The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-05-23
1.-THE French Crisis.

The French Crisis.
The defeat of the Due de Broglie ministry
and party in the French Assembly last week
was something of a surprise to people who
are so unfortunate as to be obliged to depend
for its knowledge of important events in
Europe upon an idiot Of the most incompre-
hensble character who has charge OF the
general press cable dispatches. For whole
week the general reader has been waiting for
light as to the causes which led to the defeat
of the ministry which, on all previous test
votes, has been sustained by a certain, but
small majority. The American reader
would like to understand what agencies have
been at work to put the opponents of the
ministry so Suddenly into majority of sixty
four We are told that it was accomplished
by coalition of the Republicans solid, the
Bonapartists and number of the extreme
right or Royalists but not word as to what
agency brought about this union. Mean
time we are told that M. Goulard has not sue
ceeded in forming new cabinet, and that the
crisis Is likely to result in the dissolution of
rt1O HSScunfy. nc 1onuon news agent
keeps us well posted respecting the move,
ments of the visiting Gar, the horse races
and the less important occurrence of duelS
between princes and dukes of unutterable
names and of not the least consequence to
anybody He labors under the somewhat
obsolete idea that the world was made only
for titles and toadies, and that the average
human takes interest only in the book of
peerage. It is, however, possible from what
Information can be derived from various
sources to account for the defeat of the Brog-
lie ministry.
First, the Due de Broglie is capitalist and
has never had experience in political affairs.
A Royalist at heart, he came to the surface
when the Republic was announced and be-
cause of the reputation of his father and his
wealth was sent to England as French am
bassador. His only purpose of serving the
Republic seems to be that of overthrowing it !;
for as soon as the war was over and he saw
that Theirs, whom he hated on account OF
the animosity that existed between his father
and the former, was determined to put the
Republican government on firm basis, he
returned to France and entered the Assembly
as a deputy, where he soon became the leader
of the Fright Centre" and was distinguished
for the bitterness OF his attacks upon Presi-
dent Theirs and his government.
After year of struggle and intrigue he
succeeded in defeating Theirs and placing
Marshal MacMahon, a Monarchist, in the
presidential chair as a sort of figure head,
oarotI1lIv koopipo @Io of @ho =.
his own hands. Since that time this nomi-
nally Republican minister has devoted every
energy to the restoration of a monarchical
form of government. Unable to &C complish
his purpose at once, he was compelled to de-
lay it until opportunity favored by extending
the presidency of MacMahon seven years,
hoping in the meantime to perfect the ma
chinery fer the easy setting aside of the So
called Republic and substituting the Bourbon
dynasty.
His first object, of course, has been to so
modify the election laws as to disfranchise a
large portion of the adherents of Republican
ism. Some time since he brought into the
Assembly measures for the management of
elections and mnnicinalities
Fearing that his election bill would be radf-
cally amended before its adoption, he desired
to press that measure first, in order that he
might insert in his municipal bill such strin-
gent provisions as would give the central
power vast influence in elections, should his
purposes be thwarted by amending the for
mer. The opposition, being quite as vigilant
as the Duke, saw his design and insisted up
on the opposite order of business, whereupon
the minister lost his temper and made cab-
net question of the priority of the electoral
bill and was defeated.
just how this defeat was brought about,
may be easily explained. The majority of
the ministry in the Assembly has not exceed
ed twenty-six on strictly test vote. On the
pending question, three hundred and thirty
one Republicans voted against the Duke be-
cause they always vote against him; twenty
Bonapartists voted on the same side because
the hope of imperialist restoration is in
universal suffrage, should it at any time hap
pen that the question of the form of the
French government should be submitted to
the people, and thirty Royalists also voted on
the same side. This desertion of his own
party is not so easily accounted for except on
the ground that they have lost confidence in
Broglie. 1t is said that, as leader, he has
been arrogant and by his overbearing course
has alienated many of the older and wiser
members of his party followers, who are bet
ter fit to be leaders. 1t may be that the
Royalists have learned something Of the pur-
pose of the French people in the elections
which have SO generally been carried by The
Republicans, and are satisfied that further in
trigue to battle the will of an apparently large
majority of the nation is not only futile, but
fraught with danger, as there is a possible
limit to the patience of the people.
The various elements of the present ma
jority will, it may be expected, be unable to
form ministry which will be sustained by
the present Assembly, but there can be little
doubt but that the purpose of the Royalist
leader to restore the Bourbons or Oreansts,
has failed to be accomplished.