The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-01
4 Day at Yer
sailleS.
cir 01AToRs I'M THE TRIBUNE.
Parliamentary Bow Over the Petit
tiOns for Dissolution.
Successful Tactics Of N. Theirs and Be-
newed Lease Of Official Life.

newed Lease Of Official Life.
vERsAILLEs, Dec. Is, 1872.
The National Assembly has decided by asa
against 100 votes TO "take no notice OF the Pc
lions for Observation-Disclosures may sound like .
Hibernan conclusion to o session Of unparalleled
violence and uncommon length, In which the
House did nothing else but take notice OF the thus
rejected addresses OF the people In every part or
the country. But the House only 'neons that IL
will not take that particular notice which the
petitioners wish 1t TO take, and Will not vote itself
out Of ONCE
The debate closed Mt two A. M. to-day and, under
the name OF the "Seance du IA Decembre' will oc-
cupy an important place in French parliamentary
history not merely because or the resolution
taken, but also because or the very thorough air.
ing that some conspicuous members have given to
their opinions. It Is made more and more evident
that the hostility to parties Is as extreme and un
compromising as ever; ana that is what the occa-
sion has principally shown, for the strictly parlia
mentary result that nearly five hundred vote to
keep their places, while two hundred are willing
to venture new elections, Is Of no practical mpor
tancc and can, as yet lead to nothing.
At the LAHORE station in Paris and at the station
at Versailles vast crowds were gathered, and it
was evident that the public were in full sympathy
with the excitement Of tho day. Along the streets
leading to the theatre the windows even were
crowded for hours with gazers. Many working
men were out, and otherwise the crowd was OF the
usual motley material. Inside the Chamber there
was terrible jam, and many places were sold,
speculative friends of the powers that be having
secured tickets thus to turn an honest penny.
Some Americans are said to have paid as much as
v,Wtvr ofn
box was occupied by his wife, his sister-in-law,
Mile. Dosne, and tho Princess Troubitzkoy, Rus
sian friend OF Nine. Theirs. Theirs wisely stayed
away for he can command neither his temper nor
his tongue, and could only have got into scrape
in political position where he sympathzes with
the opinions of the party that was necessarily to
be beaten and that is Tor the moment in the wrong
because 1t excites fruitless agitation.
Baron Decazes, Marquis de MOrillan and M. Raoul
Duval read the reports Of their several committees
against the petitions. The latter said OF the eighty
six petitions before his committee :Most OF these
documents offer no signs Of spontaneous individu-
ality their text, printed and nearly IDENTICAL re-
veas a centralized organization OF petitioning.
Nearly all of the signatures, OF which many are evil
IDENTITY the work Of the same hand, denote q very
slightly developed education. Those who have
signed evidently obey orders; 1t is at least doubt
full II they have full consciousness OF the conse-
quences which the resolution they require you to
take might have for France. The petitionng thus
organized with the evident intention Of agitating
the country and of weakening If possible, the au.
tority of this Assembly, is the work Of those same
men who, by all the means in their power retarded
the oonvocation OF it until February 1871. Elected
after q series of frightml disasters forced to &C.
cept afairs in the state in which revolutionary
government had left them, the Assembly has been
invested by the confidence of the country. with
the most extensive powers ever received by q
political body. 1t has constituted government,
concluded peace, re-established order and credit
its duty Is not to allow guilty and Fictitious agita
ton TO compromise the work IL has accomplished
in accord with the government which 1t created.
Your Commission believes that the mission OF this
Assembly cannot be considered a. accomplished
until It shall have assured the effective and com
plete evacuation OF French territory; It Will then
have to determine how and under what conditions
1t will proceed to the constitution Of new
national representation but until then, you can
not, without deserving the onerous nadndat i'm
posed upon your patriotism, dream of dissolution
Similar agitations not without parallel In oul
history; in other times they have been depressed
by atrocious means. We can recall to your
nemery the law Of the q Germinal, an
w., which punished with death any petit
tioning calculated to provoke the dissolution O
the national representation. BY the grace Of God
since then our manners have been softened. The
reprehensible maneuvres by which IL Is attempted
to disturb the country, which has need OF order
ana peace in order to work and remake Itself. only
excite the public conscience and that OF this AS
sembly. II you entertain our views you will &C
cept the conclusions Of your Eighth Commission
which suggests that you should set aside, by an
0rdre dujOasr par ct simple the petitions which De
mand the dissolution Of the National Assembly"
THE SCENE THE ASSEMBLY.
There was much excitement during the reading
and q lively clamor at the close. M. Gambetts
then assembled the tribune, and at the aspect O
| the orator who, not many months since, swayed
single-handed, the troubled destines OF France
| the confused hubbub OF excited voices began grad
ually to subside But 1t takes long time for more
| hear himself speak, to condemn themselves X
! temporary silence, and considerable periot
| while NJ Gambetta stood TRANQUILITY surveying tn,
crowded, troubled house before him, and It wa
not until every tongue e.r was rs sed ina
| ticulating, in q tranquil undertone, the quie
opening words of his harangue. There wa
pelied attention and respect and no trace Of pas
SION was IN his voice, as In sober language he salt
that he did not conceal from himself with VIVA
feelings his presence In the tribune was regarded
| by many eyes, what reception would be given u
the ideas OF which he was the humble but Urn
be moderate II his party had not hitherto touches
the question 1t was because they had, beginning II
August 1871, on i've difrerent occasions conteste'
the constituent powers OF the Assembly, but ha
never succeeded IN getting any such motion place
on the orders Of the day. He stated these facts +
prove that the opening of the discussion new ough
not to be laid to his account, and that his an
| tag0nists had chosen to begin the debate rathe
on the ground Of petitions more than
year old than on any :. proposition due :
Parliamentary initiative. II was In his mos
| cOnciliatOry tones that NJ Gambetta declare
that, although . number of calumnous invention
were laid to the charge Of the men favorinR a di,
solution, he would not dwell on the subject ''hers
where he would only meet with loyal adversarfes
He did not ask for the dissolution OF the Assembl,
nor for the expulsion of portion OF the members
the question was whether the universal suffrage
the country had changed Its point OF view since tn
sth OF February, 1871, and whether it c0ndemne
| the conduct Of the House. He was prepared 70
| q numerical defeat, but he wished TO justify IN
movement for q dissolution, which In a few week
| find meanA that Rould max