The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-05-26
MONDAY EvEN'G, MAY 90, 1873.
The Fall of Provisional Governments
in France.

1t is only few days since that the
organization of the French Assembly was
announced, over the election of fourth
Vice-President since the election of Nj.
Theirs to the provisional presidency of |
France, and the public were assured OF
another government victory, but one Sc
cured by a much smaller vote than was
desirable for the friends of permanency.
The policy of President Theirs has been
to keep the government Of France provl-
sional as long as possible, if not in accord
ance with the pact of Bordeaux, at
least by the tact of M. Theirs, which was
the point above all others to effect his
mastery statecraft, if not craftsmanship,
in history. This has been the chief card
on which he has staked his provisional
authority, although the freeing Of French
soil from the tread of her hated rival and
foe, before getting into any quarrel among
themselves, has been the ostensible motive
governing his action. He has been astute
and crafty, and could he have kept up his
little provisional farce now sho wn 10 have
been SUCH for another six months, his object
would have been accomplished, and his am
bition satisfied. r.
But the French people are not only mer'
curial to wonderful degree, but they arr
essentially volcanic and eruptive in Their
tendencies. This fact is shown by the re
markabIe change which occurred in thu
vote Of the Assembly from only the othe
day to Saturday, when the grand explosion
took place. The election of General Mac
Mahon to the temporary Presidency oil tn
Republic, who was but short time az
threatened with military trial, if no
execution, for the part h
PLAYED in the Napoleonic campag
against Germany, is significant beyon
any event that has TRANSFERRED sine
the close of the Franco-German wal
MacMahon has been, ever since the affair
Villa Franco, the military favorite of Il
Bonaparte dynasty, so far as it has h'
any visible form and shape in France. l
was to France, under that dynasty, VIII
the Iron Duke was to England after tt
Peninsular war and the battle of Wate
loo; and the effort of the radical elemer
of France to bring him to a speedy mi
tary trial, with volley of bull'
perforating his heart, was the chief o
aimed at by all but the invisible dynas
itself. But the "Iron Duke" or Ora
Marshal of France, is suddenly placed
the head of the provisional governmeI
and it requires but one more turn IN
wheel of Fortune to place Napoleon
Fourth at the head of the Empire, as
inevitable plebiscitum shall determl'
Of course, the requisite time will inter "
for this necessary occurrence to take pia
and the ballot will be as conclusN un
the bayonets of MacMahon as under tn
of Napoleon the Third. ..
That the people of France will pre-
the young Napoleon, who stood his |
'baptsm of FREE so herocally in the p
ence of superior foe at Saarbrucken
any Bourbon successor or even to pro
;onal government under M. Theirs, '
was chdishly threatening his resignat
at every attempt to out-vote his provlslc
ministry, no one who is at all familiar
the later events transporting in France
include nothing of estimate in
French character generality can dc
for moment, The fact IS,
there can be no efsctual denial of
that Napoleon the Third was the best T
France has had in the last five centu
He had done more for the mater rial G.
ness and grandeur of France. and his II
rial motto, "L'empire, c'est pair,
only ridiculed and lampooncd by t
(Thiers prominently among the nun
who forced upon him war
Germany, at time when
nation was entirely unprepared for
the revolutionary and reactionary elem
we'll knew. But time vindicates the
principles of government everywhere
the policy of Napoleon the Third WI
reassert itself in the interests OF the
of France, and that much sooner tina
superficial mind will be prepared to a.
THE STATE JOURNAL as at present conduc
n great improvement on Repuohcan paper
ltfndx n IN