The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-08-05
The Future OF France.

On the 2Sth of June the Pope
addressed Il letter to the Sacred
College couched in very melan-
choly terms. He declared to ear
ainals and bishops that he en-
poets nothing from human hands
and that he aud they are in the
hands of Divine Providence. He
announced the expected arrival
oftiie King of Italy in few days,
attended by the ministers of Cath
Ollie States. He complains that
the sovereigns who congratu-
lated him upon his late jubilee
are not willing to take any step
in support Of their messages, and
he concludes by saying:
All is lost. You will tell me,
perhaps, that we have still hope
in France; but France can do
nothing. She is going through a
crisis, which may be succeeded
by others yet more dreadful. l
repeat it, all is lost, and only Il
miracle can save us. Turn, then,
TO the Almighty, and seek this
inter, position from him.
We ought not to be astonisllcd
that from time to time nations
pass through the most frightful
ordeal Of revolution. The hard
est task 4 nation eau ever under-
take is to get itself properly gov
! erned, or even governed at all, in
any substantial sense. All mod
ifications of government must be
violent unless they are of that
kind which require the slow
changes Of years or centuries.
When the cOnquerors evacuated
Paris, the armed forces of the
Republic being far away, a mob
of enormous proportions formed
itself into organic shape anu as
sumed to govern. It's rapid de-
velopment, it's tyrannous sway
and its bloody fall surprised none.
The mob element has existed in
Paris, numerous and powerful,
for q hundred years. There has
been no day within that period
when the withdrawal of the re-
pressive hand of power wonll
have resulted otherwise than in a
! revolt. It is ali element which
no wise government will trust
but which cannot he eliminated
by amy degree Of severity. It
can only be watched by many
vigilant eyes, and kept in sub
lection by many faithful armed
hands. The wild beast broke
loose within the walls of Paris,
a.td dire confusion, myriad sliape,l
insanity, w:lnton destruction
merciless cruelty and vast slausll-
ter were the results. Bnt the
blood-thirsty and sonlless beast
was cornered, goatlcd, lanced
manned, crippled and made cap
tive, ald so the crisis, which
threatened the ruin of Paris ratl,-
er than the conquest of France
ended when the brave veterans
made prisonyis 5,if'ttIt8l2sse' 81 those WiIU5 WiI5 Slew 81
priests, desecratcd temples, rob-
bed public institutions and Dri-
vate citizens, and tried to wraD
the whole vast and beautiful cap
ifal Of the civilized world in de-
stroyihg flames. That crisis end
ed when the last Of the mad and
wicked Commune gave the sig
nal for an indiScriminatc surrcn-
der.
After this long-eating cancer
was cut away, it is not evident
that France must soon have an
other such trial to endure. The
next contest aud trouble will not
come from below, but it will be n
segregation of adhercnts Of divers
forms OF government-rcpubli-
can, monarchist and imperial.
But it does not appear to us that
the French people have any very
violent prejudices for any partic-
ular form. They all blend to-
gcther with apparent harmony,
the republicans being apparently
wiling TO erect Il strong govern
ment, while the impcrialists only
want a sovereign instead of a
president, and while the mon
archists prefer IL king Of ancient
and royal blood instead of either
president or emperor. The French
people, since the Commune has
been bound, Gagged and boltcd in,
! seem to be almost Indifferent
about public affairs, vast numbers
refusing to vote for delegates to
the National Assembly. The
common sentiment is that the
head of civil affairs is competent
and honest and that the great
soldier who commands the armies
OF France is Il safe and a very ca
pable man. We think that five
slNths of all Frenchmen are sat