Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-06-17
France.

France.
French politics are most mysterious in
their ways, and nowhere is it more impos-
sible to tell what day may bring forth
than in sunny France. The DcBroglie
ministry, whose aim was to establish a
monarchy with the Bourbons or Orleanists
ut the head, it did not matter much which,
after nearly a years lease of power, was
overthrown in May The new ministry
was formed by President MacMahon HIM
self, after several men had failed to con
struct one. Its composition was looked
upon as being simply for purposes of ad-
ministration and not designed to carry out
any peculiar political views. But meas
ures of administration have an effect upon
parties, and it soon became apparent that
there would be strong opposition to some
of the plans of government
The republicans and Bonapartists rely
on universal suffrage and on young
blood" so when in framing bill defining
the qualifications of voters the ministry
proposed to put the age of the voter at
twenty five. an amendment was offered in
the assembly making it twenty-one. The
amendment was carried against the gov
eminent by 348 to 337, bat the ministry
did not see fit to resign. Meantime the
Nievre election took place to fill a vacancy
in the assembly. and to the surprise of
many, a strong Bonapartist was returned
by a very large majority. This victory
encouraged greatly the friends of the young
- prince imperial" and has been the occa-
sion of renewed activity and exertions
among his party. LePays, the Bonapartist
newspaper of Paris. has bristled with par
a@raphs in his interest. and Paul Cs,sSag-
mac, its editor and noted duelist, has
several challenges on hand to mortal COM
bat The government has at length taken
means to restrain the violence of these
utteranceS.
The republicans. whom from present
appearances Gambetta seems to lead, have
for some reason concluded that the greatest
present danger lies in the Vaccinations of
energies to combating that faction There
are two reasons specially prominent for
this fear. The one is that the republicans
are looking forward to dissolution of the
events of the immediate future. On such
4 dissolution a new assembly will be elect
ed. The republicans have felt quite secure
that whenever they could come fairly be-
fore the voters of France their principles
would triumph and the republic have Il
great majority in the assembly and be
firmly established us the permanent gov
eminent of the country. But the NapoIe-
ontc dynasty was established by universal
suffrage; no matter if it was by the manip-
ulation of the votes, still the voters of
France have been accustomed to exercise,
in name at least the privileges of freemen
under the empire. There is danger that
going before these voters again, the friends
of the prince imperial might by the arts of
the demagogue make the more ignorant for
get Sedan and remember the - glories of
the empire" not the second empire alone
with Magenta and Solferno, but the first
empire, the empire on which shone the sun
of Austerltz.
Regarding a dissolution of the present
assembly rs certain, and seeing Il new
election will follow, the republicans are
probably not without reason alarmed at
the intrigues of the Bonapartists among
the more Ignorant and excitable of the
voters. The second cause of fear is the
man who is at the head of the Republic.
MacMahon was a marshal of the empire.
Under the empire he won his fame as a
soldier. He is evidently not republican
at heart, and who knows but old associa-
tons, and the belief of years would come
back upon him, and make him throw the
influence of the government itself into the
scale with the dregs of the population and
weigh down the Bonapartist side and make
the republicans kick the beama
The two dangers to the republic are now
rather the tricks of demagogues and the
military power of MacMahon than the
plots of the Orleans or Bourbon factions.
There have been riotous demonstrations
the past week at the Paris depot when the
members of the assembly took the trains
for Versailles where they hold their sittings
The government has stopped these troubles
however, as it was fully able to do and is
evidently able to preserve order SO long as
it deems it worth its while