New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-25
FRANCE.
COUNT pAEI IN REPLY TO VI. FAYRE-TIIE DE-
BATE ON IRTEDOM OF ELECuON-SICK IRE
CONCu AULLS TIE PRINCES COMING OF
AGE-INPEEIAL THEATlUCALS.


has reassemh,d and the political drama, on which
the curtain If adjournment for the Carnival Naca-
ton descended at q most striking and interesting
point has low begun again. and seems To be rapidly
pnSing on 20 q dcHOuemeRt of one kind or another.
However where it is for the interest of all the sew
eral actors i'm This tragedy-comedy to put off de-
Hou0o as long rs possible at any cost. there Is no
saving how long the action may drag on, and unless
the author of TIE play relying upon some Deus en-
uGcbiud OF is hoping to bit upon some dodge la
Charles RcaGc. by whose blessed intervention
al these Rights and Let's, Right Centers,
Left Ccntcrs. Imperlalists. IIreconcilables, En-
perors Ministers, &c, &c, are to be har-
uouizcd and made to see their respective titles
clear J. for one, being nothing but uninspired
newspaper correspondent cannot guess what the end
is TO be- Still TO say that one knows how the play
is 10 turn ont is by no means to say that 1t is not
worth waiting 10 SO. having left my seat for
bit while the actors were flaming themselves and
LackbItng one another in the grecn-room to walk
up and down in the great Paris foyer looking at the
Prizc-Cattle Show and the fooleries Of the Mardi
Gras ! come back and seat myself again as the cur
tain rises and prepare 10 watch these very clever
tor. the politicians they unravelthe complexities
Of this most singular stagepay. The Liberal Empire
1t is too carly to say what is to be the result
the results rather for it must make itself felt in
many ways of the now famous interpretations of NJ.
Jules Favrc the 21st of February, and the change
of parties in the House which followed the speech of
Count Darn in reply to those interpretations. NJ.
Favrcs speech was not as / think said at the time
one of his best but il served the purpose perhaps
well as a better one would have done 1t brought
matters to direct Issue. and rendered continuance
of the then attitude OF the House impossible. 1t was
chemical ingredient poured into the pOnUcal
cauldron which at once precipaed the true il
liberals and made them apparent. YOu will
remember that the points NJ. Favre made were two
1st The present Ministry calling itself liberal is not
liberal at all, but conservative, and more
conservative than the ROuher Ministry
even. He accused the Government of
being the true author of the late disturbance;
he declared that with regard to the press the Liberal
Ministry was less liberal than Personal Government
Rad been it rains press prosecutions now. whereas
1t only showered them in Rouhers time-and as for
The right of meeting, Gulzot in 1880 was more gcner
GUS than Olivier in 1S69'7O The second point was
that the present Ministry did not represent the cOun
try but only the majority in the House. and that that
majority could not represent France because France
had little or nothing to do with the election OF the
Assembly as it is to-day. NJ. Favre'S speech all
turned upon these two points, and though as piece
of Oraory it was not striking as many of his
speeches have been, it was clear and TO the point
and could not be got rid of by any ministerial trick
or evasion. 1t seemed TO be felt instnctively that
this was no case for NJ Oiver's treatment, but that
a different medico must be summoned. Accord
ingly Count Daru was summoned, and in a
speech that did him great credit in many ways he
replied TO Favre. though it cannot be said lie an
swered him. lie declared that the Cabinet was
unit in spite of all that had been said and whispered
to the contrary. and that they were determined to
adhere to their policy to the end, that end being
either success in carrying out all the Liberal mea-
surcs they had announced in their programme, or in
case they were refused the support of the Emperor
and of the majOTity-a resignation OF their office
lie then defined again their policy and parted as he
best could the thTusts and arguments OF NJ favre.
Finally he declared that the present Government
was Parliamentary one, and that 1t was not MADE
less 50 by the fact that the House was not the result
of free election. i am, of course, not giving his
words but only the substance of them. He was de-
cdedly opposed to a dissolution of the Parliament,
and so was the whole Cabinet and he gave the rea-
sons that have been given and over again, and
which are only accepted as good reasons by those
who have their reasons for wishing TO think them
so. There never yet was postponement OF justice,
hesitation about doing right politically, that did
not have show of reason on its side and that could
not very well be defended by those who insist on
always weighing right aud justice III the scale
against bread and butter Count Daru represented
the BOurSc and the Bank, ana all the shops ana mar
kets and his argument had much weight IN them
consequently TO those who think, rs Emerson said
Macauay did, that GOOD means good TO eat
However the man is honest according to his light,
and saws what he means and means what he says,
and would serve Liberty if he could, and thinks he
is serving her. and doubt therefore, he does serve
her considerably. In fact the great confidence that
is felt in Count Darius uprghtness of intention, and
in his nexibity his adherence 10 what he holds for
principle went long way TO make up for the damage
NJ Olivier has done TO the cause Of Liberalism by
his effort 10 keep his balance between it and Impe-
rialism. NJ. Olivier reminds me of. the tame bear in
the fable-but TO do him justice. tame as he is he
never was a bear-who used to watch his master
while he slept and who. day, seeing a gnat
alight his masters nose, proceeded to smash the
offending insect with huge stone, which put an
end to the gnat and his master at the same time.
France is at this moment very much asleep, and
there is at this moment quite swarm of gnats teas
ing her and making her dream and toss about on her
bed, but Nj. Olivier hurts France more than he does
the gnats by the violent he takes 10 rid her
OF them. lie has superficial success in his role
which ought not to blind the world, and does not
believe 10 s unfortunate conception of the part he
attempts 10 play.
But 1t was Olivier who gave the signal for rebel
lion by his declaration that the Government while
choosing, for purposes Of policy, to forget that the
way in which the present Chamber had been elected
was firmly bent on leaving the elections in future
actually free in resoutey abstaining from all inter
ference, and even from Indicating It's Drefcrrnces