub
of a bulldog, he bays to the nose of Cavaignac,
and will never leave him unit, he worries him to
death. He has been the main cause Of the I'M
Portant events which are now passing, and which
shall now state.
Things being IN the situation above described,
General Cava. gnac and his friends felt that he
could no longer keep silence. OF the two evils,
the less, was TO provoke discussion upon the
charges made against him: Accordingly ne rose
IN the Assembly on Tuesday, and demanded OF
the house permission to question the members OF
the late executive commission on the cauInnlous
charges which had been circulated against nun,
and OF which they reported to be the authors.
To this M. Garner Pages replied, that the ca
bunny was not all confined to one side; that for
five months the members OF the executive COM
mission had borne the calumnies uttered against
them with patience; that they were happy that the
epoch OF advertisement was ut length arrived anu
that they gladly accepted the proposed discdssion.
M Lamartine, the chief member OF the execu-
tive commission, being absent from Paris, at his
chateau near Macon, telegraphic despatch was
sent to him on Tuesday afternoon, ordering his
immediate return, and the great battle Is to COM
mence on Saturday. The parties In presence are
3, not now as beoIe--the insurgents OF June on the
one hand, and the outraged nation on the other;
bul they the late executive commission, com.
posed OF the leading members OF the Provisional
Government OF February, authors of the revolution
olS4s, and consoidators OF the republic, ON the one
hand, and General Cavaignac, their own minister
fwar, who was absent from Paris until June, and
superseded them as Dictator, on the other.
The result will be either the condemnation Of
tie authors and founders OF the republic, or the
exclusion of the candidateshp of Gen. CavaIgnac
Tor the Presidency. Many well informed persons
here, imagine that in the explosion which Is about
TO arse, both parties will be so much damaged
that their pretensions will be extingulshed.
The coulous Of the Sale des Pas-perdus, for the
last day or two, have exhibited scene OF extraor.
dlnaIY agitation owing To the excitement produced