Year: 1876

an Executive that in the administration of
the government of republic went too near,
as it was thought, to the notion that the
majority should rule Thiers was driven
out because he made no secret of his opinion
that the elements of the political future were
toward the Left, and MacMahon was put in
power as the safe type of conservative re-
action. His first Cabinet was formed by the
Duke de Broglie, and the moDarchists recov-
cred their hopes but the republicans drove
the government from point to point, until the
strongest representative of tho conservative
reaction was NJ. Buffet, who had been one of
the social republicans of 1S48, and an ex-
treme liberal, for those times, in the Cabinets
of President Louis Bonaparte. One might
fancy there was no great comfort for conser-
yatism in a character of that sort, and no fact
to greatly distress or excite the republicans
yet when the elections came Buffet was
dealt with as extravagantly by the voters
as was that American man-of-war by the sea
when, in an earthquake on the South Ameri'
can coast, she was lifted from her anchorage
and deposited somewhere on the slope of the





conservative revolt against Theirs, went out
n new Ministry was constructed which pre-
sumably represents the Presidents ideas of
something more liberal than Buffet, and
against this new Ministry the republicans
raise their voices and denounce its appoint
ment as q violation of recognized constitu-
tional principles.


In all this there seems to be very great and
rapid progress in France in the development
of republican ideas, and if this progress were
as great and sudden as it seems we might
apprehend that our friends over there were
going too fast and would presently tumble
over an abyss. In fact, this appearance of
rapid progress is only due to the false indi-
cations given by the late Assembly, which
are confused with the fairer evidences of the
state of political opinion in the country.
The general elections held last month are
the first that have taken place in five years,
and they represent the ideas that have
secured firm hold upon the public mind
within that period-the opinion that has
steadily grown up in the presence of all the
crises and changes, the mines and coun-
termines of the politicians, that the safest
system of government for the country is the
republican system. If only few months
ago a contrary opinion seemed to prevail
we must not assume that the country was
then of that opinion and has now changed
to its present opinion. That contrary opin-
ion was held by M. Buffet, or perhaps
even by Marshal MacAIahon. 1t was an in
dividual view of what the opinion of the
country was, or perhaps only pretence
to cover party purposes. But the vote cor
rects all and shows that it was a mistake.
Rightly interpreted the vote should also
have shown to the Marshal that his latest
Ministry is also mistake


1t was an error that may, perhaps, be ex-
cused to the non-political Marshal MacMa-
hon to have given the formation of a new
an error nevertheless, for he was not the
gentleman designated by the circumstances.
But, taking NJ Dufaure for granted, that
gentleman himself has in the choice of his
associates not done justice to the opinions
that were entertained Of his tact and political
perceptions. In political sense it is the
same old ship, covered with n thin coat of
paint and called by new name. Indeed.
that is the best that can be said of it, for in
some particulars it is worse than the same
old ship. 1t is called Ministry of the Left
Centre. If all the republicans elected to the
Assembly be counted at three hundred they
may be divided thus:-Left Centre, fifty; re-
publican Left, one hundred and fifty; Ex-
treme Loft, one hundred. From the weakest
faction of the republicans, therefore, the
Ministry is chosen, which is certainly the
pretencc of the Marshal and his supporters
to know what the country wants better than
the country knows it, or is otherwise de-
fance Of the people Yet the position of this
Cabinet with regard to support in the As
sembly, rs not hopeless for nil the elements
of opposition to the republicans will number
about two hundred With these and the
fifty of the Left Centre the Ministry can di-
vide the Chamber against the republicans,
whose two hundred and fifty, made up in so
great degree from the Extreme Left, will
be far from compact


PRESIDENT MAcMAuoN's ADDRESS to the
French Legislature is more deinitive of his
policy than any of his recent messages. He
is evidently earnest in his wish to maintain
the Republic and to protect it from its enc
mics until il has been fully tested by time.
He properly argues that power cannot have
higher origin than that power which was
given to the Executive and the legislature
by the recent vote of the people. If
MacMahon is not Washington, he is GER
tainly emulating Washingtons example; and
France is fortunate in having chief magis-
trate who seems to obey no party but obeys
the nations will.


Is 1T LITTLE KIL?-Several days ago we
cOpiel from tbo TTtioo OLccr,.or m cfototoapt