Wilmington journal., 1876-02-04
PARTIES ~ EssszNcH p"LrrsC.

The Philadelphia Times has had al
sorts of hard questions pat to it by cor.
respondents, bnt not cften, 1t debates,
a much harder task than was jnno
Gently Civ, n it the other day by al
anxious seeker after knowledge, VIC
asked it to define briefly "fhe poiitj-
cal parties in France, the Radicals,
Conservatives and Legitimists." On,
contemporary boldly marches up to the
task and says
The first and the last, Radicals and
Legltimsts, are easily distinguished,
ard we do not know ny simpler way
of defining the second (Conservatiy, s.
than TO say it Includes all the rest.
The Truth is that ali political faith, ali
concern for or hopeful Interest III any
political doctrines whatever, Was SO
compl. teIy crushed out amoug the
French people, aud even among their
natural leaders i'll thought and action.
by the corruptnS absolp tism of the
Empire, thai there remained III France
only two political parties with any
vitality or any reason whatever for cx-
lsteuce. They were the faction to
whom social democracy was sort Of
religion, and the opposite faction to
whom the divine right OF Henri ",
the legitimate heir OF the house OF
Bourbon, was also religion. Ne
body else. .Xcepf a few men who, in
retirement. studied politics as a
science, took the trouble to think
about politics at all They had no use
for politics. 1t followed. therefore,
that when tue National Asse mbly was
convened, at the fail OF the Empire,
the greater number of deputies were
hot only without parliamentary kuowl-
edge, but without anything like "a CON
sistent BODY Of political doctrine to
guide them, and thus the parties
which formed in the Assembly, apart
from the Radicals, the extreme Le t
aud the Leeitlmists, the extreme
hight, were simply groups which
gathered about one or other of the few
strong men WHO naturally assumed the
position of leaders. The only two
men OF thorough parliamentary knowl-
edge and experience we're HI.
EhIers and IL. Rnuher, and around
NJ. Ihiers, the ex-Miuister OF Louis
Philippe, AID a philosophic states
men of rare adaptability, the
u dera:e COnstitutioialists naturally
rallied. n. Gambetta made no. in
earnestness aud persistence what he
lacked in weight and experience. and
the Left, the tsepuolican party prop
er, is altogether Of M Gambetta's S Gre
alton. Theu there is NJ. Rouher's
group q. Lmp~r,alists,, and va.loas
groups Of adhereHts, more or less de-
termined, OF tie house of Orleal s.
who sometimes supported NJ. Theirs
and sometimes opposed him. TIE
Whole history of the iate Assembly, in
fact, Is simply this history of the ar
rang. ment and rearrang. ment of these
various groups. The cpmbiuAtion of
the Right and Ls.ft Centre and the
Left sup orted NJ Thiers the Centre
and the Right, with help from the ex-
tremes, defeated him The problem
which every ministry has had to solve
was to comma' Il u coalition that would
give it a IA jOrity in the Assembly, ,aad
It IS precisrly THIS difficulty that will
the present gove nmpnt
at the meeting of the new Leaisla-
ture. That the Assembly. SO COM
posed, accomplished all that it did,
and SO nearly restored civil order
from the chaos whi h the fall of the
Empire left, is one of the marvels
Of modern timrs and the highest pos
5ible tribute to French Character, But
It is manifest that such political group
pgs as are known In Euglish-speakine
where, however lightly |
party obligations rest, or however IN !
distinctly the lines be drawn, a man
IAN be classified in general way with
me or the other OF two great parties, |
md which are the result of long ex-
of parliamentary government, |
must be very slowly formed IN France,
where, for quite generation, pariia- !
nentary government was practically |
Unknown. We can easily define, as !
ve have SAID, the Radicals and tie Lee
,itimists; We can define the q napart>
SITS; but between the two extremes lie /
o many various shades of political
,elief or preference that We can in.
Jude them in no common ciassiica-
ion, except SO lar as they are ali of |