The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-07-11
Letter from Farani.

CHERBoURG, May 25th, 1874.
DEAR ADVERTISER 1t seems to be the unenviable
fortune of your correspondent Farani to arrive in
France in times of political troubles or social crises.
Four years ago it was to witness the preparations of
a foreign war, unjustly and unwisely declared in the
hope of diverting public attention from the internal
complications of q declining power, and with the no
less delusive idea of consolidating on q lettering
throne, a dynasty founded on popular suffrage.
Events have proved the vanity of the schemes of that
p~otentate, a few years ago one of the proudest of
Europe, and who died an exile, having lived long
enough to see the caamities and humiliations heaped
upon the land which had made him the absolute
master of its destinies. And yet, the war and its
terrible consequences might have been avoided, and
it is now generally admitted that the main cause of
the fall of Napoleon Ill, is to be attributed to his
want of energy in the latter part of his reign and to
the concessions he made to democratic ideas. Impe-
rialism means an autOcratic rule, and as such it
might have been maintained in France much longer,
but was doomed to destruction the moment it gave
fair play to the dissolving action of republican no.
tons. To his credit it must be said that it was with
the best of intentions that he tried to conciliate two
contradictory elements, but when he deyiated from
the principle of Imperial rule, his was a lost cause,
and his fall was predicted by many. These retro
spective considerations are Of little interest however,
and 1 must leave this trite subject to speak of the
present times and of the state of affairs in Paris, on
my second visit there.
On my arrival a few days after the meeting of the
Assembly, after their Easter recess, there was a
certain uneasiness in the public mind, predatory to a
conflict. 1t had been understood that on meeting
again the Assembly would discuss and pass the
Constitutional laws, which were to form the basis Of
the new Government. A Committee of thirty had
spent much time preparing and celebrating the same;
and it seemed that all the Deputies, without distinc-
ton Of opinion, should have been anxious, in view of
the present state Of affairs, of the stagnation bust
ness and the reserved attitude Of foreign monarchical
powers, to go to work for the public veal, leaving
aside all their hopeless ~intrigues toward impossible
reservations.
Not so, unfortunately, with the motley assemblage
we call by habit q Legislative Assembly, although it
will not l~egislate. A pretext was sought to over
throw the Cabinet, and it was soon found on O CUES
ton Of mere form. the precedence to give to the dis
cussion of the electoral laws in preference to the
municipal laws. The republicans did not want the
Universal Suffrage to be remodeled, for fear of their
best friends, the ignorant mechanics and workmen
being excluded for want Of the proper status of
money respectabiity which the new laws would
require. On another hand they contend that the
present Assembly was only appointed to settle all
political questions arising from the German War,
and that since the evacuation following the payment
of the war indemnity, its mission was accomplished
and that new elections should take place. They
know full well that new elections would be favorable
to their cause, and they were naturally opposed to a
the members Of which belonging to the mon
archical side Of the Assembly would frame the new
Laws on a more aristocrstic and exclusive basis than
the blind instrument called Universal Suffrage. But,
80 far. the Republican party was not strong enough
to enforce its own views, because the other portions
Of the Legislature would combine to oppose them, al
though they were individually too weak to impose
their own convictions and the government of their
At the moment Of the crisis they were unex-
pectedly reinforced by the adjunction of ffty-two
members Of the extreme Right, fossil believers in the
Irvine right of kings to Cypress nations, and in q
'pirit Of revenge the hfty-two paladins Joined, III an
and monstrous alliance with the Red Re
to overthrow the Duke de Broglie and his
,abinet, who had become obnoxious to them, when
he Ministry, tired Of the political ~intrigues threaten
ng public peace, resolutely declared their intention
o uphold MeMahOn's power by supporting the Con-
laws. 1t was q death blow to the Comte
lie Chambord's return to the throne, and they did
lot hesitate to help their political antagonists, believ-
ng yet that thanks to the panic and disorder result
from their fall, their king might have an oppor-
unity to save France, and be restored to power.
They succeeded, however. in their mean and selfish
lans, and the Cabinet Of the Duke de Broglie fell,
early one year May 18th, 1874 after NJ. Theirs
MAY oath, 1879 and for the same
easons, having had to deal with the same difficulties
be old and cunning statesman had to contend with,