New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-14
THE END OF THE REPUBLIC.

M. Jules Favre and the rest Of the Govern
ment of National Defense have resigned the
lost cause of France to the newly elected
delegates. The French Constituent Assembly
has met in preliminary conference and is to
begin it's regular sessions to-day. Although
not all the members were present, we know
fully, from previous reports of the elections,
what the complexion of the Assembly will
be. The Monarchical parties are in overwhclm-
ing force; the Republicans, divided among
themselves, will form only respectable mi
nority 1t is not difficult to fOresee what the first
action will be in the effort to secure Peace ;
the German demands will be acceded to, for
there is no alternative but submission. But
the formation of the Government will present
greater difficulties which it is not necessary
or possible to consider. But this much Is set
tied beyond question: she new Government
will be q monarchy, and the Republic for the
present is moral impossbility.
While the result is disappointing it is not
surprising. We have despaired of the Repub-
lie, so gladly hailed in September, ever since
its insane acceptance of the Empires legacy of
war, and its iteration on coming into
existence of the declarations of Napo-
leon, which its leaders had denounced
in the Corps a month before. The Repub-
lie was a cowardly sham from the start. 1t
might have placed Germany in the damaging
position of continuing the war unnecessarily
after Sedan; instead, it accepted the RESPONSE
blity of continuing tho crime, and called
it virtue. While the military de-
Tense, considering the resources at COM
mand, has been marvellous. its civil
IA L..
Republic only in name, and such Govern
ment as could not have retained public conf
dence even had its military defense been sue
cessful. We have endeavored to point out its
errors from time to time az they occurred, and
though we have thus incurred imputatiOns Of
hostility to the French people and to Repub-
lcanism, the facts and the end are on justid-
cation.
Some of those who have delighted to DIS
agree with us have already discovered the
absurdity of their late views, no less than the
fallaey Of their late hopes. Here is Tho
World, for instance, which, after daily re-
cerdine the victories which the Republic
never gained, and praising the virtues
of its leaders which they never possessed,
comes out with the startling announcement
that the Republic did not deserve to succeed
and was not worth the experiment. with
"ths ferocious Reds in authority" it
says, eff republican government were
" successfully launched, it would make
"but short voyage, and be soon
stranded and wrecked by its presumptuous
"pilots. 1t is better that the experiment should
"not be made than introduced only as a sure
"prelude to anarchy, from which the
"peOple would take refuge in an
/" other despotism.s Having in turn ad-
yocated and denounced, first, the Empire and
then the Republic, our neighbor is now pre-
pared to praise the Monarchy which is to be
declared, and rejoice in the restoration Of the
Orleans which is probable. For ourselves,
having no regrets to waste over the collapse
of the sham Republic, we shall not conceal
our regret that it was sham or abandon
the hope that, whatever may be the form OF
government tho Constituent Assembly has
now in store for France, it may at least prove
an improvement on the despotism of the late
dynasty, and an approach through con-
stitutional forms, to the blessings of free
institutiOns