The New York herald., 1872-12-06
Ersmce-Thc President and tine Al
sembly-The Situation Critical.


these columns this morning is not encourag-
ing to those who hope for the continu-
ance of the authority of the present
| government in France. Al somewhat late
hour in the afternoon of yesterday the Assem-
bly, took action on the motion of NJ. Dufaure.
President Theirs Minister of Justice. II Will
be remembered by our readers that the motion
Of M. Dufaure carried by the Assembly on
Friday of last week, provided for the APP
pointment by the Assembly of o committee
| of thirty, whose duty it should be to draw up
law regulating public powers and pre-
scribing the conditions of Ministerial respon-
sibilty. II has been known for the past week
that the appointment to be made yesterday
would test the strength Of parties and reveal
the actual situation. The committee, as our
news of this morning shows, has been organ
lied. AS organized it reveals the character
and composition Of the Assembly. Of the
thirty members who compose the COM
mittee nineteen represent the Right and
eleven represent the Left. 1t is not
at all to be wondered at that
the appointment Of the committee should
only in France. but throughout Europe. One
Of our dispatches has it that Berlin is alarmed,
that the German government has taken steps
to strengthen the army of occupation, that ex-
citement prevails at Chiselhurst, and that, in
the event Of the outbreak of hostilities in
Paris, the influence Of Bismarck, with the
consent of Emperor William, will be exerted
to restore the Empire. with Napoleon at its
head
We are not disposed to lay stress on vague
and ill-defned rumors. 1t may be that the
actual situation is not SO serious as reported.
The committee, as appointed, is reasonably
fair representation of the Assembly. The ma
jority in the Assembly is notoriously conserv-
ative, and the conservative majority in the
Assembly is represented in this fresh commit
tee. 1t is not conceivable that the organiza-
ton Of the committee can be any surprise to
the President or, indeed, to any intelligent
member of the French Assembly. 1t was
foregone conclusion that the majority in the
new committee provided for by NJ. Dufaure's
motion would be anti-republcan. The
situation Of to-day is most unquestionably
more critical than it was week ago. It was
evident then-it is more evident now--that the
vote of the Assembly delayed, but did not pre-
vent, crisis 1t is in some respects dis
grace to France and to the Ere nch people that
such crisis should have arrived. The present
government has done well, and it ought to have
been allowed to complete its task. That task
cannot be regarded as completed until the last
centime OF the war indemnity is paid. We
are willing to admit that the obligations under
which France has come would be honorably
discharged by any party which might
come into power but as the government of
NJ Theirs has been compromise government
and rendered possible only by the conflicting
sentiments of the various factions, Germany
could not be blamed if it said, on the occasion
OF the fall of the present government, sour
guarantees are no longer of any value" Nay,
Germany might be justified in adopting
stronger measures aud saying, 1--WE have
trusted the Republic, which has failed.
| We shall now, if France favors the
| idea, deal with France through the
man who surrendered at Sedan. II
France wants monarchy the only possible
form of monarchy is the Empire" The one
alarming fact of the moment is, that Germany
can dictate to France, and If need be, compel
her to submit aud it is not to be denied that
the government of Emperor William, while it
has the wish, has also the power, and that,
too, with the consent of large and powerful
section of the French people, to re-establish the
Empire and to restore the Bonapartes. 1t is
this fact which, more than any other, makes
the present situation alarming to those who
would wish to see the Republic successfully
established in France.
1t is hardly possible that the republicans
would allow Germany to interfere without
making one other bold and vigorous effort.
Our letter from Paris published in the
Herald Of yesterday, leaves us little room
to doubt as to what are the feelings of M.
Gambetta in this particular crisis What
Gambetta felt or thought would to us be of
little moment but for the fact that we know
that he, more than any other man, knows and
represents the sentiments of the great
mass of the French people. That
he should like the American Sumner
and dislike the English Gladstone
does not surprise us; for NJ. Leon Gambetta is
a man of impulse, and his likes and dislikes
are to be measured by the same standard.
What suits him and pleases him he accepts;
what does not suit him and please him he
despises and denounces 1t is undeniable,
however, that he represents young France,
the hopeful France Of the hour and the strong
France of the early future. When France fell
under the crushing blow delivered at Sedan
NJ Gambetta was the man who, coming to the
rescue, made his country noble by the
revelation of her strength in the hour of
her humiliation and sorrow. That he failed