The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-03-25
Several Blind Men.

The MacMahon Government, if fore-er-
dained to exist at all, should have happened
along in the days of Bourbon glory and when
some part of the average of mankind respect
ed the theory of the divine right of kings.
At present it is as much out of place as an
orange grove in Alaska. The ordinary OBJ
server cannot fail to see that vast majority
of the French people ask for Repuoiicah
form of government. Marshal MacMahoh
and his cabinet of dukes do not see TINS, or
If thew do. cannot conceive that ordinary
people have any business to be interested in
this matter so long asa Count de Chambord,
or Count de Paris claim the right TO set
up throne. From its first 10 the present
hour the MacMahon Government has de-
voted itself to bring about the restoration of
monarchy. Till this is accomplished they
consent TO maintain government which by
curious figure of speech Is called Conser-
vatiye Republic, in which dukes shall rule
instead Of king and only persons CT good
family be recognized as the French people.
The blind men who now call themselves
the government of France cannot see the
drift Of affairs in that country. Since Thiers
retired from the Presidency. fourteen seats In
the Assembly have been filled by election, all
but one OF which have been gained by the
Republicans. The MacMahon government
see nothing in these facts. They hope TO
devise means TO keep the power in their own
hands, by resorting TO measures like the dis
reimbursement Of the larger part of the voting
population, which, blind as they are, they will
not dare to carry into execution and could not
ifthey would.
But II the MacMahon minority do not fear
the people, the Bonapartists are a constant
terror 10 them. The ghost of the eiiete En-
pire Is ever present and in their frantic efforts
to exercise 1t, the French rulers are doing all
in their power to revive and re-establish that
dynasty. II by any turn in affairs, the Bona
partists are found in charge of France here
after, the present rulers may congratulate
themselves that they have brought it about
by laboring for it as if 1t was the sole object
of their life
The widow and son of Napoleon Ill are
living at Chiselhurst England, as exIes. This
fact does not injure the cause of the Bona
partists. As is well known, the eighteenth
birthday Of the ex-Prince took place recently,
and was made the occasion OF demonstra-
ton by the Bonapartists at the residence of
the young Imperial pretender. Any 9TH
er government but that of MacMahon
would not have given it a moments atten-
ton, and the affair would have been forgotten
by the average Frenchman by this time, if
indeed it had not ended in failure But the
dvcal ministry became alarmed and gave the
affair undue prominence by ordering the pro-
vincial authorities to exercise the closest sur
veillance over all who went. This being
known, it is fair to conclude that hundreds
went who would not otherwise have thought
of it, for all men like to show their contempt
for such petty interference by the govern
ment, land what is true of mankind in general,
is particularly true of the Frenchman, who
takes great delight in such demonstrations.
Nor did the Mac-Mahonists stop here. The
Duke of Padua, who headed the pilgrimage
to England, has been removed from the may
orally of his department for his participation
in the celebration, and several other officials
have been made to feel the iron hand of the
present authority.
This altogether unnecessary proceeding has
affixed to the enterprise the stamp of success
and given the languishing cause of the Bon
apartists new lease of life by attracting the
attention of the French nation to..what must
be considered an act of persecution. Thus
far there are no indications that the execrat-
ed Empire is to be restored; but if it is not.
it is because the present blind rulers of France
by their laundering and incompetency are
unable to provoke the people TO seek their
overthrow in order to establish more ener-
getic despotism.