, 1881-04-27

CClIdiu Gldt tuo ctcuU udS OocpCu6u lilo
impression that M. Gambetta will win, and
that impression Of itself must help the
victory. The question, although of the
last Importance, is not one of the kind that
rouse the conscience and Republican
Members, whoexpect a majority for the list,
will be slow either to put themselves out
side it, or to quarrel ~irrecOncilably with
the group which, if it cannot include any
name. can, at least, exclude any.
NJ. Gambetta, we imagine, believes that
he has conquered the Chamber !; lie is sure
if voting by list is established, of a crush
ing majority in the Departments; and he
is now, if we mistake not, endeavOuring to
secure the masses of the great cities. They
are Departments in themselves and though
their voters like M. Gambetta well enough
to elect him personally, they may not. pro-
baby will not approve his lists. It was
to catch their ears, therefore. he uttered
the halfmystical speech of March 10th at
the TIocadero, with it's curiously unplea.
SAINT favour OF Napoleonic and Bismarck.
an Socialism. There is the very ring of
personal power in this naughty sentences
"Springing from the people, / have never
had any other object than their welfare, and
whatever may be alleged outside this
building, I have time before me, and the
indomitable energy and perseverance
necessary to accomplish my task" And no
one can fail to recognise the old dreamy
Indebtedness and readiness to shadow out
vast promises, which yet are never expires.
sed or even formulatedin the mind. in such
expressions as, II an no partisan of chm.
@ras;' " / have been, and shall always
be opposed to levelling and unhealthy
theories :" Z" but / can cooperate in the
solution of the great social problems, for
the State is everybody,-it is the nation"
Is not the thought there-"I shall be the
State, and therefore have q right to deal
with the social problems 70 THE State
must apply itself to the sores of social
life, suspensions of labour, and Strikes"
DIN a democratic society, labour in all de-
grees of the social ladder should enjoy the
same privileges, the same immunities, and
especially the same guarantees" We do
not doubt that the rulers of q Republic
like France, in which the peasantry are
secure, but the handicraftsmen nave no
guarantees, " not even a p~oor.law, must
ultimately set themselves to give the
proletariat more sec"r'ty, and little doubt
that the security will take the form of
huge assurances guaranteed and aided by
the State. Direct poor.relief, as a right,
like direct income-tax, is so dreaded by
property-holders, who in France are Ger.
tainly five to two, and probably could
never be carried, but the principle of in
surance rOuses no such jealousy, But them
if this is what M. Gambetts, like Prince
Bismarck. looks forward to, he should say
so, and avoid those cloudy NapoleOnic
utterances which are so unlike his usual
%eloquence, and arouse Utopian visions, to-
be gratifed only when the speaker is plac-
ed in uncontrolled possession of all power.
The workmen who read these words are
not dreaming of assurances, on however
vast a scale, but of q world in which, as
NJ. Gambetta further ON says, there shall
Ibe no duel between capital and labour,~
because the sole capitalist twill be the
aggregate of workmen. There is every
reason why a French ruler should betake
himself to the study of social problems,
and no reason why M. Gambetta, with his
genius for administration and fash Of
insight, if he does study them, should not
devise novel and great authorizations in the
condition of the poor ; but in these utter.
ances there is something else which We.
should not find in an English speech Of
the same kind-ina speech by Mr.. Glad.
stone, for example-something which
indicates a craving for that irresistible
power which in our time is derivable only
from the support of multitudinous Demo-.
cracy. Is it of the poor or is it of himself
that M. Gambetta is thinking, when he
thus cries aloud to Belleyille that he also
could deal with social sores and social
problems We do not accuse M. Gambet.
ia OF seeking Dictatorships in The old, re-
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