The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-23

Assembly, the President and the Bour
hons.
Our news of to-day, and, indeed, for some
days past, powerfully strengthens the convic
ton that in France political crisis Is AGAR
imminent-such crisis az will shake France
not only to its centre, but to its most remote
extremities. No nation, no people, could be In
the same political condition without being In
danger Of violent and destructive revolution
The state Of things which now exists In France
could not exist In Great Britain for day in
this country for an hour.
Let the situation be looked at. What man
who can make any pretensions to be an intel
lgent student of the passing events of the
times will dare to say that the present gov
eminent of France is representative in any fair
wishes Of the French people9 The reverse is
VIGOROUSLY the fact. In the Assembly and the
President taken together France has most
certainly found a new master; but the new
master has about as much and as little right
to respect and obedience as any of the mas
ters who have gone before. It is not to be
denied that the Assembly was fairly enough
elected. Its members are the chosen repre-
sentatives Of the French people. 1t is as
little to be denied that the object for which
they were elected still remains unaccomplshed.
The war indemnity is not yet fully paid, and
until the last franc is paid it is not
wholly unreasonable to claim for the present
government of France certain right Of
existence. But while the purpose remains,
the circumstances have naturally changed.
Every day France is coming under new con-
ditions; but there is no constitutional power
in the land sufficient either to dissolve the
Assembly or to remove the President. The
President, In the exercise of great mag
nanimity of spirit, may resign; but he is as
powerless to dissolve the Assembly as the
Assembly is power)ess to remove him from
office. Not taking into consideration the pos
sble good sense Of the President, nothing
but his death or coup Gftat or revolution
can make an end of the present regime in
France. or all governmental anomalies it is
the most anomalous. Such state of things
would be the less intolerable to high-minded
people like the French if the Assembly
and the President were finding it possible to
get on tremendously together But such is
not the case. The Assembly has its views and
expresses them; President Theirs has his
views and expresses them; the Assembly
votes the President down; the President re-
signs; the Assembly, not abandoning its pur-
pose or retracting its vote, but fearing revolu-
ton, implores the President to come back and
rule over them-such is the kind of thing
which in France is now called national gov
eminent!
That the present state of things cannot much
signs. The Count de Chambord, encouraged
to believe that the French people are really
impatient for his return to the throne of his
ancestors, leaves his retreat, finds his way to
Antwerp, and there, from the hands of certain
Count Monte, receives document or manifesto
signed by some two hundred and fifty -six
members Of the Assembly. No doubt the
Count de Chambord must have been greatly
comforted by the manifesto; but the gladness Of
the moment must have been somewhat marred
by the recollection that the French Assem-
bly, boosted of some seven hundred members.
Two hundred and ffty-six! Where were all
the others? Still 1t must be admitted that the
manifesto was daring and sufficiently indica-
tive of the fact that French political parties
have not yet laid aside their differences. We
have this legitimist manifesto; but we have
no hope Of the restoration of the heir of st.
Louis. We have the Orleans Princes in the
Assembly; but we have no good reason to
take 1t for granted that the throne of France
will on an early day be filed by de-
scendant of Philippe d'Egalite. We have
the Bonapartists intriguing in high
places and in low; but the French
army, it would seem, begins to be of opinion
that energy is as much wanting on the part of
the Bonapartes as on the part of either branch
of the Bourbons. We have o republic de
facto but what with wranglings in the
Assembly, with the ever-recurring executions
of Communists, with laws against the press
ever increasing in number and severity, and
with most unmistakable absence of progress
in the right direction, it is most difficult to pre-
dict when we shall have republic de jure.
Among many doubtful things two things are
certain-the immediate future lies between
the republic and the empire, and the majority
of the army is In favor of the empire. The
presumption is that for the special benefit
of the French people the sword must once
more cut the Gordlan knot.
PRESIDENT BAEz OF ST. DOMINGO, according
to a despatch, proposes to take trip to
Europe. At the same time the appointment
of Dominican Minister to Germany is re-
ported. Put this and that together, and II
looks very much like an intrigue to sell St.
Domingo to Germany. 1t is we'll known that
Tho wilv and unscrupulOus Bapz eYnected