New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-12

that the perjury was committed in their in
terest and paid for with their check. And
they all lit their hands and roll their eyes
and protest their innocence.
THT GINBETTA SHOULD Not TAKE 0FFICL
What are known as political crises in France
are of such frequent occurrence that 1t VIII
soon cease to be necessary to discuss them IN
detail. So long as the party which commands
an overwhelming majority in the Chamber OF
Deputies is divided INTO distinct groups these
Ministerial upheavas are unavoidable. That
Chamber is made up of $50 members, Of
whom 40 are Bonapartists, Legitimists and
Orleani>ts, and $40 are Republicans This
sheer majority of 200 leaves the Ministry
of the day at the mercy of Republican factions.
Of these there are four: the Left Centre,
the Pure Left, the Advanced Lcft and the
Extreme Left. NJ. Waddlnetons Ministry rep
resented the Left Centre and the Pure Left;
II. de Freycnet's the Pure Left; and
NJ Ferry's the Pure Left, with one or
two recruits from the Advanced Left. Any
new movement will he III the direction Of the
Advanced Left, group of 100 members that
holds the balance of power. But this group
itself is divided into two factions, one Gam
bettist and the other Iuecouciablc; and
a combination of the latter section
with the Extreme Left and the
various groups OF the Right might have a
narrow majority. Consequently a Ministry
that represents the Gambcttist section Of tie
Advanced Left and realms the support Of the
Left Centre and the Pure Left cannot reasons
ably expect to get on much better than NJ.
Ferry with what is left of the De Fieycinet
Cabinet. Neither VI. Brisson nor NJ. Floquet,
who are perhaps the strongest men in the
Advanced Left, can hope to do more than fill
a gap in the public life of France So long as
government by political groups takes the place
of government by political parties, Cabinet
is little more than makcshilt.
There is one feature Of the present situation
which is novel. That is the determination of
the President to compel NJ. Gambetta to
become Premier, under the menace of dissOlv
ing the Chamber, with the consent of the
Senate if he refuses to accept the RESPONSE
biIity of Office VI. Grevy is reported to have
defined his position i'll his letter TO NJ. Ferry,
and the immediate result has been a strenuous
effort on the part of NJ. Gambejta either to
keep the present Ministry i'll Office or to provide
a compromise Cabinet. The latest dispatches
indicate that he has succeeded in keeping
NJ. Ferry where he is. 1t will not be
long, however, before the Advanced Left
show signs of characterization. President
Grevy will be forced to choose between Il
Cabinet Of the Advanced Left and VI. Gam
BETA. If he does not finch from his present
convictions, he will make NJ. Gambetta's
Premiership the alternative of IL dissolution
of the Chamber.
That NJ Gambetta would be q very d. fer
ent Premier from NJ. Washington or NJ.
de Freycinet or NJ. Ferry is obyi-
Gus. That he could maintain for
protraced term his aScendancy over the
Chamber is very doubtful. He is the COM
handing genius of French politics. but he
could not fuse the warning groups OF the Re-
publican Lett into homogeneous political
organization that would give him constant
and uuequiyocal support In another Cham
Der he might do this for general election
of deputies by departments instead of
by districts would render possible a re-
organization of political parties. But he
cannot do 1t now. Meanwhile he re-
mains reserve force in French politics.
English critics abuse him for welding power
without accepting the responsibilities of office.
We cannot agree with them. His course
seems to Us not only patriotic but wise. If
he were to accept the Premiership under the
present unstable conditions. the strOnges
single force in French politics would be
wasted