New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-29
THE FRENCH ELECTIONS.
OPENING OF THE CAMPAIGN.

PARIS, Dec. 29.-The Constitution, which he
voted OF the Republic, of which he is Prime Minis
ter is to be regarded NJ Buffet teaches, as only
Professionally and accidentally Republlcan-its
essential good quality being that il is revsabe, that
is, that repubcanism can be revised ont of il. All
who not Republicans are Conservatives; all
Republicans, from CasimirPerier to Naquet are
dangerous 10 society, and never to be accepted as
allies, acknowledged supporters, regarded
good citizens by the present chief of the Republic.
Such in brief Is the pith of the programme speech
uttered by NJ Buffet last Friday the occasion of the
opening debate on the Press law and in view of the
coming elections. If any thinks that exagger
ate the seditOus character of this Ministerial
harangue let him read the stenOgraphc report of it
in the Journal O6ciel of the 2jth of December. Fol
lowing out his not unusual practice Of covering the
Minister and exposing the Head of State, this doc
trinare parliamentarian informs France next day,
through the oficious iavas Agency, that the Mar
shall has expressed warm approval of the discourse.
This personal coupling of the unpopular responsible
Minister with the irresponsible more or less popular
but only available y President meets with consid-
cradle open censure in the more decent even
of Administration organs Privately, it is to be BIS
pectcd they rather like il. For the best chance for
the success of Conservative candidates at the polls
lies in the presentation Of thom the favored
friends their opponents enemies of not the Chief
Magistrate Of the Republic but of the Marshal the
honest" the brave soldier, etc.
spoke of the Fridays discourse as a programme
speech but, some says, It Is programme with
out one. Negatively, as excluding Republicans, and
positively as declaring tho Government in combat
with all these it is clear enough, but is curiously
vague on the other hand. This comes mainly from
the necessities Of the Minister'S tangled situation,
partly from his own somewhat tangled nature, a
certain hcsitancy and even a good dose of honesty
with theoretical liberalism quarrelng inside OF him
with love of power, and blind dread of the specter
rouge darkened by clerical obscurantsm In this last
respect, which is controlling respect with him and
his caste, he is like those personally decent church
members, who never suspect that the dangerous ere
mics TO Christianity are not the naughty intdels
but the protesting Christians. His eye is strained
with fright on the specter-rougc stalking at Belle
vile, that he oyerlOOks it SCATTERING IA pretty part
c0lOred rainIent on the BOueyards. "NO agitatOrs
no clubs, no epdcmical errors, WERE or will be-
fatal to social order in any nation. Nothing but the
guilt Of the upper classes, wanton, accumulated,
reckless, and mercless, can overthrow them.'
That modern scripture has probably been read
by NJ. Buffet and some other folks, certainly not
needed.
To return to his programme in Its electoral bear
ngs, to shape it against Republicans, was easy for
the Minister OF the Republic. Whom to shape
1t for and how definitely, was a more difficult
task, which he leaves unfinished in his speech and
has found quite impossible 10 conclude in his in
structons 10 his projects for "making" the cleo
tons. What indeed their instructions
are authOritatvely informed. Reports of what they
are. coming from various sources, amount 10 this
After what has happened lately, aprop0s OF the
AssgmltlEs Senatorial l
take 10 make the elections with formally Official
candldatures. My general orders and impressive
advice are that YOU with your suD-preiects and
De Broglian Mayors, apply all the force of your
administrative machinery IN ald OF the Con,
sentative candidates. And by Conservatives L
mean, first. disguised or undisgluscd royaiists-
Orlrauist, whose conversion to the Republic you
know u not conviction Heaters between Oreanlsin
aud tnamborsn; secondly, pure armed L'gitl-
mists-therc are no pure armed Oreanists; thirdly
Bonapari,s whichever one III either OF these kinds
seems the strongest man ia an reimbursement, put
all your strength 10 the forwarding OF hun; do
not weaken and waste by neutrality or dividing IL
between the two. Republican and Conservative are
Incompatible titles. Whoever the first is 10 be
conbatcd with all the forces at command OF the
MaTshals Republican Government"
Such orders from such Minister, whose tenure of
Office and consequent assured ability of rcwarding
or furnishing are uncertain, who for the rest, has
spice of timidity and honesty in his composition,
not likely to be followed out with the fine old
united. imperial reckless TigOr and obedience by
- odd projects, some of whom are Orl eanis other,
Imperalist others Icgitimist, yet few Others Re
publican. and many shrewd. time-serying, watch.ul
OF the way the popular cat Is 10 jump.
Minister Bullets made elections are likely TO &c
turn a good working majority of Republicans to the
new Chamber of Deputies. His merely parliament
tary success this week at Versailles proves nothing
to the contrary. Naquets ill-advised motion 10 par
don-almost beg pardon of-all condemned Com
muniss, helped him TO it, 1t in return will help
rational Republicans to electoral triumph. II
were Frenchman aud Republican. | would rather
have Buffet try to control than let alone me coming
elections Ii is the working law OF parties here that
intending enemies are the best auXlllarles.
Reactiouary DE Broglie and the comparatively
honestcr Buffet, with "honest" MacMahOn To aid,
have done more TO bring forward the Republic TO
establishment than Gdmbctta aud Theirs. Cham
bord has given the last blow TO the ruins of Lcgt-
imSm and Orcanists have. II possible, made Or
leaniSn more impossible than ever.
The Oreani,t princes-some Of them--appear TO
have become partially aware of this last named fact.
Two of these ducal princes, TAumae aud Joinyille,
are ont to-day with notable letters written TO the
address of the situation. De Joinville, a. 10 DO
expected puts his cas-; of exclusion most frankly. He
accepted nomination for and election TO seat in
what he regarded as constituent assembly,
for the sake of doing there his honest. best part
toward the constituting Of a restored limited
monarchy The hoped-tor result having failed,
he rctircs from the contest. flo does not pretend
to say that he retircs from the position of
prince of a pretending royal house to the state Of
citizen of the Republic; which he admits only as a
nnroyal national houses Of legislation. DAu-
males letter. waiting abdication, has char
actcristic difference from that OF his palmer
spoken sailor brother. lie sets forward prom-
nent reason for declining Senatorial candldature
offered him. that fuhment of legislative functions
would bc incompatible with futlmeut Of the mill
tary functions with which he, by Marshal MacMa-
hons appointment, is clothed. Seeing that the Gen
eral Duke was invested with his actual office sor
two years ago is tempted to ask why he did not
IA A. la A iph