The New York herald., 1869-03-13
FRANCE.

Debates In the Legislative Acknowledgements.
ments in the City-Debts and Expendifures-
M. Thicrs ON Rctrenchment.
PARIS, Feb. 20, 1869.
Before entering on the interesting debates now
before the Legislative Assembly concerning the
debt OF 39s o40f due to the Credit Foncier from
the city Of Paris retrospective glance at what has
been achieved this session may be worth notice.
The Chamber, which in the year 1857 voted the sup
preston OF the address because it took too much
time and diverted the attention OF the deputies from
urgent domestic affairs, has for the last month
held but eight sittngs only two Of which were i'm
portant. Since the suppression Of the address in
answer to the throne speech the Chamber has had
nothing to do before the different committees are
ready with their reports, which documents are al
ways behind hand, and the budget Is not discussed
earlier In the session than before.
It is true that when it does begin every other ques-
tion is mixed up with It, Things which should have
been taken separately are all pressed into the budget
and 1t becomes an intermlDable AFFAIR. The depu.
ties then, in their anxiety to get through, neglect
knotty measures and vital interests are hurried
over when not curtailed. The present absorbing
question has come up just fortnight later than
anticipated. This delay was caused by the absence
OF communications to the deputies on the coming
discussion, and when they were distributed the
members had to study them. Thus 1t is that every
thing Is put or until the last hour at the Palais
Bourbon. say the last hour, because the present
committee was nominated just one year ago. when
the law was TO have been debated In the Chamber.
Twelve months have passed and even now the docu-
ments are Incomplete According to anticipation,
pubic attention Is most excited ON the question.
None could excite Parlsians In q higher degree.
The works executed in their capital, the masses OF
w0rkmen drawn thther, the Dcce5stleS OK all kinds
which the development OF the city has gwen rle to-
increased prices, expropRations &C. are subjects
that I'LL an immense space In the system Of the
present government, and consequently any elucida.
tion on ways and means Is eagerly welcomed.
From the beginning no one was disappointed.
Such crowd has for some time not been at the
Corps Legislatn. Two hundred carriages stood IN
hie down the quay, hedge OF spectators al along
the pavement Impatient visitors and auditors In the
outer halls and the tribunes full within the palace
Senator'S. Councillors OF STATE, ladies. every ut
their post, and the Ministers on their row Of the
vctimized, prepared for combat The first rumor that
spread was that A. Theirs was going to make speech
that would last six hours attacking the Preect Of
sition; but H. Tnier5 was soon seen In his puce
colored overcoat and black velvet collar quietly look
out with his glance the one who would climb 1p to
the orators plli0ry before him. That mortal was N.
Garnier Pages, who proceeded to accuse NJ. Hauss-
mann OF an extravagant and frivolous expenditure
OF 1885, 00o 0oof for the qualification OF personal
vanity 10 tho neglect of works important to public
extravaganza was to end. He censured the Prefect
OF the Seine for having had to make the avowal that
his estimates for the deuriee resedu tsecond series
100000 000, and he foresaw that the estimates for
the third series OF improvements 3lo ooofl would
have 70 be doubled. But the worst OF the orators
were for the cooked accounts which ne
said had been prepared merely to deceive the Cham
ber the debts aud credits being merely. fictitious
lie SAID M. Haussmann has assumed o dictatorship
that could no longer be permitted TO exist On
Guiding the deputy called attention TO the revising
and regulation OF the law on duties.
The member OF the government having responded
to the above speech M. Ernest Picard ascended the
tribune and improved on what mad been said before
I'M nugf1Q Ia Had fno axsft
proveInent mere gambling, and considered that the
Chamber ought TO prevent such specuatIons Which
reelected dscrel.t on the nation, and turned the
niclpallty into banking company.
M. Genteur, Councillor OF State, replied eulogzing
the WORKS accomplished by the government from the
year ls5l VIII only note the principal feature Of
nomenclature as regards the capital. lie reminded
the Chamber that within the last fifteen years. 1900
noished, 157 schools mad been esrabllshed.
forty churches bat oooo,o o,oooof. annually expended
for gratui.ous Instruction. space was opened Tor
public health. everywhere lakes d1g gardens traced
entlre forests transpantcd to the caplta For roads
payementS % and public streets l5osooo had been
were augmented eighty per cent. The rate OF pau.
pefisin, which IN lss was In eleven IL now one
one IN tnrty. fell In 1850 to one Ia tnirtyeight and
now stands at one In every forty-two IniabItants
MY private impression on hearing NJ. fsenteur was
that people would soon stop dying altoretner nnler
the empire OF the nlneynine projects OF France--a
IN emulation OF Baron Hausslnann 60 and do Ike
wise.
The following day was no less animated al The Az
sembee, aitnough the 1rst part OF the debates was
continuation OF some very dry statements from M.
Genteur and statistics that added new feature 10
the business OF the moment, ana had the elect OF
soporifcs on the larger portion Of the Chamber.
The murmur OF unpeacefu slumberers and that OF
private conversation among the ladies In the trl-
bunes was simultaneously stopped when M. Thers
was seen mounting the tribune, and the closest at
tenuon was paid " every word he uttered for three
consecutive hours, during which time he improvised
and iunged with Dgures to prove how small is his
fah Ia the accounts OF N. Haussmann. M. Tniers is
not man TO accept any reputed fact without exami
nation, even after examination II not convinced.
''fhe city OF Parisr he says, "has Just enough TO
meet expenses and pay Interest on debtsr and he
considers tnat the Prefect OF the Seine, In spend
ing $4,000, ,oO0f. without AUTHORIZATION, has COM
mitfed an audacious act He characterized him
vice emperor, and when he said this, M. PeItan,
always happy to interrupt. exclaimed, There, now
~ Kouher B Q dethroned sovereign But otner
words, too. were said that caused laughter. When
n. Thers asked what was the use OF the new
thoroughfare leading from the Louvre straight 70 the
opera, he added:-"liad the Emperor not the Rue de
Ia Paixs and when he went across the Place ven
dome had ne not the incalcuIabN advantage, on
lifting up his eyes, OF contemplating IN al his glory
the chief OF his dynastySv on saylng these words
the honorable orator looked up and raised his right
HAND in 80 singular an attitude that the whole Cham
Der burst into laughter.
from the statistics Of this terrible "moderstss
politician w0 gloan that the Boulevard "a Prince
Eu0eup bna coat miillona and al noe