Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-19
PERILOUS INFANCY.
Dangers Through WIsieh the French Repst5-
Rc Has Passed ia tie Thirteen Tears of It's
Existence.

teenth year Oh Its existence. Born amid
the disasters of the German invasion,
Graded among the ruins of imperial
ism, it had terrible infancy, and all its
early years were full of adventures.
Several times it seemed on the point of
destruction, and that it should be -four
ishing now, with good hopes of perma-
nence, is a wonder to many who tried
hard to bring it to premature end.
But the history of the past twelve years
contains many lessons which many
earnest well-wishers Of the republic,
taking no share in party politics, have
labored to impress upon their country
men. Since Sept. 4, 1870, the republic
has had three Presidents, twenty-one
Cabinets and scores of Ministers. No
less than twenty-five politicians, includ-
ing NJ de Fallieres, who now rules at
Place Beauyau, have held the portfolio
of the home Office So many Ambassa-
doris have been accredited to foreign
courts and recalled that in certain coun-
tries France can scarcely be said to have
been represented, seeing that her pleni-
pOtentaries were made to resign before
they had time to learn anything about
the nations to which they had been sent.
But the wholesale displacement of pre-
fects and srlb-prefects has been even
more remarkable. Not long ago a petty
official in country town was repri-
manded for not having saluted his pre-
feet In the street. He excused himself
on the ground that there had been three
changes Of projects in his department
this year, and that he had q bad memory
for faces. The permanent staff of secre-
taries and clerks remain unaltered.
both in the ministerial offices and
in the procedures, under all changes
OF government, so that the dis
placements Of political officials cause
less disturbance in administrative
routine than might be supposed. But
the prestige and power of Government
do necessarily suffer in a measure from
the continual comings and goings of
placemen; and one would be glad,
therefore, to note any sign that the
numerous factions into which the Re
publican party is split up were about to
sink some Of their differences at last.
Whatever may be the qualities Of NJ.
Duclerc and some of his colleagues, it
is not to be supposed that they can hold
Office for long after the Chambers meet,
because they are not really the leaders
OF the Republican party. They may
carry on the work Of government, as
they are doing. with frmness and dig
nifty, so long as 10 great party questions
are brought forward, but it must needs
lie that some Of the burning questions
adjourned from last session will be in
:roduced again by the extreme Left.
There is the scrutin de hste, the reor-
ganization Of the iudicature, and the
question Of the concordas, all of them
most important matters upon which
Republican opinion has hitherto been
hopelessly divided. There is apparent
ly no reason, however, why the leaders
Of the moderate Republican sections
should not agree among themselves to
form a Cabinet which shall carry out a
policy based on the measures which
divide Republicans least. As the pres
ent lower Chamber is barely year old,
few of its members can desire a dissolu-
ton; and yet a dissolution would
doubtless be resorted to if the Duclerc
Cabinet were overthrown without any
arrangement having been made to bring
in q strong Cabinet after it. At an
early date NJ. Gambetta will possibly
take some opportunity of explaining his
views as to the work that ought to be
done next session, and when he has
spoken, the prospects, not only of the
present Cabinet, but Of the Chamber of
Deputies, which was elected last year
to support NJ. Gambetta's policy, as it
WAS then believed, will be clearer than
they are now.-Lo72H~% Tines.