The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-27
FRENCH POLITICS.

|
WHEREIN THE REPUBLIC DIFFERS FROM ALL
| OTHER DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS DEFEAT
AT THE POLLS NOT ACCEPTED AS THE
PEOPLES WILL.
PARIS. jan 10, 1879.
The cable has conveyed to you the results of the
Senatorial elections, and doubt by this time you
have formed your own appropriations of them. appre-
Citations that probably quite as jus: and con-
elusive as any that forward TO you, for the
issues involved in them were clearly defined and
of such capital Importance that You well
able to decide upon their value those mme-
diately upon the spot. true it is that the very
atmosphere of such struggle is apt to cloud
the Judgment OF those who take part in it. the
struck with the justice OF this conclusion when
take up the English and Continental journals pub
lished outside of France. 1t would seem if they
alone bring bear upon the events that transpir
ing here the clearsghedness and camness necessary
to impartial review of the situation. Neither the
republican nor the reactionary journals Of France
seem to possess exact consciousness of the i'm
mensty of the revolution which has been effected by
these elections and of the formidable consequences
which it must lead. They involve in fact entire
change in the domestic and foreign policy of the
country, as well as in the education, habits
and ideas of its people, and admitting. Ameri-
cans may be disposed to do, that these changes
excellent in themselves and constitute clements of
strength and durability they suggest host Of trials
and difficulties in the future, arising not from the
imprudence corruption of the French republicans,
as prognosticated by their adversares but from the
jealousies and apprehensions of the Continental
despots to whom a model republic will be per-
petual menace.
ENEMIES PEACE.
Be this as it may there feature in the strug-
elections which cannot be too severely condemned.
and that is the persistency with which the reaction
airy and utramontane press continues to evoke those
apprehensons. There is other country in the
world perhaps where such q spectacle could be wit
messed. Anywhere else such defeat that which
the legtimist and Bonapartist parties have
just experienced would have been submitted to
with resignation. if not with dignity seeing
that it is the vote Of the nation that has inflicted it,
Here the old unpatrotc spirit of the eigrds of the
first French revolution manfests itself with much
bitterness and as much disregard Of the national in
it did when the privileged classes fed the
country swell the ranks of the invading armies of
the coalition. and there are no lengths TO which the
leaders of these factions not prepared to CO.
great theif rage and modification. 1t is to be
hoped that the sagaciy and prudence which have dis
tnguised conduct of the republican party the
last eight years will preserve it from the mistakes in
connection with their foreign policy which their
enemies count. These are the real dangers to which
they will be exposed and not those questions of in
ternal policy upon which so much stress has been
laid of late. and which are all pretty well settled in
| advance in the public mind. When NJ. Gambetta
| enuncated his so-called political programme at
| Romans he went no farther than he justified in
he touched and i have no doubt thai the
| boldness with which he handled them had
no small effect upon the results of the
| Senatorial elections. There is nothing which
| awakcns so much distrust in the French mind as
| vagueness of purpose in politics and upon this
fact the reacionary organs had been basing all their
| attacks against the republican rsgime. No limits
placed to the revolutionary projects against religion
| and property which were said to be in contenlpla
ton az soon az majority was obtained in the Upper
! Chamber. The speech at Romans dispclled these ap
| prehensons while at the same time it treasured
| those republicans who distrusted NJ Gambetta's
called "opportunsm, and who feared that he would
sacrifice to it most of his early convictions. That
| speech no blunder many even Of his own adj
herents affirmed but the result Of careful reec
| ton and preparation
| THE IMMEDIATE FRUITS OF THE VICTORY.
| As the republican majority i'll the Senate will be
| about sixty, it might be supposed from the mere
statement of the fact that the government will have
difficulty in passing its measures through it. This
is by certain. The men who constitute the
| new majority are for the most part landed pro-
| pretors, manufacturers leading agriculturists.
and think it will be found. though agreed to the
maintenance of the existing institutions. that they
| will be as conservative those Of their colleagues
Of If the Right who arrogated that title ex.
clusively to themselves. Should the government
find itself urged on too fast by the impatient
! majority of the Lower Chamber it will lind its
| point ddppui in this very fraction in the Senate,
while all questions Of acknowledged policy it will
| -
| CARDS the programme which the Ministry will an
nounce at the commencement of the session, 1t may
fairly be assumed that it will have its full adhesion
Then too. on questions OF organization it will give
purely party vote. There il doubt that of the
first manifestations of its dispostioin this regard
will he the removal of NJ. dAudiffrct- Pasquier from
l. the Presidency of the Chamber His successor will
probably be NJ. Martel. man of large Legislative
| perience, admirable presiding officer and thor
ough republican.
You will observe that two three of the more adj
ncelr "A IL
ton of the Ministry in order to get rid OF some of
| its members who do not sympathize with their im-
patience. To this fact may be traced the runors OF
dissensions in the Cabinet which have been current
from time to time. l have to believe that
there is foundation whatever for such reports.
| The Cabinet is much of unit it is pos
| sible for such body to be, and it will present
itself to the Chambers with perfect confidence .e
! possible that i'll order to put an end to all
such misrepresentation NJ Dufaure may demand
| from both chambers formal vote expressive OF
their satisfaction with the Ministry. TO whose firm
and consistent policy there is doubt the recent
| triumph of the republican party il mainly owing.
II may be that he will demand this vote in another
form-namely on the programme or measures which
the Cabinet is said to be celebrating. In whichever
way il is put, of one thing you may rest assured.
and that is that il will be the highest degree favor
able to the Ministry which has done its whole duty
TO the country while maintaining its pledges to the
republican party.
Among the surprises OF the Senatorial elections.
| NJ Gambetta calls them, certainly nothing has
astonshed people more than the manner IN which
| the BOnapartists were "hattened out. After all
their Dragging and bluster the result has been most
humiatng. and what renders it still more mortify
ing to them is the fact that II has given the much
dcspised legtimists an opportunity of growing
them. They We're literally nowhere in the
struggle. and what is worse there is =, no
accounting for the fact otherwise than
by the utter contempt into which they have fallen as
political organization. IL il not improbable that
the discredit which all this attests will be injurious
to the prospects Of NJ. Paul de Cassagac who IL now
seeking election at the hands of his old constu
ents. Political like physical epidernics are infec-
tious, and IL would not be surprising IL the electors
of Condom to discover before the ballot comes
off that the Third Empire is too long in coming. do
not attempt TO outline the policy OF the Left W
correctly reported because IL viii have been developed
and disclosed to you by the cable before this letter
could possibly reach you.
PRESS PROSECUTION.
The case OF NJ Challemel- Iacour, member of the
Senate and newly appointed Minister to Berne.
against Messrs. MaRgolo and Cognot the editor and
publisher OF La Nouceits France, came up yesterday
for hearing before the Eighth Chamber Of the Tribune
| Cnrrecf innnelle of the SIZING. Nnu will nrnhahly