Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-05-24
Leon Gnmhatfn.

Fear is the curse OF this country.
Fear is the source from which our ty.
rants and traitors have drawn their prin
cipal strength On fear they founded
their ascendancy tobear us down, after
twenty years of empire, to degradation,
to mutilationl From fear they extracted
that fatal plebiscite which was to drag us
into war OF fear was born that impo-
tent reaction Of the Sth Of February
1871 By fear, with fear, trading on
fear, reaction always triumphs over u.s.
Oh, let us once for all rid ourselves oi
fear in our political actionsl" These
passionate words are taken from the
speech delivered last September at Gren.
oble, in the southwest Of France, by M.
Leon Gambetta. They illustrate efec
lively the principal characteristic of the
orator himself, as well as that lament
able national peculiarly which he has SC
powerfully and justly described. THE
chronic malady of France" Gambetta
exclaimed, "is political fear' So brave
generous, ardent, heroic, disinterested
as France is on field of battle, so is she
timid, hesitating, easily troubled, de-
ceived, befooled and terrified in the
domain of politics" Nothing can
be more true than this. The
bloody carnival Of the White Terror
came from the panic caused by the red
reign of Robespierre. Fear of the Red
Republicans made France fling herself
into the arms of Napoleon III. The
plebiscite was carried by playing on the
fears of the bourgeoise and the peas
antry and persuading both that new
lease to the Emperor was the only posi-
Bile means of warding off battle and so
cial disorder. The same influence oi
fear drove republican France two years
ago to elect National Assembly which
is a sworn foe to repubhcanism. Let
us have peace, was the cry" peace al
any price. If we give too much power
to Gambetta and his Republicans, they
will try to carry on the war still. Better
anything than that" But Gambetta'
complaint against France illustrates by
the law of opposites his personal char
acter. His success as an orator, poll
tician, ruler of populations, has been
for the most part due to his utter free
dom from anything like fear. No
less budu DdubOh uOCo hO etuoN ~
audacity. Any risk for any object
appears to be his principle of action
and of speaking. Stake all you have
piece after piece : the luck mus
turn some time. Make any promise to
day; if you can't keep it make another
promise twice as big and bold tomorrow
and increase again the day afteri som'
day or other you may be able to redeem
all. Prophesy with the most earnes
brow and in the most thrilling voice tina
the sky is going to fall if thereby YOU
votaries obey your commands in th'
morning, who cares though the predic
ton be falsifed by the EVENING" Thi
seems to me to be broadly the principle
of Gambettas career, and one grant
explanation of his personal success
Intense belief in himself, complete de
votion to his hopes, of faith in the cause
which for the moment seems impossible
the temper to say anything and do any
thing which inspiration of the momen
suggests, no matter how it may be con
| futed by the realities of the next sue
ceeding moment-these are the element
of that strangely 'audacious characte
which has already stamped its impress
so deeply upon the political life o
FranOe.-JuSti8 Ac Cdrthb |n gFn
| GdLdgy.