The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-09

The uneasy condition of France at the
beginning of this year excitss interest and
apprehension. We are enabled to take
clearer view of the political situation by the
publication Of the letters addressed by Count
Arnim to Prince Bismarck. According to one
Of these letters the close of 1873 was almost
marked by coup d<tat The fear expressed
by the German Ambassador was that it would
be impossible for parties to unite upon any
system Of government, that an appeal to the
country would result in the proclamation of
the Republic, that better than the Republic
chaos, and better than chaos dictatorship.
France is in the peculiar position Of being
governed by an Assembly that represents the
modification of despair and defeat The
members Of the Assembly feel that if they
were to appeal to the country tomorrow the
result would be tho election Of q body
that would proclaim the Republic. Con-
sequently they are fighting desperate battle.
Like our brethren in the South before
the end of the war, they feel that they have
come to their '1ast ditch" The monarchists
lost their hope when the Count de Chambord
proclaimed his infexible determination to take
the crown only when it came with the white
flag. Since then everything has been drifting
either towards the Republic or the Empire.
The republicans, under the wise lead of Gam
beta, have been patient, conservative, biding
their time They pursue Fabian tactics In
their warfare Many revolutions have taught
them wisdom On the other hand, the Bona
partists have been developing the most active
campaign All the machinery of agitation has
been at their disposal The telegraph, the
press, the photograph have been used to ad-
vance the claim of the young Prince. All that
eloquence and art and money could do toward
reviving the spell of Napoleonism has been
done and, in a country where the people are
so easily moved as in France, it has not been
without its result The Bonapartist party
have steadily grown in strength since the adj
vent Of MacMahon, and we should not be
surprised if it now holds the balance of power
between the parties in France.
Marshal MacMahon is like a man who
stands upon rock between contending seas.
He represents nothing. The republican wave
may wash over him to-day or the Bonapartist
wave tomorrow. His Septennate is merely
personal compliment and naturally he asks
for more definite powers from France. Like
patriot he asks for some form of govern
ment that will not necessarily involve o revo-
luton in the event of his death. Accordingly
he has addressed message to the Assembly
asking for three propositions that
second chamber shall be created; second, that
the Septennate shall be continued until 1880,
whether MacMahon dies or not !; third,
that when the second chamber is created
both chambers shall decide upon o gov
Marshal accompanies'these propositions with
brief and rather peremptory message.
conservative interests" he says, ''most i'm
peratively demand its adoption. The point
relating to the transmission Of powers after
| 1880 must be as promptly settled"
After the reading of the message the Min
istry endeavored to pass an order of the day
to the effect that the Assembly would consider
first the Second Chamber bill Upon this
motion it was defeated by combination of
the legitimists, the Bonapartists and the ex-
treme republicans In other words the
extreme republicans and the legitimists, by
the aid of an alliance with the Bonapartists,
have defeated the Right and Left Centre, who
represent the conservative element Of the
Assembly. The consequence of this action is
that the Cabinet rendered its resignation, and,
as the cable says:-'The crisis is regarded as
serious;" MacMahon being engaged in an
anxious, but up to this moment futile, effort
to reconstruct the Ministry, SO that it
may harmonic, if possible, with the
Assembly. The explanation is that the
republicans oppose the second chamber as
a violation of the true republican spirit
The legitimists will accept MacMahon, but
will consent to no measure tending to the con-
solidation of any French government that does
not bring theCount de Chambord to the throne.
The Bonapartists-who mean nothing but
mischief all the time, and would drive the
country steadily on towards chaos, in the hope
that the result may be coup d ftat and the
Empire-unite with them to embarrass Mac
Mahon and destroy his government What
will MacMahon do? The majority which
defeats his Ministry is not majority upon
which he can rest He cannot govern by the
union of the Right and Left because they
have no point of sympathy. If he dissolves
the Assembly and orders o new election the
republicans will win, and he will then be in
even more unfortunate position, holding o
barren trust and at the mercy of Gambetta
and his allies. Meanwhile the Marshal
President fights for time, too. He refuses to
accept the resignation of the Ministers until
he has formed new one from the majority.
The Marshal has pledged himself not to
abandon his Septennate until the expiration Of
his term of Office Either the Assembly must
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