The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-01-10
THE PACIFIC
Commercial AObrrtlstr.
JANUARY 10.
OUR PARIS LETTER.

tate NME LEIAlAAeAAArs Int AhNNfA AlIAEaoS III
number az each mOnarehieal intrigue fails.
Henry the Fifth, the repentant descendants Of
Louis Philippe, the Dictatorship, all meet with a
common repulsion in the country. The nation
has taken its stand on the non P0ssuUus 70 man
age its own affairs itself, and has the audacity %
place France above monarchs and presidents.
Opinion, or rather common sense, IL making such
strides, that the monarchists commence 70 doubt
their ability % effect a parliamentary, December
%, that is, 70 sequester France till she yields 10
their wishes. The Fl "a, Brute! regret that
followed MeNahon's message, a document that
wounded the people in their sentiments the most
legitimate, and IN their convictions the most pro-
found, Is passing into the stage Of cool contempt.
There was no opposition anywhere expressed
against the Marshal's continuation Of power,
provided be steered clear Of all parties, but hav-
ing permitted his preferences for the most unpOp-
ular OF the mOnarchical parties 20 be seen,
90 Iehabod F" may be inscribed over his President
ship. His duty was only 10 be that Of a ~sentry's,
% abstain from politics, for which if he had not
the taste, he certainly does not possess the facul-
ties The duration Of governments cannot be
decreed by laws % give Mcmahon a ten years
Dictatorship would be securing ten years Of terri
bic agitation. Such n time Is not required TO
make the Constitution the situation demands
nor will society be lost by deyoting n session to
place the Republic on a definite basis. Having
escaped, as If by a miracle, from the restoration
Of Henry v, the last thought Frenchmen have,
- 20 place their liberties at the feet Of a Dictator.
Such an exceptional Office il not required by the
situation the only disturbers Of the peace arc
the defeated mOnarchists. Even la the Assembly.
almost equally divided, McSIahOn would make a
conclusive blunder to accept a Dictatorship by a
majority Of one. When his present bad advisers
arc dismissed, and the electors fill up the thirteen
vacant seats by az many deputies in harmony
with Theirs, that IS to say, with the ~overwhelm-
ing majority Of the nation, matters will mend
they will be cured when a general election takes
place. In the mean time Mcmahon ought to
continue to maintain, as he promised, existing
institutions, and to remember that it is his repu-
tation for honesty and modesty that has secured
him respect-nOthing more. He can never play
the role of Caesar he has neither the genius nor
the talent for 1t he Is aware he does not possess
the material Of a Cromwell, nor the glory of
Napoleon /. The latter when he ambitioned
supreme power had thirty victories to his credit
and n people intoxicated in advance by his fame.
Mcmahon is unhappily best remembered as the
soldier Of defeat; ReischofFen and Sedan are far
away from RivOli, Marengo and Ulm. After the
second Empire he must also know the worthless
ness Of Brummagem Caesars. May he remain
eontented with that state of life, in which it
may please the true majority Of the country, and
It's conservative laws, to call him.
Many persons begin to consider, that the Ba-
Zaine trail is O huge mistake, seeing that it is the
nation, the whole army, that defle before the
Court Martial, and not the accused. Since every
person connected with Metz is more or less tar
nished in reputation, public opinion is very
fatigued, and it is feared the exposure of so many
officials proving that they did not exactly fulfill all
their duties, and that others did less, will react
on the discipline Of the army; Bazaine continues
TO be the speaker Of all his colleagues and subor-
dinates passing judgment on themselves. IL is a
common observation, that it would require
- twenty years Of victories to eHace the souvenirs
OF the Bazaine trial and enable regulations to be
remade." The real victories required are those to
be gained from applying the lessons to be drawn
from the total break down Of the military organi-
zation; by not training staff officers to be mere
machines, but intelligent agents possessing init
alive power and the instinct Of obedience; to
General ScnannOrsJ Tor the Development Of the
Prussian army after its humiliation by Napoleon.
In the Bazaine trial all incidents remain incidents,
whether or not such be the lamentahla want of
memory Of MacAIahon, or the violent protests of
Colonel StofeI. a new fact has been brought TO
light, that Metz was not at all in a state Of de-
fence, that it was Bazaine's army worked to put
the forts IN q condition TO resist, and that the
rather celebrated fort Of st. Privat, had no artil-
lery, except what existed on paperl Whether il
last for three weeks or three months, the trial SO
TAR as the prisoner is concerned, is virtually over.
Since forty years the effective Of the French army
has doubled, and the tendency is still towards the
necessity OF an increase. The opinion that war
cannot be undertaken earlier than ten years is
generally accepted as true, hence, why so many
officers are not in the best of humOr at having to
remain so long apprentices 10 plans of reorganiza-
ton. Except the experiments made by Theirs
last year at TrouTille, with some fancy cannon, it
is said there are no practical reforms yet made in
the army; those on paper would, however, fill a
library.
There is one point ON which Frenchmen are
agreed-the necessity for passing a law, declaring
military and naval officers ineligible to sit as dep
uties while holding commands, and to apply il at
once there are 81 generals and colonies, and s
admirals and captains in the Assembly, who
nearly vote one-half for monarchy, and the other
for the republic. This is not an edifying specta-
Gle for any sOldiery.
In the midst OF the changes and chances of
the political eddies that exist, three advantages
have been secured exemption from cholera no
increase in the price OF bread, and a clear ma
tioual balance sheet, truthfully revealing the
situation, as if prepared by professional account
ant. No new taxes of any importance will be
required to make the two ends meet old imposts
viii be slightly increased and will fall on those
with backs broad enough to support the burden;
and finally, the full pressure of what must be
paid is now all but felt, and no groans are heard.
We are not done yet il seems with Comte de
Chambord his friends are serving him up in the
pamphlet form, submitting him to q kind OF po-
litical beatifcation. He IS a royal author like
James /. the Comte de Paris, and Napoleon HI.
Ii is Bishop de Segur who has made a series Of
elegant extracts of the writings of Henri V. The
latter asserts that the crown IS a property, and TO
take that from him Is 70 violate the Decalogue.
Louis Philippe ought to move in his coffin. The
restoration Of Louis XVIII. it appears retained
three clements of certain death the universities
Of the First Empire, liberty Of the press, and
Free Masonry. The brochures raise more serious
questions why is monarchy, Constitutional, or
absolute, accepted in England, Germany and
Russia? Because the immense majority Of the
people are devoted to such institutions, that is to
say, the monarchical principle is based on the
national will these the subject, according to an
expression of Bossuet, - raises in his conscience
n theme to his monarch ;" here that principle is
repudiated by the majority. The French nobility
also contribute TO nourish that reputation they
are to-day, despite all the lessons of experience,
what they were eight centuries ago, only instead
Of being n class, they have become a caste; a
people within n people. The French aristOcracy
10 not like that Of England, the frmest support
ers Of liberty, covering the Kingdom with monu-
ments of their munifcence. What work of
public utility have the French nobility accom-