New-York tribune., 1868-01-03
FRANCE.

INTERPELLATIoNs IN THE cIIAMBERs-rHE RE-
| LATIONs OF FRANCE TO ITALY AND GER
MANY--vICTOR HUGo's HERNANI-DEATu
or A. FLOURENa
! Prom Our OsE COrTesyODdslt
{ PARIS, Dec Is, 1907.
The very few Americans who do not understand
| our institutions" may like to know what an inter
pcllation is. 1t Is motion for inquiry. that must
first be put in writing, signed by certain number
of deputies submitted TO the nine Bureaux Ia sort OF
standing Commtteesl, into which the House y diyi-
ded and accepted by at least four of them before il
eau be discussed before the Chamber. After listen
ing to the discussion, the Chamber is suffered either
to pass the "order of the day" which corresponds
somewhat to the old parliamentary "voto of conf
dence" TO vote the reference of the Interpolation
to Government. Which is the boldcst expression Of
disarproval q 4 0 measures inquired mtc that is
permitted 10 tho o-called Legislators Of the nation
a rOie ,6Grt-that is. resolution explaining and
luakving the vote in the old parliamentary way-is
Sot permitted 70 tnem. IL a yes decision,
election without choice, such as was Imposed on the
nation after the comp d6tat. Tho Interpolation III
these conditions is the concession TO Liberty Of
Snreeh youchsafcd last year 10 the sO-cacd repre-
senfatives of the French people by their MASTER rs
substitute for the concession of discussing the Erne
SpeecA youchSaed six years before and for the inst
five years declared 10y the Emperor 10 be a complete
Surcess.
The debate that has occupied the Corps Legislatf
the first three days of this week started from an III
tcrpcllatiOn on foreign affairs respecting Italy and
Germany. 1t was closely related To last week great
debate on the Roman question. hnd derives MS chirl
interest from the fact of its being the continuation
or complement Of the latter. The two together VIII
distinguish an epoch In the evolutionary. not 10 say
revolutionary history of the Imperial regime OF which
the clmaetelic date Is the 5th OF Dccenber ana the
signal word Minister Rouhers Aerq." with which
on that day. in the name OF the French Government,
he finally closed the gates of Rome TO lay-and as
| a French
For il /. certain that. late as the afternoon OF the
fth Of December, Government nerT mcantto pro.
nouuce that wOrda notorious fact. by the way, that
should remind of that other official phrase Respect
| ing graveyard concessions. where u five OF hity
years of dead mans rest Is styled a
N0nteprs report of the closing scenes Of the Great
Debate and made set more evident from unofficial
but authentic accounts Of what took place that last
dav ON the floor of the House. that NJ Rouher acting
for Government unwillingy forced to utter that
assurance the only means, if not OF securing ma
jority vote OF confidence a. least OF preventing iol
midabe accession to the nllnorlty mat rupture OF
discipline in the solid ranks Of an overwhelm,
ing Government majority, the beginnings and spread
of which has been often spoken OF in tins correspond
ence and especially inserted IN my letter OF last
year threatened revolt. What made tins aspect
Of things more alarming vas that the insurgents APP
plauded 10 the echo the speech of biers the arant
parliamentariaD the constitutional nonarchist. the
OfeHnist For the time he seemed the leader OF the
HOnse. IL was the monarchy OF July come again. f0r
the Old Votarians political sentiments respecingthe
temporal power set forth with an ability that they
,yere not masters Of coTeSponded to the pions con:
yicon or the practising PeIsuas,3n OF i9ur Oh
the members of the Assembly. When Rouher. then
assembled the tribune. and began with abuse of Carr
baldi and refutation OF jules favre, he harvested
from the Right his usual crop Of applause; but when
he undertook 10 defend the past without defining the
future course of Government policy toward Italy his
vague sonorOns phrases found no approving eeho;
and the opposition Left naliciousy refrained from
breaking the ominOus silence OF the faithful. good
man struggling against difficulties may sustain him
self by the consciousness that the gods look with
mist has a n
by that consolation; but be is man OF tact and bold
II occasion requires and therefore decided TO take the
positIOn marked out for him by Theirs. and so won
ihe day. The pure NaDoleonists are over-yexed and
the ParlameDtariaDs are oyer-pleased and advanced
Liberals unreasonaby discontinued with the decision
For the moment at any rate the profound sensation
-reaUv profound sensation, not the newspaper shall
low variety-has created and encouraged flow
Of deduction out of proportion TO the source.
It is noteworthy that NJ louheP himself is said TO
have said to members, the evening of the 9th De-
cember: But this is Parliamentary Governments;
and, at later hour, to the discontentcd Emperor at
ony means of escape from something worse And
bo may have added that there was this gained: If
Government has IN sort submitted 70 iits II has
alienated from him the thoroughly liberal Left TO
that degree that he cannot be their candidate for re-
election. While the never was necessary to secure
full vote of confidence In the House. and the Cleri
cal marty on our side in the electoral campaign of
1868 it is after all, relative Pckwickian express
sion Have not !. Ronher-nOt to refer TO your
Maesty's utterances as numerous as variant on the
Roman question in the course Of your lif-have not
l. Rouher in the last four years, speaking in the
name of Government, with equal posltlveness and
equal assurance. strictly bound its future action
by declarations that events have lOosedf Was II not
SIX years ago pure invention of the enemy to sup
pose that Macmillan had ever been thought of as
the ruler of MexcO ut later date. that his throne
was not mmmtabe; mp TO the last that the honor OF
the French flag could ever be,soled by our deserton
of its snpp0rtsf More soleninly if possible did we
not declare when the detestabe treaties of Vienna
getting torn TO pieces that the great balance of
power in Europe should not vibrate hairs breadth
without the Brennus sword being east into the scale
| to restore the equilibrium Yet Maximian's body
is shipped for Europe by Mexican Republican Presi
| dent Juarez, his grace
| The three fragments - into which foratorically
| cut New Germany year or two ago. prcYe 10 he
| imperiOus whole and one Austrian fragment Quo
rOulez-r0Rs Shef Your luck il out. That Bismarck
| now is having his run. With effort on his part he
/ is winning: There no help, no revoke possible ;
| under the circumstances i must play this Roman
| card into his hands. We out of honOrs let
trust 10 play for tricks. Your subjects Sire are the
most patient of people; the politicians among them the
least reasonable and well advised. The proof is that
the most thorough going of yonr enemies quarrel
ing with Thiers the particular oense Of his aivo
| eating the reaetonary temporal impussance
| instead of sustaining him and congratuatng ther-
selves on the Importance la the general of the ad-
| vance toward parliamentary liberty that he was
forcing us to.
In the debate this week, Rouher, replying to the
attacks Of tue Lett took occasion to the pub