The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-10
rhANrE.
A consolidated Republic and M

|
Statesmen.
Yesterdays supplementary elections
for the new Assembly ia France decjs
lively hand over the future to the Re.
public, a future it has worthily earned
1 1T is now nearly five and half years
since the fall Of the Empire. and the
Republic which leaped Into Its place
has since held It's ground. To-day II
advances with renewed strength. rati-
fed solemnly by the nations will.
The strains and trials it has I'M
dergone proclaim at once its vitality
and Its capacity. 1t has defeated all
its enemies In turn Ofleanist, Leglti-
mist, Bonapartist and bowling Radical.
From the terrible war chastisement
which France received 1t came with the
only trace of credit which any party
could claim. Even then It found itself
| in the hands OF the Monarchists. Their
| hold upon it was feeble but persistent !.
| yet, as we have hitherto pointed out, 1t
was In possession. and its very enemies
could not agree as to what should take
Its place II they proved strong enough
to take 1t down. Then arose It's great
est danger. in the shape Of the Com
mune. '"rhis is the Republic" shouted
Bonapartist and Monarchist choose.
France, between Robespierre and Napo-
leon i, choose between this child OF the
Terror and the son of st. Louis" The
Commune was overwhelmed and the
Republic survived. The danger which
1t ran can be aptly illustrated by the
deathblow which the ipttdltsigenfes at
Cartagena gave TO the Republic In
Spain. Then came the great struggle to
pay the Ave milliards Of war indemnity
and the patriotism OF France Injured to
the benefit of the Republic. Here began
Il II
Theirs solemnly proclaimed his adher-
enee TO It. Though every shade Of
opponent combined to hurl him from
power and succeeded, their mission Of
harm WAS at an end. They had dis
placed a man to find the idea he repre-
sented dominating them STILL And so,
until to-day, every machine they in
vented TO blast the republic has been an
engine of destruction to themselves.
For the first time In French history
republic. exists with future wherein
folly, chimera and chaos are not to be
even remotely apprehended; q republic
whose governing majority is not an In
tolerant, bloody minded unit, or star
grasping congeries of floating particles,
but o body made up Of representative
men holding diverse opinions and agree
ing firmly upon central idea the true
formation OF a party worthy OF control
ling the destinies OF q great nation.
Perhaps the most prominent man In
France to-dayis M. Leon Gambetta. To
him we see given the last touch of com
handing influence, based on energy,
fidelity and sound judgment In his as
sistance to the Duo Decazes In obtain
ing scat I'm the coming Parliament.
He is the more prominent because he
is still growing and his measure for his
tory cannot yet be taken. What the
Republic owes TO Theirs is unquestiona-
BILE. The grandeur Of the pa
triarchal figure OF Victor Hugo. the
unturning devotion Of Louis Blanc,
the somewhat faded honOrs Of
Jules Fayre, the exact Republicanisin
Of Jules Simon, the example Of Grevy |
and others have all been important,
positive factors in bringing about the |
grand result to which the hostility to
Bonapartism Of such men as D'Audiff-
ret Hasquier has also. but negatively, |
contributed. But without the calm |
choice Of the people these names would
signify nothing, and, therefore, we con
graduate France ut large upon her tri-
nmph in peace, which pverlays and
blots out her disasters in war. May
she prosper In the path she has chosen
for her Citizen march.