New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-14
REFORM IN FRANCE.
IMPORTANT CHANGES EXPECTED.


FOREIGN AFYAIRs-M. FRGYcrNETs oUALIfl-
CATIONS.
IRON REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuSEl
PARIS, Dec. 2I.-Though there is such feeling oil
satisfaction all over the land since the formation Oi
the new Ministry, it must not be supposed that, ac-
cOrdiDg to the familiar phrase, things are TO 20
upon wheels in every direction Let what VIII he
done, there ono or two departments IN whch
fundamental difficulties will make themselves per
ceivabe almost at once and there Is one pTedoin-
nant embarrassment that it is next to impossible
should not be felt by the whole Government IN
general This is the embarrassment occasiOned by
the dilemma from the horns whereof II Is terribly
hard for any Cabinet TO escape, namely, either
reform universal discomfort, leading to universal
unpopularity. Reforms are called for in every
branch of Administration i'll France, and the mod
ern spirit so rapidly growing up has been for seven
years inpatient of delay. There is one country
in Europe. excepting only Spain, which Is
not in the enjoyment of rights and i'm
nunites, Of which France hears vaguely
but the name, and we must never forget
that the very "Bcllevle Programme" Itself,
the object of such holy horror the part of French
TeTOgradsm was simply list Of the ordinary lIb-
critics won and worn now by nearly all European
communities. The separation OF Church and state
the sole gain unacheved by Frances neighbors,
and which (were all the others obtained would be
the least urgent. But while among French Liberals
it is felt to be humiliation that the country should
be so behind all others in regard to modern reforms,
lot it be well ,nOted that the entire monarchcai
world. with the clerical and tradition-enslaved
classes, are as violently opposed to any innovation,
of even the mildest kind as they have just shown
themselves violently eager for desp0tism and per-
sOnal power.
ut,+ aud, -
the first hour when the new Minister'S begin to at
tempt the I'll ghtcst step IN the road toward i'm
proyement, and the public will need TO take pa
tience, and not ask for to- much till the moment
when lust one twcycmonth hence, the Senatorial
elections will restore proper equilibrium to the
whole governing machine and put the Senate III
harmony with The Chamber of Deputies Now, this,
repeat, j. the dilemma which produces already
general embarrassment; but its particular mani
fcstatiOns will occur principally III two or three
Ministries. 1T the Home Office things viii go
smoothly enough for there il Is more question of
men than of measures; and, with the sweep
ing changes made III the provincial administration,
there will come sort of lull in public feeling, and
if the new PrcfrctS ana SubPrciccts are at all equal
to their work we may hear of no complaints on that
side for the next year or eighteen months. But this
will neither be the case at the Ministry of Public
we shall probably witness almost at once the ont
break of war between the Clercals and the LaiGy
and at the latter, thccontoSt will be between Pro,ec
tion and Free Trade Both will be fierce, but the
real battle viii rage nj the Foreign Office. There
the task set before the new Minister j. in truth
auDaliDg one. Unless France is to be left the i'll
f,rlor of every country in Europe, uniformed, dis
caIded, undclcndcd from all her ncgIbors, every
vestige of routine must be made To disappear from
the musty m0uldy bureau of " Foreign Affairs" and
hardly one individual now employed there ought to
he allowed TO remain Whcre he IS This department
has been a standing evil since 1915, and the great
est rcproach made 10y those who know what they
are talking about, is that made to ". 1hieIS. for
not having IesOlutcy put the broom to these
Augcan stables in 1871. He ought to have DONE
and could have done it with ease then. instead OF
which. resisting the unanimous public clamor, lie
literally made matters worse by his tolerance of
abuses. and his worse than foolish appointments.
The hnur for easy reform went by-and now, Though
reform is more impcratiycy called for than
ever il is certainly longer easy to
achieve However, here there may be seen
cpphaticalIy the fright man III the right
placc,' and though he may find the task
a hard and a remarkably unpleasant one, VI.
Waddington, it may be relied upon is the man to
perform ii conscentiously. Your readers may, per
haps. remember that nearly two years ago the
TlByNF was the first organ OF public opinion to
forrsbadow the career OF Waddingt0n IL France. |
spoke of HIM NJ that time as the one man OF tIilS
country. the man who would set his mark upon the
Republic, and probably win the name OF the SayOur
of France BY tie curious instruct communities
have of their own needs, tins 1ecng has
been grow ing w every where, precisely dur
ing the period when the object of II
prccludrd by circumstances from giving any
public or predominant sign Of seli-as>crtion.
After the double elections OF the ! lth 0i October
luIA ON IL men nj
thc E,puhlic the first name that was on all lips
that OF Waddingon. In the beginning it wa,
tLouplt Inc must be President of the Council and
there arc some who say tha. the MarahaPs first
ton was 10 send for hm when circumstances IN
posed NJ. Dufdurc. liut already at the Foreign
Once the dread of NaddIngtOn was lively and
strong and the heads of sections were already
whispering to their intImates: You will that
we shall fall victims 10 that Protestant"
Now, the amusing part of it was that NJ. Wad
inpton himself resisted cordially all attempts
to take linn away from his beloved Public lnstruc-
tion Department, that he became angry when even
an allnson was made to the Foreign Office, his plan
beinp that his own particular friend NJ. de Saint
Waller should be Foreign Minister. However, ac-
cor,ling to the Oriental creed thai resist
his fate. Washington was forced to yield on account
of an incident personal to the Marshal and found il
impossibc to avoid leading the foreign policy of
France The incident was this: Public opinion
having long and pcrsIstentIy condemned all the
diplomatic agents Of France abroad, the hrSt
necessity was that they should all be displaced The
Marshal however, was 80 obstinate about the re-
trutIon in London, Ambassador, Of bis cousin Nj.
d'IIarcourt, that no compromise could be come
to with him upon that score To either NJ. de Saint
Waller would have had To keep Representative
whom lac resolutely opposed as incapable and I'M
safe or the Chief of the State must abandon the
sole demand which at the last moment he preferred.
NJ Waddington was obliged to accept, and did SO,
wholly against his own viii. But public opinion
almost always judges better a mans capacities than
Lc Judges tLcm bms IT, So, for the undeniable bene
fiji of France and Europe, there stands now at the