New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-10
THE FRENCH CRISIS.

lHE FHEVCH Chioio'
The news from France teaches us over
again that the Cabinet of nObemen and
academicians which is now in possession of
the Government is positively beyond the
reach of instruction. They have forced upon
the Assembly the question of the appointment
of the Mayors, and have suffered defeat,
upon which the Ministry have resigned. A
bourgeois Cabinet would consider itself bound
IN law and in honor, under similar circum-
stances, to insist upon its resignation but the
Indications yesterday were that Marshal Mac
MahOn's titled associates will retain their
precariOus seats as long as possible, and at
any sacrifice.
1t is difficult to enter into the motives of men
who. after eighty years of democracy in France,
not only disbeleye in it, but expect to govern
the country in accordance with that disbelief.
They see themselves outvOted by Overwhelm-
ing majOrities at every election. In spite OF
all their efforts in spite of the enormous power
of patronage and corruption which they now
WELD, they see the sentiment OF the country
growing every day more sOidlv and strongly
Republican For many months every election
has been defeat for them. Since they came
to power they have been more signally beaten
than when they were in the OppO-
sition. Everything shows that an enor-
nous prepOnderance of the voting population
is on the side of an orderly and conservative
republic, for it is useless to say that party
of which NJ. Theirs and Nj. de Remusat are
leading and influential members has any in
tention of roasting the universe In petroleum
flames. 1t is possible that few elderly
mobiles from Brittany may think so, but 1T Is
not within reason that NM. BrOglie and
Decazes should show this imbecile fear. They
merely see IN this steady success of the Re-
publican cause an obstacle to their own re-
tention of power, and they do not propose to
submit to it, Their intention is not I'M
natural one, but the means they are adopting
TO accomplish it show an utter incapacity to
estimate probabilities.
Their plan for defeating the popular will is
one of singular flimsiness. 1t consists of two
branches-frst, to make the people vote for
them; second, if they will not do this, to take
their votes away from them. The municipal
bill was intended to carry out the first clause
of this programme. The MacMahOn Cabinet
imagine that if all the Mayors of the $1,000
municipalities of France could be appointed
from Paris, from among the answering ad-
herents of the Government, they could infu-
ence the voters to vote just as they did under
the Empire, sOlidly for the Government, with
out regard to any political questions involved.
This Is in accordance with that cOntemptuous
opinion of the people which is apt to be enter
tanned by gentlemen OF the age and traditions
of the Dukes de BrOglie and Decazes. They
must follow sOmebOdy-say these academic
statesmen; it is best that we should send them
the proper directors. The Government cannot
account for its own repeated defeats except
upon the suppositiOn that the people are mis-
led by radical officials. The conclusion is that
they will vote right if their local authorities
are named by the Government and furnished
with correct set of principles from M. de
BrOgle's Office in Paris
But the Conservatives were not placing their
entire reliance upon the Mayors They also
proposed to regulate the suffrage itself. They
we're not satisfied to put the people under
right control-they designed also to present
them from doing any harm if so disposed.
The Commission of Thirty have been pro-
foundiy considering various ways in which
the suffrage might be cut down, with
out giving offense. "The popular lion," a.
Mr.. Lefevre- Pourtalis delicately expressed it,
must be tanned, but he must not be
"teased" great variety of schemes, most
Of them of ingenious faulty, have been
presented to the Committee, all tending to the
same end. Some boldly advocate property
qualification some content themselves with
complicated and vexatiOus registration laws to
hinder the voters; and third class, which it
is difficult to regard as serious, call for plan
of graduated voting by which an employers
ballot shall weigh more than his employees,
fathers more than his sons, landhOlder's
more than his tenants. This plan is put for
ward in solemn earnestness by these desperate
conservatives, driven to the wall by universal
suffrage
But the news of yesterday indicates that
there was not strength enough in the Ministry
TO force these absurd measures through the
Assembly. The test vote was that which was
taken upon motion to postpone the matter
of the Mayors, and the Government was
beaten. II is altogether probable that the I'm
perialists have deserted their new allies, find
ing it impossible to vote against universal
suffrage, which is their only political stock in
trade. But a far more important element in
the vote was the fact that the Republicans
we're present in force, and the Monarchists
have already become so lax in discipline that
they suffer defeats through mere absenteeism.
Marshal MacMahon does not seem inclined to
accept his reverse in the constitutional man
ner, by resigning. 1t may not make much
difference in the long run whether he does or
not Sooner or later, if the Republicans con-
tnue to exhibit the wisdom and fortitude they