Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-02-08
MAoMAHoN AND GAmRETTA.


which seem unavoidable in that
excitable nation, and which, when
tr.ey occur. make all true lovers of
the existing government there
tremble-for its existence; not nearly
50 dangerous crisis as that which
but recently arose when President
9IacMahon undertook to retain the
Due de Broglie in power with an
Imperialist Cabinet and an adverse
vote of the Chamber of Deputies
against him. At that time NJ. Gam
beta uttered his celebrated warning,
1.-The President must submit or re-
tire" Then heidi not retire, but sub
mitted this time ne did not sub
init, but retired. I4etus examinethis
transaction a little; it will certainly
repay Us TO do so, for the problem
of restoring harmony between the
executive and legislature is at
this time of such mOmentous
importance that II is well
worth our while 10 observe
and study the problem as it may be
worked out in a nation where our
party passions are not involved as
they are here at home.
1t is, we presume, well known to
our readers that whereas the Cham
Der of Deputies has now for some
time been by large majority de
voted To the Republican govern
ment as established in France, the
Senate has till quite recently been
dominated by a considerable major
ity which prefers either a royal On
imperial dynasty, the supremacy OF
a Bourbon or Bonaparte. This
conflict has been recently set at rest,
and, as a result of the last election,
the Senate as well as the Deputies
is largely Republican.
This event has given heartfelt
satisfaction to the innumerable OBJ
servers, both within and without
France, who desire the internal
peace of that country and the sta
bility of that Republican govern
ment to which peace is so needful
and ON which peace within and
without so intimately depends. But
there was still a skeleton in the
closet. Marshall MacMahon, the
Dras;Hor,t ,uoC ,ryoI9 EDor.u 70 ~
still dissatisfied with the republic
This alone was not esteemed a dan
ger, as he had submitted to the viii
of the peoples representatives a
the last great crisis, but he did 81
most unwillingly, and, what was
now the real cause of alarm, he still
commanded the army and all tbs
higher officers of that army were
his personal friends and were known
TO concur with him in his bite
hatred of the republic.
Such an army so commanded
could not but be looked upon as
standing menace to the republic
ready to threaten its very existenc,
at the first fatal opportunity. S,
thought NJ. Gambetta. The prob
lem before him was to subject tn
army to the civil authority and +
secure the nation against having it
own arms turned against itself. Tn
Cabinet of NJ. Dufaure, including
its leader, belong to what is callet
the Left Centre, which is the mode
rate section of the Republicans, ant
has gained much praise for it
steady guiding of the republic t
the complete realization of its prin
ciples. N. Gambetta occupies
different position. He had so fl
steadily refused Office and exercise
the double duty of taking care tina
the administration does not halt i
its task of assimilating the variOu
departments of government in thei
practical working to the Repub!ica
theories now predominant, Will
ne carefully restrained the turbulen
demagUgues of the Extreme Lei
from pressing too violently upO
the deliberate movements of the ad
ministratiCn. Since the establish
ment of a Republican majority i
the Senate as we'll as the Chambe
of Deputies the two matters whic
occupied the attention of the Re
publicans in general, were tha
above indicated, the necessity {
taking the army out of the hands {
the Imperialists and the renderin
education independ. mt of the cor
troll of the Catholic clergy. Tn
Church and the army in fact are tn
two great enemies of the republi
in France, and NJ. Gambetta, wisel
as we think, came to the cOnclusiO
that the time had arrived for curl
ing their half-concealed operation
against the established order {
things. He therefore urges upo
the administration measures fl
SS1OlAl pliSlililS butiA pun pDStS' L II
first is "that the clerical univers
ties shall be deprived of the powe
10 appoint members of the board
which confer academical degree,
that elementary education shall b
compulsory, and that all teacher
shall be required to give the Stat
proofs of their capacity" TIL
takes the control of education el
tirely out of the hands of the Cath,
lie prelates.
The measures necessary for NAL
ing the army subordinate to IL
civil power formed part of a syster
of acts for bringing the executiN
and administrative departments
government in harmony with IL
legislative. During the early day
of the French republic, when Ma
MahOn was sustained in his Imper
alistic purposes by large maiOrit
in the Senate held in check by