Year: 1874

yot seem equal to their malice. A year ago
NJ. Thiers was the nominal President, but he
was 40 hampered by his environments and by
his ancient compromises with his timid friends
of the Right that he was incapable OF setting
out boldly in the path of the definite
constitution of the Republic. To-day, al
though he sits with the minority, his infiu-
ence is better and stronger than when
he exercised a vaoillating and disputed
authority in the name of the two Centers.
Tho masses of the people are growing
more and more alive to the weight OF the
questions before them. At every election they
testify by overwhelming majorities to their
hearty Republican faith. The Government
naturally strain every nerve to regain thelr
lost supremacy at the polls, and their sue
cessive failures are the most gratifying PROOF
of the capacity of the people to use ana proht
by universal suffrage. There was one moment
last year when the Republic was menaced
by the gravest danger which has
assaied it since it came into lie Oh
the payements of Paris in 1870. The mon
archists of the Chamber had prepared a
scheme of Bourbon restoration which mlght
possibly have succeeded, had not the mind Oh
their candidate been. let us say, dlVihe'y
inspired to destroy by one utterance OF arro-
CANT folly the conspiracy arranged Win 80
much labor and pains. 1t is hardly propaoie
that another equal danger is IN STORE Ior 'ho
Democracy of France. Throughout Europe
the cause of reaction is making what seems
to us a losing fight.


At home we have also cause for reason
able degree of satisfaction, though there If no


80, for oxuytatiop. If Gen. Grant has not
made that steady progress in political theory
and conduct which we desired for him year
ago, he has refrained from much which he
might have done which would have been
worse than anything he has done. The
Senate has held itself up as an awful
warning to the House Of Representa-
tives and the nation, and we are not
without hope that the exhibition may result
in general edtcatiOn. The Civil Service Re-
form has not accomplished what ITS sangnne
friends anticipated, but it has promoted a
good deal of innocent gayety, and has walked
the pen of it's former chief and cham
pion to unwonted and gratifying actlv-
ity. The Louisiana business has not
vet begun to smell sweet and blossom,
but there is q ray of hope in he fact that
Judge Durell is willing to resign or second
class mission. There are sporadic cases OF
resignation reported from quart - OF such
official tenacity that we cannot Aelp hoping
they may be the first drops of refreshing
shower. AS partisanship has almost entirely
ceased in the agricultural regions, perhaps 1t
il losing some of its despotc power In
Washington.


If we come back from the nation to the
State, we are no longer left III doubt as to
whether we have made good year OF It,
Gen. Dix has made an excellent Governor.
The people in their Autumn elections voted
generally for THE TRIBUNE candidates and
elected them, and we hope they will never
regret it. Mr.. Tweed wears motley on the
Island, and the inscription on his cell informs
the world that his occupation is statesman
ship and that he has no religion-a standing
warning against craftsmanship and incentive
TO religion. There has been panic and Its
effects were deeply felt in many quarters.
But its results have shown us what remark
able man we possess in Mr.. Richardson, and
the fact that the country is not ruined by HIM
and the panic combined has restored public
confidence in our indestructibiiity On the
whole, while we may properly work to make
other years better than the last, we have rea-
son to be thankful that it was no worse.