Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-06
THE FRENCH PRESIDENCY,

AOI 10 mucu OCCASION Tor SuCn 1nStltutlOnS
as that which fourishes at Saltwater
THE FRENCH PRESIDENCY.
Contemporaneous with the Presidential
election in this country next year will occur
the septennial election of a President in the
republic of France. The term of Marshal
MacMahon will expire with the year, and his
successor must be chosen in November of
1880. There is considerable interest on this
side of the Atlantic in the result France
no adversely can sunder. She was our faith
full ally during the early days of our exist
ence, and ever since there has been close
bond of fraternity between the two coun-
tries. When the republic was established it
was patterned after the government of the
United States to great extent, and on that
account the bond of union has become still
more firmly cemented.
AS in this country, SO in France much at
tention has been drawn to the possible can
didates in 1880. 1t is known that President
MacMahon desires rec election, and he has
already rallied to his cause some of the best
men of France. His policy during the six
years of his term has been conservative in
all eminent degree. He has won commenda-
ton from the Royalists, the Orleanlsts, the
Bonapartists and the Republicans, not
because he has favored either, but
because he has not favored the
others. It would be difficult to
frame policy so utterly free from bias as
that pursued by the marshal president
While he may have had his individual pre-
ferences, his official acts have not shown
the fact. He has been thoroughly i'm
| partial ruler, treating friend and foe alike.
Ii ne has friend or foe, nobody could
have inferred the fact from his official
| acts.
At present the only competitor he has to
fear is the idol of the radicals, Gembetta
Coming to the front less than ten years ago
this fellow at once set about catering to the
prejudices and passions of the extreme wing
of the radical party. He was fortunate in
mourning the enmity of Louis Napoleon,
and at once sprung into notoriety. During
the early days of the republic he was the
champion, as far as he dared to be, of the
communists, and assumed the leadership
of the radicals in the national assembly.
He has managed to keep himself in promi-
hence for the greater par of the time ever
since by his factious opposition to every
measure calculated to ensure tranquility, and
his violent assaults upon the government
whenever it undertook any measure looking
to the permanent good of the nation. He
is an agitator pure and simple, and though
at present he appears to have large follow
ing, his fame, if such we may call his present
prominence, is but evanescent. If he
should succeed in obtaining the Presidency
it would be only question of time when
France would relapse into monarchy. Be-
Tween republic such as would be enforced
under Gambetta and monarchy, the we'll
| wishers of France would not find it hard to
I choose. Gambetta is possibility, but he is
possibility that argues the speedy over
throw of the republic and the passage of the
nation through another ordeal of revolution
|
Among the other possible candidates are
the Duke de Broglie and the Duke de Cazes
Both are statesmen of the conservative school
little inclined towards Imperialism, but
both have been honored by MacMahon with
ministerial functions. The former would no
doubt use his position, if he should be for
tunate enough to secure the election, to pave
the way for the Bonaparte dynasty. The
latter would essay the role of a conservative,
and attempt to carry out the policy inaugur-
ated by the present incumbent of the Presi-
dental Office. Rut his elsonal predictions
and his political associations are such as to
preclude the possibility of his following such
a line of policy. The Duke d'Auffrit-
Pasquier, M. Dufaure, and M. Grevy also
cast longing eyes upon the Presidency, but
their following is not sufficiently strong to
enable them to cut much of figure in the
contest. They are dark horses, however,
and should not be left out of the calculations
Either of them would fill the office we'll, but
none with the impartiality and general &C
ceptance that MacMahon's administration
has received.