Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-06-13
French Society and Politics in the
Provinces.

French Society and Politics in the
Provinces.
The establishment of the republic
in France has been attended with 80
many remarkable political incidents
that we have been apt to overlook that
aspect OF the subject which most strikes
foreign resident there-namely, the
struggle between what is called good
society" and the men who have finally
succeeded in setting up the new form
of government. The following obser-
vations are those of foreign resident
who has watched the progress of repub,
licanism, and the opposition to it, for
many years. They are not collected
from newspapers, but taken directly
from life itself.
In the first place it is noticed that
the profession of monarchy or repub-
licanism does not go by money. A
Frenchman living in the country may
be very we'll off and still be an ardent
republican; but when this happens he
seldom has any pretensions either to
birth or fashion; the rich republican is
almost invariably man Of the middle
| SAdSc, WhOoC WCAO AdOOIlOuo
and economical, and SO accumulated
wealth. At the same time the rich re-
publican is a man without social am
bition, a man who does not care to push
his way into the society of the aristoc-
racy. His friends are of his own class,
and generally poorer than himself. He
is plain in his dress and manners, gen.
orally drives one horse carriage, and
gives himself no airs of superiority,
which indeed would not be tolerated
by the equality loving society which he
frequents. He is often fairly we'll
educated, and either doctor or law
yer by profession, though his indepen-
dent fortune relieves him from the me-
cessity of practicing. He gets elected
to some post Of trust by the votes of his
fellow. cizens, and is satisfied with some
degree of local usefulness and impor-
lance, though he may aspire to the
conseil general of his department, or
even to Ia deputation. He has no no.
ton of ever abandoning his republi-
canism, however rich he may become;
he will never, so long as he lives, stick
de before his name or do anything to
conceal his origin. Just at present
there is q worthy provincial of this
type at the Elysee, who has accepted
the presidential chair.
The mouceau richie who wants to leave
his own class and get into the local ar
istocracy is we'll aware that even the
most moderate and circumspect repub-
licanism would ruin all his prospects.
The rural noblesse used to hate republi-
canism with much warmth, but since the
| elections the word hatred is much too
mild to characterize their sentiments.
They detest it utterly; they abhor, exc
crate, abominate it; they loathe the very
sight of the initials R. F., and cannot
be got to pronounce the words they rep
resent; or, if ever by chance they do
pronounce them, it is with tone of con-
tempt mingled with disgust. They
have ingenious peri-phrases to avoid the
odious word, and speak of "le gouce,ue-
| naent qui nou re9it," or of Get etat de,
plordble DIES chooses que nous uoyans au-
iourd'hui." It is not in accordance with
the tone of the rural aristocracy to adj.
NIT that the republic can effect any
good whatever The correct thing IS
! to deplore the wretched state OF the
country, the absence of leademaiO,
the degradation of France in the eyes
of Europe, and to anticipate a tremen
dous cataclysm in which all property
will be swept away. Since the Sena-
toriul elections gave republican ma.
jority to the upper house il As the mark
of a gentleman of the provinces to ex-
press a grim satisfaction in the idea
that his country is going to the devil
with greatly accelerated speed. "We
have but one chance now," he is ex-
pected to say, land that is the suicide
of the democracy in the intoxication of
it's perilous freedom. The sooner it
destroys itself by it's own folly the bet
ter for the future of the country-if it
is to have any future"
The most moderate republican, the
mildest liberal even, soon finds him
self out of place, unless he has
hypocracy enough to say these things
himself, and to approve of them ener-
getically whenever they are said by
others. But he has to tolerate much
more than this if he intends to keep
his place in aristocratic circles. He
must listen to long accounts of republi-
can rapacity, to stories of the enormous
fortunes which Gambetta and others
have created for themselves by robbing
the public purse. He must accept and
maintain the theory that selfish greed
is the only motive which can possibly
animate republican. The received
doctrine is that when a royalist gels
elected to the Chamber of Deputies
his object is to maintain moral order; but
when republican aspires to the sane
honor he thinks of nothing but the pay.
The projects appointed by the reac-
tionary cabinet after the Seize Mai
were men devoted to sacred cause
the projects appointed by Dufare are
devoted to filthy lucre and the lusts Of
the flesh. The courts of justice are
generally occupied by reactionary mag
istrates who have often hunted down
republicans without mercy, these same
republicans being now in many in
stances elevated by the votes of their
fellow-citizens to positions of trust and
influence as protest against what they
look upon as persecution. The rule in
! aristocratic society is to treat all these
COMBINATIONS seriously, and speak of