New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-09-27

the highest degree OF gravity They are none other
than the famous "se sOuaettre on sed6mettre MGan-
beta concluded his little speech by reference to the
coming elections, saving: DO not believe that,
when so many millions of Frenchmen shall have
spoken there will be anybody, on whatever step of
the political or administrative ladder he may stand,
who can resist. When France shall have made her
sovereign voice heard it will be necessary to sub
nit or resign" The name of the Marshal is not men
toned; il is nowhere mentioned in the speech, but
the allusion to him was unmstakabe, and the phrase,
$50 sOumetire on SC d6merc" which in English loses
its epigrammatic force, was everywhere caught up
and repeated a compact summary of the political
situation. Nobody, indeed thought it was an insult
TO the Marshal. You will hardly understand how a
declaration of the sovereignty of the people can he
twisted into an insult to a ruler elected for fixed
period by an Assembly which was, itself, the Off
spring of universal suffrage. But this is how NJ.
Grandparents old pupil does it
"Inasmuch as after having analyzed from his own
point of view the existing political situation, and
set forth sort of programme of electoral propaganda,
the author of the Lille speech concluded by assuring
his hearers that the triumph of his party was near
at hand, and beyond doubt; that they need dread
resistance TO the plenary will freely expressed by
the electoral body.
"ADd, inasmuch as the sentence Do not believe
no penal law nor violates public order. yet, mas
much as the author of the speech before the tr
bunal, at this momenta nero citizen, without any
elective or other mandate, and not even protected
By the immunies of the electoral period, feared not
to add, under the form Of lofty injunction, Wnen
France shall have made her sovereign voice heard
it viii be necessary TO submit or resign
"And inasmuch as this phrase contains threat
and a threat is an insult, and this Insult is aimed
at aud does affect the loyalty, honor, dignity and
hence theperson Of the President of the Republic
For these and other reasons the Court COZ dennis
each OF the accused TO three months imprisonment
and 2 900 francs $500 fine, and costs
. At The risk of some obscurity Of phrase and SEN
tence have reproduced as well as can in English
the peculiar jargon of French poce-cOurt law solely
that each reader, instead Of taking my opinion, or
the opinion of any and all other persons may judge
for himself with hatdegee of plausibihty the Gov
eminent Of France has invested It's prosecution OF
its chief political opponent.
There is much more of the Judgment, but this is
the kernel If this VIII not hold nothing will hold.
If the Marshal is not insulted, nobody much cares
whether tie charge Of insulting Ministers is made
ont or mott and this latter, which constitutes the
second head of indictment and judgment, need not
detain us. IL all comes under the opinion quoted
above according 10 which the speech "A mOder-
ate speech. and It's attacks whether OF Ministers or
Marshal, well within the limits Of political criticism
But note one fact. This is supposed TO be trial.
The Magistrates are presumed TO know nothing OF
the case aud have opinion on its merits, until
il is brought before them. They are to make up
their minds on the evidence given in court Well.
They retired at quarter to u to deliberate they
came back into court at 1. and delivered written
Judgment which Fl lis nearly two columns in the or
binary print of a French newspaper. 1t Is as long
as this letter 1t is judicial in form, elaborate.
technical, and with marks of care i'll every line.
Was ID written in an acknowledgements Gould it
/ have been written in an hour and-a-Quarter! And
ii not if il was physically impossible that it should
have been il il was as it must have been, prepared
beforehand what becomes of the "julcial" quality
Of these proceedings?
Not That il much matters to the character of
the Minister (but that was gone before, and Of the
Magistrate. who seems never 10 have had any. But
as % proof of Judicial corruption, the proceedings
NAY excite some interest, even among those who do
not see that hey a monument Of political inca
pacity. # they were mcant-which is a probable
theory enougli-to pro ure q popular outbreak, or
an outburst of temper on n. Gambetta's part they
nave failed and viii fail.
On these two points, viii take the liberty to
quote two remarks lately made by 81. Gambotta
"lf had been permitted to choose the thing
wonld have had Ministers do, / would have chosen
this7
As TO a popular outbreak:
Ministers have left no means untred to provoke
it, but they cannot succeed. We not going to
riot OF fight we are Just going 10 vote"
AS In the case OF NJ Therss funeral so in the case
Of NJ Gambetta's trial. There was some talk Of
disturbance, which should give the authorities some
thing 20 suppress; give them opportunity for a
display Of what q French Government most delights
in-yigor; above all, create an alarm among the
tmid, and so produce good effect on the elections.
The talk did not come from those who know the
temper of the Republican leaders or the marvellous
discipline they have enforced on their followers.
have paid my tribute to the bearing of the people
at the funeral. AT the trial the whole number Of
spectators did not exceed $50, and nothing
could be more deCOrOus or more dull than
the proceedings. The expected mob about the
Court House altogether failed to put in appear
ance. A few hundreds of persons more than usual
may have been hanging about but the elaborate
police neutrality-suspicious. for provoking or sup
pressing disturbance-weTe simply thrown away.
In their vexatiOn the Ministerial journals
duced to saying that the quetness of the city IS
proof of indifference. One writer goes far as TO
remark that il is the decay of NJ. Gambettas popu-
larity which has caused the failure Of his attempt
TO organize a demonstration! There must be people
who take pleasure in reading this sort of thingnot
that they believe it, but that they hope somebody
else may believe it.
NJ Gambetta's counsel, when the real trial comes
on next week. will be NJ AllOu, one of the most emil
nent lawyers in France. NJ B6toland had been
chosen first simply because he is Jd0Hniv, or chief
of the bar to which NJ. Gambetta belongs, and be
cause it is the custom that an accused advocate
should be defended by the 5dOARer for the time be-