New-York tribune., 1877-10-13
THE FRENCH CRISIS.
THE STORY OF JULES SlMONS OVER
THROW


MADAME sINoNs pRESs-THR CRISIS rREcIrI-
TAIED To DISAPPoINT HER-TIIE LETTER OF DIS
MISsAL SENT TOO LATE TO RS RECALLED.
GFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TBIhUNE.l
LONDON. Sept. 22--Leavng TO your regular Parls
correspondent the agreeable duty OF describing the
revolt of public opinion IN France against the Mac
Mahon manifesto, will try to throw little light
tho origin of the political coup which Is known
as the 10th May. know of no better gloss on tins
amazing manifesto than story which heard the
other day in Paris 1t dates back to the 10th
MAY, and before, but it has never been
IN PRINT, aud 1t goes TO the very root of the
situation at this moment. Relating, it does, to
grave political act you may think it encountered
with frivolous details which, nevertheless cannot
be spared for they of the essence of the nara
tive. If the story be true, it puts the 10th Nav
in new light, explaining the secret motives OF an
act hitherto rcckoned wholly incxphcable on any
theory consistent with the sanity OF Its perpetrators
AS TO its truth only say heard 1t told IN dis
tingushed company by person whose sources OF
KNOWLEDGE are singuary good, and whose faith III
it was complete Beyond that, do not vouch Tor
it but its very circumstanalty makes it difficult
to suppose it an invention.
The tale begins with the beginning Of NJ. jules
Simon's Ministry and the first dinner at the Elysee
tthe residence Of Marshal MacMahon at which the
new Minister present. Ineed not remind you
that M. Jules Simon personally disiiked by the
Marshal and accepted only as political necessity
Madame MacMahOn was naturally ready to dislike
the wife and she found pretext at once. Madame
Jules simon, instead of entering the drawing-room
in advance of her husband and leaving HIM to fol-
low behind and occupy himself with not treadins on
the tram OF her gown, came in arm-in-arm with
him. as a grocer's wife might have done, and as no
lady familiar with the present usages OF polite
society in Paris would ordinarily have done
From that moment she had the MarshalS wife
for her ayOwed enemy. She had given her the han
die she wanted, and Madame MacNlahon went about
among her titled guests relating this awful breach ot
etiquette (which nobody else wonld have thonght
Of twice. and demanding to know whether 1t was
possible to live with people who could do such
things as that. l pause 10 remark that Madame
MacMahon has the reputation Of being herself a
woman of vulgar manners; fact, II II be tact
which NAV account for her eagorleSs to faSten a
stigma of il-bTecdng or another woman. Maaamo
Jules Simon the other hand, IS neither lli-'red
nor ignorant Of social customs She came in as she
die, because, saws the historian, she had on
pair of very high -hceled boots aud dared not trust
herself on a polished floor without support. The
high-heeled boots were the first cause Of the 16th
Nav Madame MacMahon gave the cue to her own
society. 50 far as she could, by treating Madame
Jules Simon with marked neglect. She carried her
neglect TO the point OF leaving her to march of TO
dinner by herself; fate from which She was
ONLY saved by the daring pOltcness of an alde-de-
camp who. al tn last moment. offered hs arm to
Madame Jules Simon. and On the arm of an aide-de-
camp the wife of the Prime Minister Of France went
ont to dinner IN the palace which the Republic sul-
plies for ITS President. The hostlles tius entered
upon continued-but turn for moment TO grayer
matters.
Itncvcr was a secret that during the ministry Of
NJ. Jucs simon the Duc doe Bloelc had continued TO
bc the adviser of the Marshal The confidential re-
lation, between these two had not ceased since the
oath Of May, 1873 when the successful ntrgues OF
NJ de Broglie had overturned NJ. 1lcrS, and put the
Marshal in his place with seven yoars lease OF
ONCE The Marshal looked to the Duke as his point
ica creator; the Duke cung to the Marshal as 10 the
most useful of political tools 1t the Duc de
Bgoelie who. after the fail of VI. Dufaure, advised
the Marshal to accept NJ jules Simon as inevitable,
fortlc time being. 1t was the Dlc dc Brogle who
pointed out 20 the Marshal when he had grown in-
patient OF the continual collisions between himself
2nd his minister that a collision sure to occur
BY aad bv between NJ. jules Simon and the majority
of tie Chamber. which would give the Marshal
urcte,t for di,mis,ing him. C. Have patience for
three or four months longer" said the Due de
Brogl!c 10 the Marshal about the beginning oil
Nav Mark the date. BY the end OF
thar time. the growing divergence between NJ.
Jules Simon and the Left, and the increasing de-
mands of the Left. viii enable you to say to the
country that the Simon Ministry no longer com
lnapds a majority Of its own. At the same time,
Radicalism will have shown its hand. You can
point 10 "a peril TO soretv--of winch there VIII then
be eyidcuce-and in order 90 save society fail back
once more on a Conservative Ministry dissolve the
Chamber. and appeal to France 10 sustain you
AGAINST those who make war on society ITSELF The
Marshal begged the Duke TO put '1ese views in
writing and to draw upa letter of dismissal suitable
10 be sent to NJ. jules Simon when the moment fore
seen bv the Duke should have arrived. This the
Duke did and the Marshal, having shown il to some
of his intimates, put the document away among his
private papers
By this tme the animosity with which Madame
MacNahon pursued Madame jules Simon had
reached an acute stage. The crisis came with a
dinner to be given at. think, one Of tho great En-
Lasses. For this dinner Madame jules Simon had
caused 10 be prepared a certain lcmoncolorcd dress
of remarkable beauty, some report of which had
come 20 the ears of the Duchess of Magenta Its
ike could not be had in Paris and the Duchess, in
famed with jealousy, said one evening in the pres
ence Of the Marshaps secretary, NJ. diIarcourt, Of
the Naronis ~ A bsac Whose wife is a German and
who wants TO be- Minister to Berlin, and other nti-
mates of the Elys6e, that she would give anything
10 prevent Madame jules Simon from wearing that
dress and going to that dinner aud ball wife of
the Prime Minister Nothing would be easier"
remarked one Of her hearers "Thcrc is that letter
the Due de Broglie has drawn up; the
Marshal has only to send it to NJ jules Simon at
once. and the thing is done" The Marshal sur
rounded mot the first time in his liel, the letter
produced; by altering phrase here and there it
10 ,,.de to ft tho nreseuf situdtiOn. the Min