, 1875-01-13

are not strong enough, for they are para
USED by the adherence of their chiefs to
the principles of the Fusion and the Re-
publicans are not strong enough, for unless
some fraction joins them, they do not pos
Sess majority in the Chamber sufficient
to impose its will upon a reluctant Execu-
tive. The Assembly therefore must either
60 on as before,-that is, settle from day
to day everything it can except the perma-
nent form of Government, or it must, by
dissolving itself, allow the country to send
up o Constituent body with o majority
strong enough to act. There is, we fear,
very little chance that it will adopt this,
the manlier and honester alternative. The
Marshal, who is intent on preserving all
his power, not so much from ambition as
from q conviction that he is necessary to
the State, is afraid that the next Assem-
bly, will be less tractable than the present
one, and will therefore not lend the weigh
ty aid of his support to any immediate pro-
iect of dissolution. The majority which
has hitherto existed is afraid that its own
members would lose their seats, and that
the constituencies would return a Radical
Assembly while the Left, which is sim
cereIy in favour of dissolution, is unable
to secure it without much help,-help suf-
icient not only to obtain q majority, but
to overcome the resistance Of few Depu-
ties within its own ranks who are reluc-
tant, from personal reasons, to face the
risks OF q general election.
The continuance Of the personal Septen-
nate without institutions seems, therefore,
to be inevitable, or rather would so seem
were Marshal MacMahon immortal, or the
government in dispute any other than that
of France. But the Marshal is not only
not immortal, but he lie On old soldier who
has been severely wounded, and be is La
BILE, like everybody else, to fall suddenly
sick. His serious illness, if it lasted only
for o few days, might change the whole
attitude Of parties in the Assembly, might
paralyse his Government, might compel
the Conservatives to vote organic laws, or
might enable the Left to insist, as the
price of their abstinence from disorder, on
the defnitive proclamation of the Repub-
lie. No plan which any party has at pre-
sent the power to carry out can obviate
this risk, which is inherent 10 the very
existence of the Septennate, as is also this
other,-that Marshal MacMahon may total
ly change his mind He lie, no doubt, a ten
acious person, who can adhere very strong
ly to an idea, and the idea of the Septen-
nate has taken deep hold upon his mind
but he is not a vain man, and though solid,
is not like the Comte de Chambord abso-
lutely impenetrabIe to new facts. Men
as tenacious as he have changed their
minds before now, and if any argument,
or new fact, or national emotion induced
him to think the Republic inevitable,
there is nothing in his position which
binds him not to become in fact what he
already 10 in name,-President of the Re-
public. Subject to these two risks, how
ever, and that other and greatest disturb
er of calculations, the fact that France
is France. that 10, q country where the
only thing certain is the unforeseen,
the personal Septennate will 60 on for at
least another Session.
There Is no especial reason that we see
why either Frenchmen or Republicans
should regret this protracted delay in ar
irving at a permanent political arrange
men The delay is unfair to France,
which 10 10 the meantime represented by
Deputies who do not reflect her opinions,
yet claim the sovereignty because they do,
but it is not of necessity Injurious either
to France or to the Republican cause.
Ordow 80 rno;rkoipo1 xukil> gA-1a- -