The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-11-12

Tho French Republic-Its Success and It's
Probable Iaaaence In the Reconstruction
Of Europe.
In the HERALD Of yesterday we printed a
cable despatch, special to the HERALD, giving
the substance Of an interview which our own
correspondent bad just had with President
Theirs. The President, who does not forget
that he won his first triumphs in the ranks Of
journalists. not only gave our correspondents
q hearty welcome, but freely communicated to
him his plans and purposes. President Theirs
is, to-day, at the head Of the great French
nation and people quite as much rs ever was
Louis Philippe or Louis Napoleon. This
| recognition Of the press, and more particu-
larly of the American press, marks an epoch
In the history of journalism. With us, inter-
viewing-the interviewing even Of most illus
trious personages-cannot be regarded as
new thing. On this side of the Atlantic it has
become one of the leading and characteristic
nalism has, in this matter, read European
journalists fresh lesson-a lesson which, as
usual, is somewhat reluctantly, but surely ac-
cepted. Our special correspondents have in
terviewed most of the prominent European
statesmen and thinkers of the day-Bismarck,
Won Beust Gambetta, Kossuth, Dollinger.
Antonelli, Friedrich, Huber and others; but
the Cabinet Minister of England, the leaders
of Her Majestys opposition, crown princes
and royal personages generally, with the ex-
ception of the fallen Emperor of France, have
up to the present been somewhat shy and
slightly fearful Of the reporters pencil. Presi-
dent Theirs is the first actual executive chief
of great nation who has willingly submitted
to be interviewed; and it is not without good
reason that, in connection with this first
praise to M. Theirs and claim some honor to
ourselves. The interview Of President Theirs
and the interview of Louis Kossuth, the ex-
Dictator of Hungary, both Of which appeared
in the HERALD Of yesterday, prove that the
American press is far ahead of that of Europe,
and that in the matter of enterprise the NEW
YORK HERALD is at the head Of American
journalism.
Of this, however, enough. If we have
dwelt on this part of the subject it is because
we regard interviewing not only as new and
important feature of the daily ne wspaper, but
as great privilege to public men. The state
ment made to our special correspondent by
President Thiers-that when the National As
sembly shall have met in session in the early
days of December, the Cabinet will propose
to terminate the provisional regime now in ex-
istence and de6nitively establish republic
we regard as the most important political
announcement which has been made since the
close Of the war. We do not forget the utter
ances Of Bismarck and his master Emperor
William, of Won Beust and Francis JOSEPH, Of
Gladstone and Disraeil, of Gambetta and the
thoughtful exile of Chiselhurst. All of these
have had something to say in regard to the
peculiar conditions of the present and the IN
certainties Of the future; and what they have
said has been more or less important. In point
of importance, however, the utterance of M.
Theirs must be allowed the first place. The
war 80 recently ended has given birth to two
experiments-one the establishment of q great
and powerful autocratic empire in Germany;
the other the establishment of French repub-
lie. These are the two European experiments
which are engaging the attention of thinking
men the wide world over. For immediate
success all the chances were on the side of
Germany; all the chances were against
France. Out of a struggle which had no par
allel in modern or in ancient times Germany
came forth triumphant. France was not only
defeated, but crushed not only exhausted,
but mortgaged to cover the war expenses Of
the conqueror. That the German experiment
should, 30 far, have proved the more success
full is not, therefore, much to be wondered at.
1t would have been strange if 1t had been 9TH
erwise. It is not for us to refuse to admit that
Germany is rapidly and surely consolidating;
nay, that Germany is already the most powerful
unit in the European family of nations. But
who will deny, on the other hand, that France
has revealed an amount of recuperative en-
ergy which has surprised the world9 What
has she not done since she bowed to defeat
at the hands of her German neighbors2 She
has put down gigantic aud most destruc-
tive civil war. She has accomplished
in a few months what it was supposed
could only be done in several years. She
has all but bought the German invader of her
soil. The spirit which she has revealed in de-
feat, and the amount Of money she has raised
and paid away, encourage the belief that, had
she been more wisely ruled and more skilfully
led, the late war might have made her the
mistress Of Europe. At all events, It must be
admitted that under form Of government
which, though provisional, is substantially
republican. France has worked wonders, and
done not little to regain, in the estimation
Of thoughtful men, the proud place which she
lost. What she might have done In such cir
cumstances under the empire, or under a