Evening star., 1923-06-03
MacMahon Elected
President of France.

MacMahon Elected certainty. A
| President of France. nrgsnt,a,,on rpaD,, : :
was effected while the Prussians were
still in part possession OF the French
territory, and was later made def
mite by the election Of Thiers as
president In May. 1873, a monarch
| cal reaction took place with the ele-
walton to the presidency OF Marshal
MacMahon. This change is thus dis
| cussed in The Star OF May 81, 1873:
Marshal MacMahon. the new presi-
dent of France. elevated by a com
bination OF the. Legitimists, Orlean-
lists and Bonapartists in the national
assembly, is more Of soldier than q
statesman. His whole life from his
youth has been spent in the military
service of that country. in which
service he has frequently distinguish
ed himself. not less by his skill than
Gy his personal heroism. As soldier
he did gallant service in Algeria and
| in the siege of Antwerp in the war
for the liberation of Belgium. In the
Crimean war he distinguished him
self at the storming of the Malakoff.
and also in the sanguinary Italian
battles of Magenta and Solferino, the
former OF which yielded him the title
of Duke of Magenta. The personal
friend and favorite general Of Napo-
leon III, and a successful soldier.
brilliant achievements were expected
of him in the Franco-Prussian war.
But he. like the other French leaders.
went down before the superior forces
of the German empire. and his defeat
at Woerth and subsequent surrender at
Sedan, the Waterloo of his imperial
master, Napoleon III. were mainly
due to the decentralization which had
army, and to lack of ability on the
part of the commanding general.
Palikao.
LAS we have stated. MacMahon has
never figured as politician, but in
all of the changes which have be-
inant regime and obeyed orders like
soldier. On account of his personal
friendship for the late emperor. he
was looked upon with suspicion afteg
the downfall of Napoleon, and for his
services in the war against the COM
munist insurgents of Paris he, Of
course. became unpopular with the
latter but as an offset won the ad
miration of the conservatives. The
, opposition doubtless fixed upon him
as the successor OF NJ. Theirs, because
! he was the only man on whom the
, ,anti-republican members of the ma
tionaI assembly could unite. His
natural timidity as politician is
shown in his address to the assembly
in which he promises to implicitly
obey their instructions.
THE tendency of the new govern
ment is, however. seen more in the
new cabinet appointment than in the
election of a president. The Duke of
, Broglie, who heads the ministry, Is
known to be a rampant Bonapartist.
while Pierre Magne and Gen. De Cis-
sey are also said to be strong mon
archists.
"It is difficult to see the final phase
of the transition state through
which France is passing. The re-
publican element in Paris is just
now too strong to justify the domi
nant party in any open movement
looking to the re-establishment OF
monarchy, but that the latter form of
government Is their ultimate object
there is good reason to believe. The
strong republican minority. headed by
the aged but belligerent, Theirs, who
has taken his seat in the assembly as
their leader. still constitute a strong
element in that body, and are eager
ly watching every new move of the
majority. II the latter are wise they
will not seek to make any radical
change in the policy of the govern
ment at present. An attempt to do
so. under existing circumstances,
would undoubtedly add one more to
the long list of bloody French reyo-
lutions"