Year: 1874

The Stirring News from France-The


Firm stand OF President MacMahon.


Ihe stirring news from France seems to


bring us nearer and nearer to that result


which s sooner or later inevitable, and


to which the true friends of the Republic


begin to look with increasing hope-the disso-


luton OF the Assembly. After one of those


stormy and exciting sessions now so common


In the Chamber the government was yester-


day defeated by majority of thirty in


an unusually full House, on O resolution


moved by M Paris, q member of the Right


Centre, ''That the Assembly, resolving to ener-


getlcally uphold the septennial powers con-


ferred upon Marshal MacaMhon, President


OF the Republic, and furthermore reserving


the questions submitted to the Committee on
Constitutional Bills, passes to the order of the
day. The Minister of War and Vice Presi-
dent Of the Council, General de Cssey, an
nounced that the government identified itself
with the nation on this resolution, and hence
the vote was an admitted Ministerial defeat
But Immediately after the result had been
announced several Deputies rose and moved
the order Of the day pure and SIM
ple which was adopted by a vote Of 339 to
3l5, thus affording a prompt salve for the
wound inflicted on the government and
showing the Pickering and uncertain
character of the majority. Notwith-
standing this latter vote, which might
have justified the government in claiming
drawn battle, the Ministers rendered their
designations to Marshal MacMahon, who per-
emptoriy refused to accept them. What fol-
lowed this decisive action Of the President is
the most important portion of the news. He
announced his intention, instead of changing
the Ministry on this defeat by singular
combination of republicans and legitimists, Of
the Left and Extreme Right, to transmit
message to the Assembly expressing his de-
termination to retain the powers conferred
upon him for the time assigned by law, and
to insist on the necessity for the complete
organization Of his powers by the Assembly.
Cabinet meeting is to be held to-day to de-
eide upon the exact terms of the promised
message.


This action Of the President must inevitably
bring about one of two results-either the SUBJ
mission of the Assembly to his demands or
its dissolution. In the former case we shall
have continuation of the shifting scenes to
which we have become accustomed-of major
tiles transferred from side to side-of curious
combinations made to-day, to be followed by
others yet more curious to-morrow-of in
trigues, plots and bargains to which the COM
position of the Assembly naturally leads. But
these will be of less consequence and less dis
turbing in their effects after the complete
organization Of the powers OF the President
has been conceded. On the other hand, if
the Assembly, by the combination which
yesterday defeated the government or by
any other should resist the demand made
by the President there will be no course
left to him but its dissolution. In ignoring
the defeat Of the resolution to ''energetically
uphold the septennial powers conferred upon
Marshal MacMahon," and in signifying that
his retention of the powers conferred upon
him for the time assigned by law is right
which he intends to maintain, the President
takes that branch of the subject, at least, out
of the reach of the Assembly, and leaves its
members to decide whether they will complete
the organization Of the Presidential powers or
return to their homes


Marshal MacMahon is master of the situa-
ton. With the army at his back accustomed
to face a crisis, confident in his strength and
in his ability to preserve the peace, he could
not fail to hold the upper hand in an appeal
to the country. Combinations made against
him in the Assembly would fall to pieces in
the elections and the Bonapartists, with their
persistent workers and their natural strength,
would be the only party that could make any
headway worthy of notice against conservative
republicanism. The grim soldier who so
mercilessly and so efectually crushed
out the life of the Commune might be relied
upon to check riotous demonstrations, and
he would be stronger in the position he has
resolved to hold ''for the time assigned by
law in a new Assembly than in the present
The crisis is one of more interest than French
crises have been since the well-remembered
birth of the Commune; but we see no reason
to anticipate at present any outbreak or any
coup Tetat other than that embraced in the
Presidents promised message; and if the dis
solution of the Assembly should follow we
shall look with hope to a result which will
strengthen the republican cause.


The Superintendent OF Police.