, 1880-05-08

declare that "con6ding in the vigilance
and irmness of the Cabinet, it passes to
the order of the day." The following day
that is to say, on the 50th of June-M.
de Freycinet is placed between two alter
natives. He either follows the example
of M. Waddington, and, not wishing to
dissolve the religious orders, resigns, after
a vote of confidence, or he determines not
to resign, but to act. If he were to resign.
nothing more grotesque would have hap
pened in the domain of politics, seeing
that it would be a case of a Minister
resigning because the Chamber declared
it reckoned on his carrying out his own
edict, and because it gave him a vote of
confidence based on respect for his own
edict. And yet this hypothesis must be
considered, for it may happen that M. de
Freycinet will prefer even such a retreat
to the necessity of laying hands on the
religious orders other than the Jesuits.
What would be the result of his resigna-
ton on the question at issue9 Would the
Republican Government give way to the
ordersP What would happen in such a
cases. The De Freycinet Cabinet failing,
whom would M. Grevy intrnst with the
formation of a pew Cabinet? Evidently
not NJ. Jules Simon or NJ. Dufaure, who
would fall even more speedily. and vino
could only provoke q dissolution on this
detestable issue. M. Gambetta would
refuse more than ever, seeing that it would
not be the majority of which he is consis
dered the leader that would have over
turned NJ. de Freycinet, to whom it had
Just given a vote Of confidence. and he
could not DO Oharsed with Sinking the
consequences OF his leadership. The poll
teal parsonage TO whom the mission
would be confded is marked out, and /
could beforehand, without much fear of q
mistake, give the composition OF a future
Cabinet formed in such circumstances. M.
Ctallemel-Lacour would be Premier and
Minister for Foreign Affairs; NJ. Brisson
would have the Home Office; NJ. Floquet,
Justice; NJ. Wilson, Finance; M. Allan
large, Public Works ; NJ. Paul Bert, Pub
lie Instruction; NJ. Tirard, Commerce and
Agriculture; General Fare, War; and
Admiral Jaureguiberry, who extended the
DEGREES to the Colonies when none of his.
colleagues had such a thought, would
remain Minister of Marine. 1t is scarcely
necessary to add chat M. Cookery, an
active Specialist, would still be Minister
of Posts and Telegraphs. Such would be
the composition of a Cabinet succeeding
M de Freycinet. Would this save the
religious orders3 No, but it might des-
troy the Concordat. The programme
adopted by sucn q Cabinet would be
separation of Church and State, the Con-
cordat being abolished by the Chamber
refusing to pass the Ecclesiastical Esti-
mates. Such a Cabinet would affect to
regard the Concordat as a legacy from the
Empire, and therefore to be abandoned.
This would be its first measure, and some
Conservatives do not shrink from the
eventuality, fancying that the general
election on such q platform would be in
their favour ; but this view is not that OF
the Vatican or of the regular clergy. This,
then, would be the result of M. de Freyci-
nets,s resignation, but I do not believe
he will resign. Some, indeed, think ne
recoils from the idea OF. rigour against
any order but the Jesuits; but if the other
orders refuse to apply for authorization,
they will have the cir of defying him to
enforce the DEGREES, and will extricate him
from a great embarrassment by giving him
a pretext for severity. II reminded that
he disclaimed any wish to 60 beyond the
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