New-York tribune., 1867-02-15


that Impelal letter of the 10TH announcing reforms
that will close the era of inceritude" and crown
the edficen of state with liberty The new incerti-
tude. as TO the quality of the announced changes,
is more dense 80 toispeak, than the respectable IN
certitude as TO their ever being announced, which
has reipned since 1850 The value of the decreed re-
stricted right of Interpolation, substituting the rght
of discussing the address withdrawn by decree, can
only be known after the test of experience Whetner
the promised laws on the press and the right OF meet
inc will reform or only change the actual condition
of oppressive restraint only be guessed at until
we have those laws (the mere letter OF which Is not
vet edited) and have experienced their apphcauoh'
Nothing is certain, and the opinion OF the
well informed" so far as it rests on any pretended
base of special knowledge of the Emperors actual
purposes is worthless In this respect of well inior-
nation newspaper correspondents and oTaces ot the
Bourse and clubs are very little better furnished than
ministers themselves. Napoleons manifesto of the
10Th took them just much by surprise as 1t did the
public and only about "a hours sooner Ii Is per
sonal act, propro!motu Nor was its announcement IN
Cabinet council the only surprise that befe ministers
last week.
The story of what passed at the Cabinet meetings,
with preface and appendix clrculates IN various edl
tions Here is an abridged version of what rs most
credible and generally accepted az nearest truth
But first by way of preface let me remind you that
among those, ministers and others. lamong whom
the Empress is to be counted who " have the Empe-
rorsearp there are parties one stagnantconserva
tiyes the other footed progresssts Accordingly
as he seemed TO lend an ear to this that side either
party and their followers of the Outer world, fancled
that they really had his ear were in sort leading
him by it, Ii has been curious TO the melancholy
light in which, by "A sudden turn of his head,
he has left these disappointed earh0dcrs again and
again in the last years, especially since 1872 few
wears ago, after the elections of lNj and be
fore the death of De Morny there began
a movement what seemed the termination of a lib
eral constitutional, Napoleonio party Monsieur
Emile Olivier, elected TO the Corps Legislative
mainly by Republican votes WAS Us leader IN that
body. with. at first. two followers. DE Morny
favored the movement. The - movers of the liberal
ling amendment to the address last ycar-approved
on the final vote by CG memben-aI1 elected as Gov
ernment candidates. accompanied tho movement,
Iongo inteJrailo indeed, but on COnycrgent line.
Had De Mony lived, the hope Of liberal Ma
poconsts and mildly but really, Eb0di liberals rare
birls) that a th,d party, loyal TO the throne and
loyal TO the cause Of freedom. might have been
fulfilled; and the Legislature would present a
third party-itsef subdvided into right and left
iority right holding on questions the balance
Of vOtng-pOwer not succeeding on first attempt to
mix oil and water, but making ever broader the
way out by parliamentary road toward freedom
from the impdsse of purely personal regime, with
ont running back to violent revolution.
NJ Waewski, successor Of De Momy in the Prcs-
dency of the Corps Lcgsatf succeeds also, more or
less completely, to De Momys qualified liberalism
He favored "A new refomatOrv demonstration of the
Emperor when il broke ont on the 18th, he favored
the resignation in mass of Ministers. In the compO-
stion of the new ministry, he counted. among other
on these two points, that he and Olivier should
have prominent places in IL, and that Finance
Minister Foud and Ronher should be excluded.
Ministers did give in their designations IN
mass, as il seemed TO them, mainly for forms
sake. For some of them the retiring form proved n
permanently excluding fact, Old Marshal haudon OF
the W ar Department, where he il succeeded by Mar
shal Neil of the Italian campaign, - SAID 10 nave
said, apIOpOs Of the general resignation aud the
partial rcinstaaton in the same twenty-iOur hours
of his late colleagues Some of ms going out for
got TO take our cOne marques retun checksl at the
door" The mot is too smart To be literally true, but
is characteristic enough of the situation.
The Ministry, as II stands at present, Is composed
for the most part of the persons who were of
last week Tuesday The Walewsk-Oliyicr element
the new-blOOd element, has been entirely rejected
ROuheT, who, with iOuld was the most important
member of il then now clmuates with ms old tunc-
tions those OF the Finance Department. 30 far as
the term is III any sort applicable 10 the irresponsible
ministers OF constituent not constitutional monarch
he is the Premier of NapOeOns Cabinet
Here will break the thread Of my narrative, sup
posing that any seqneni thread rs disceIiDe 'n'1ngh
the ravelcd tangle. Ia remark that ROuher 10 LIB
eral in political economy not In politics ne is not
opposed as FOuld the louges-liyed of all Napoleon \
Ministers, was opposed to dl loans Is supposed 10
be rather favorable Ia loan which should be manly
appropriated 10 the fIthcIance Of internal improve
ments-publlc works, &c--bnt opposed to war win
any power. In general. the new composition 0l the
Ministry Is thought 10 Indicate "a paciic foreign
policy. .
But the discaIding from the new combination all
and any of the third party people. whose chance 0l
entry into the Cabinet seemed To bc entertained,
and to be probable Ior II moment, clouds the hope
that many entertained of the practical worth OF the
reforms proclaimed III the manifesto OF the IVth Jan
nary. lhey ash themselves IL these are puiposcd
reforms, not mere changes Of forms, what llstlu-
ments are there for uaugunting and apply ing them
How shall ROuhc who resisted the baitst suggestion
of them last year with his Interest effort of arg
mcnt aud cOquenCc frankly favor them tins year do
other than sjrlve tQ de2den thf letter ana crush
the spirit of them OHc ready answer 10 these
timuIOuS uuestiOncTS IL furnished 10y the record OF
NJ ROuhel's somewhat various but equally tcrNcnt
fideties to the variations oi his muster pOcy. No
one of his several dcfcscS of the different phases OF
the Mexican policy iu the last thlec years was rsS
energetic, eloquent, and sincere than an3lhti not
Our admirable Minister oi Mi Irtslu'ht Johi-
sons liome and Foreign Affairs Is more compleNiy
practiced athlete ready Tor all cOmeis, oppwtnhely
supple of knee a,ionay stiff OF back not Tearing
outward al;ack on inward Icproach Apter to either
of these than 10 simply brave Capt SamlrlS Inc old
admirng words of q. H. FIaccns:
hi rubur et ttipleN
CIrri pcCtus-
That this committing of the pTactlcil shaping OF
the new reforms 10 the hands of old ministers should
alarm those who were willing tO expect much from
the Imperial initiative is natural. cXcusabie, and IN
this period of doubt and uncertainty IL must bc con
frsscd that nohinp absolutely nothing IN the way of
absolute knowledge Of what il OF viii be the purpose
of the Imperial mind in regard 10 Inc an.
nounced changes Is V0ucllsaicd ns; Suli
DAYS ago To hopeful Interpretation IN the
liberal sense Of the Imperial manifesto OF last
week And this not by reason OF any information,