The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1863-03-06
Attitude Of France Toward the
United States.


The Paris correspondent Of the New York
Commercial represents tho disposition of thol
French Government and Legislative body rs,
stated in other quarters. Indeed it his views
of French feeling toward this country are|
correct, We have no reason to fear any inter
mcddling with our affairs by Napolean.
Writing on the 10th inst. he says:
'Secession met with as ignominious de-
cat yesterday in our Corps Legislatif, as It!
lid a week ago in the British Chamber. Five
members. who consented to serve the inter
tests and designs Of the rebellion, signed AMI
amendment to the address in reply to the|
speech from the throne which implied an in.
vitation to the French Government to recog.
nize the South and raise the blockade by|
force. NJ. Arman. the wealthy shipping
( master, and NJ. Calvet- Roglniat, the member
who rendered Mr.. Slidell similar service|
last year, spoke on the amendment. NJ. Ar.
man made most confused and weak attemptI
ut defence Of the doctrine contained in the
amendment, in which he could find no better!
arguments, than that the poor Of Francei
3were suffering for work. and that the block
ade was insufficient. A commissioner of the|
SUSTAINED the pon-intervention doctrine oil
the address. His principle arguments were
that France could onlylntervene in the Unit
ted States rs friend. that the other powers
would not join in an Intervention, and that
: for France to intervene alone would be to in
augurate events of the gravest character.
M. Calvet-Rogniat then, after few words
: in favor of the amendment, in which he re.
peated his old argument, that the blockade
was only paper one, begged leave to with
adraw it. He was, in fact, recommend to thisI
course by the President, and oil the leading
men of the Chamber.
The discussion then fell upon the original
words of the address which thanked the Gov
eminent for the course it had thus far pur-
sued in the American question, and the Wis \
lcount Anatole Lemercier addressed the Cham I
Der at great length in favor of the mainten-
ance of the Union and against Intervention.
! He said that the reason why France had taken /
the lead In trying to stay the war in America /
was because she was an open and sincere
friend of the American people and was actu.
lated by the best of motives, while the reason +
jwhy England stood aloof was because she
was a secret enemy Of the American people :
and desired their division and destruction.
I lie showed by quotations from the writlngsf
and speeches Of the Consuls, of Jefferson
and Of Livingston, that it was tho TRADITIONAL
policy of France to build up and maintain Z
/ in America great maritime power to act Us
Ia counterpoise. He showed that it was true,
las N apoleon |. had said. that whatever foregnE
power possessed New Orleans wasa perpetual
enemy to the people of the United States,
and that therefore the people of tho United
States were compelled to fight until they
gained and could maintain the freedom OF
the Mississippi in its whole length.
He showed that slavery was the sole cause
'of tho war, and while not approving Presi- 4
dent Lincoln's manner OF treating tho qucs
|tion, yet claimed that tho North was right d
on the subject of slavery and the South
wrong. The speech, which was six columnsE
lin the Moniteur, went over the whole ground,
land was one of the best defenses Of the Union (
yet delivered abroad. ltwas pleasant know to
also that NJ. Lemercier spoke from conviction,
a nd that he did not require any promptngs
| in the line of conduct he pursued. The dis 4
]cussion of this paragraph Of the address was
'continued, but the speakers confined them \
selves to the effects of tho cotton crisis in \
France, and the necessity of encouraging the
culture of cotton in Algeria. The original
paragraph was then put to vote and carried.
During this debate on the American ques-
|tion the general attitude of the Chamber 4
was one of indifference, if not impatience.
With the exception Of the few Deputies who,
from one reason and another. wcrc directly y
interested in the question, there was a gene
raj disposition to put the question aside for
something more interesting, and the inference
1 is that the majority were satisfied to leave
the question in the hands Of the government.
l This. in fact is the only Interpretation that
can be given to the attitude Of the Chamber
Tor nobody pretends to DO Indifferent in the 3
abstract to the American war.