The New York herald., 1873-11-15
BOTH SIDES OF TIE EQUATION.
French Political Parties-The
Right, Right Centre, Left Gen.
tire, Left, Extreme Left.
Lsgitimists, COnStituiiOnaliSts, Liberals, Mod.
crate Republicans, Radicals.
PARIS, Oct. %, 1873.


National Assembly. The words legitimist Orlean-
list. Bonapartist and republican are intelligible
but some little experience is required to under
stand what exact shades OF opinion are repre-
sented by extreme Right,n "Rightn "Right
Centreu sLelt Centre,n "Left" and "Extreme
Left or Montagnen To get clear sense OF these
expressions it must be borne In mind that they
are derived from the positions OF the seats which
the members occupy in the debating hall. In
England, and In the countries which copy English
manners, the debating halls OF popular assemblies
are OF obong shape; the Chairman or Speaker sits
at one end OF the room with clear space
or gangway in 'front.' and the members
are ranged IN longitudinal rows to either
side OF him, those TO the right being the
government party and those to the left the oppo-
sition. But In France and the other Latin coun-
tries Spain, Portugal, Italy, the debating halls
are always Of horseshoe form. The President (he
is not called "chairman'D sits aloft on platform
placed at the basis OF the horseshoe, with the
tribune or speaking rostrum under him. and the
representatives are arranged opposite in blocks
and tiers, amphitheatre-wise Now, in cham
bers thus planned, it is the invariable custom
that the conservatives sit to the Presidents right
and the liberals to the left the places in the centre
being filed by members of moderate or undecided
opinions, who keep aloof from both extremes.
With respect then, to the French National AS
sembly
THE "ExTREME RIGHT AND 'RIGHr''
must be held to mean the members who are op-
posed to all Ideas OF frepublicansm, democracy and
progress. They are legltimists-tnat is, believers
in the divine right OF Henri " to rule France,
and to rule over it despotlcally II such be his
good pleasure. They reject the doctrine
that the people have any natural rights Of
their own or can claim any liberties but such as
the King may graciously confer on them, and their
adeal would be government like that OF Russia.
though they would expect their sovereign to sur
round himself with council of hereditary mobiles,
and to restore to the arlsocracy some OF It's feuda
privileges. In religious matters they are bigotedy
Papist. They would place all educational estab-
lishments under the management OF the Catholic
clergy, exclude Protestants from posts under gov
ernment, and punish free-thnkers like N. Ernest
Renan and NJ Littre as criminal heretics and bias
phemers. In word they are 200 years behind
their age, and look upon the revolution OF 1859 as
the most impious folly ever perpetrated; but, on
the other hand they sincere in their crotchets,
believing that liberalism leads TO ungodness and
contempt for all laws; they are also chvalrous
and have never hesitated to risk life and
fortunes for their faith and their white nag Out
side the House the Extreme Rightn and Fright"
form political club, presided over by Baron de
Larcy for some time Minister Of Commerce In
NJ. Theirs first Cabinet. The number OF members
is 95, almost all OF whom are noblemen Of ancient
lineage, high title and extensive landed property.
The most important among them Is the Duke OF
La Rochefoucauld- Bisacca, the richest land owner
in France.
THE FRIGHT CENTRE
Is composed OF members who in favor q a
constitutional monarchy after the English pattern.
They very fair limitations OF British tories. Be-
lore the fusion between the Orleans and Bourbon
families half OF them held for the Count OF Paris
but now they are all allied in the wish
to restore Henri V. In religion they are
tolerant and would persecure nobody, though they
advocate the alliance OF state and Church, and
would gladly see the Catholic priests put in
authority over village schools. In their politics
they are all opposed to universal suffrage, and
would so modify it By restrictive clauses concern
Ing age and residential qualification as to reduce
the number OF electors in France by something
like 1000, 900. AS regards the Legislature, they
would set up two Chambers, but there are diver
gencies OF opinion among them as to whether the
Upper House should be hereditary Assembly,
House OF life Peers or Senators, as under Louis
Philippe and Napoleon ILL.,, or Senate returned,
like that OF America, by the Departmental Councils
the members being elected for term OF years
and retiring by rotation. The "Right Centre" insist
that the Mayors Of communes tmunicpalities)
should be appointed by government and not
chosen by the Town Councils; they are opposed to
the right OF public meeting, and would subject the
press to penal laws severe that it would virtu-
ally be gagged. The Fright Centre" is the most
numerous party In the house, counting 24s men,
bers. Its leader is the Duke dAudifrret Pasquier,
and its next most prominent chiefs the Duke
dAumale and the Prince de Joinville the Dukes
de Broglie, d'Harcourt and DecaZes, Msgr. Dupan-
loup, Bishop OF Orleans, and M. Buffet, President
OF the Assembly; Generals Changarnier, Ducrot
and Cissey; and outside the House the party Is
greatly Influenced by the counsels of NJ. Guizot.
Next to the ''Right Centre'' comes a group OF 20
Bonapartists, who sit apart from all the other
sections and vote now with one and now with the
other. They will hear OF nothing but the restora-
tion OF Napoleon, and are eager, noisy politi-
clans, ably led by the ex-Minister Rouher. Alter
them we have
THE "LEFT CENTRE,n
which was formerly M. Theirs party, but is now
headed by Leon say, one OF the proprietors of the
Journal des De6dts, and NJ. Theirs last Finance
Minister. 1t used to be said that the LEFT Centre"
represented the opinions OF all intelligent French
men, for its members attach less Importance to men
than to measures. They are liberals who would
like to see France enjoy an honest constitutional
government, free press and, indeed, all the lib
critics established In America and England. But
they rather dread republicanism because in France
1t mostly leads to disorder and disorder to despot-
Ism. Some OF them have lately peen converted
to the idea that conservative republic, under
N. Theirs, may steer clear Of the rocks on which
former republics have split, and these, with M.
Leon say at their head viii vote against the res.
toration; but the other and probably larger sec
ti0n will cast In their lot with the monarchsts
because they feel certain that M. Thiers would not
retain power long IN republican Chamber, but
would be overthrown by M. GamDetta who in his
turn, would be supplsnted by new Commune,
which would bring back third empire. The Lett
Centre numbers 100 members, the most conspicu-
,ous OF whom are NM de Remusat. Barthelemy st.
Hilaire, woowsKi, General Chanzy and the ex-
Minister Gouard The last named politician will
be the leader OF those Left Centrsts who are ad.
verse to the Republic. We now get to