Year: 1873

IMAGINATION is LIKELY "To SAVE SOCIETY,"


IFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE tribune


PARIS, Nov. 26.--Whether the MacMahon Republic,
that has saved society for seven days now, will live
out the years which most of those who voted 1t
that length of lease last week mean it shall not is
question for the uncertain future. That, while it
does continue 1t will continue to be what it was
chrStened at birth by one of Its ministering god
fathers, a Government of Combat" seems evident.
The Duke nominally at the head of it and the Duke
really at the head of it, with his associate Ministers
with slight changes among these last are the same
who came into power six months ago. In 1914,
Charles X, then Count d'Artois, prefacing the
advent of Louis XVIII, said or rather was next day
reported by Count Beugnot, to have said: There
is nothing changed. only one Frenohman the more"
The difference made by the 10th of November is that
we have or are tohave provisional constitution the
more We have had two in three years. The first
was chaos kept in heart by the so-caled Pact of
Bordeaux, which, while it lasted, each party justly
accused all other parties of trying to violate and
regretted inability to violate in its own interest.
The second was the so-called Constitution Rivet,
the principal provision of which was that M. Theirs
should remain President of the Republic so long as
the present Assembly existed. The principal charges
brought against him by the Ducal parties were that
it his pasme TO tear to tatters the sacred Pact
aforesaid his vice to rule personally. in defiance OF
sound parliamentary methods and without
homogeneous cabinet; his weakness and crime to
favor the establishment of the republic, that is radi
calism and destruction of society.


NJ. Theirs was not indeed forcibly cast out by the
Parliamentary coup d{tat of May 2 but was effect
lively forced TO retire by the influence of the Dukes,
combined with some floating members of the Cham
Der that stormy day. What can prevent similar
storm from again rising and driving out his sue
cessori MacMahons term of Office is fixed for seven
years as that of Theirs was fixed to coincide with
the duration of the Assembly only, and he and his
friends insisted that it only should be, by legsla-
tive enactment which may be repealed by the same
power that enacted il. But without going the
length of formally repeating the prolOnging law of
Nov. 10, as they did not need on May "A, formally
to abrogate the "Rivet Constitution" which is still
extant but dead among the statute laws what
guarantee is there that the actual oosebound Con
servative' majority will not some day be in MINOR
ityY In such case, what is 10 keep the Marshal,
who is honest" from keeping his word given three
times within the last five weeks. and each time in
anticipation of such possible easel and straightway
retiring untmely from his seven years Presidency


Some will readily answer these questions with the
confident assertion that the change from the Repub-
ican President Theirs to MacMahon President of
the Republic, is essentially more than a mere one
Constitution the more and triumphantly, not TO say
insolenly designate the difference by significantly
reminding you that Thiers was but civilian and
that MacMahon is a soldier. With that they can
commend to your perusal the stenographers report
of the sayings and doings in the Assembly last Mon
day 1t is worth the while First, there was
reading of a message from the President of the Re-
public. thanking the Assembly for the recently ac-
corded proongation of his powers 1t is as brief,
positive emphatic an order OF the day. The
longest of its three sentences runs as follows: L
shall meet, trust your expectations; you VIII
always find in me a firm supporter OF order
and faithful defender of the decisions OF the AS
sembly." One need be no adept teSread between
these lines written to the exclusive address of the
conservative" majority lmostlv frankly orreservedly
royalists) of the National Assembly. Should any
shadow of doubt still rest its Interpretation, it
will he dssipated by the speech of the Duke de
Broclie uttered at a later hour. Like all of this
noble academcal politicians speeches, it was care
fully prepared and studiOusly committed TO memory
1t was pronounced on occasion OF an Interpolation
from members of the Left Center, bearing princi-
pally upon tho ministerial delays Of the partial
elections and abiding to the notoriously fawning
participation of Ministers of the Republic IN the
royalist intrgues of last Summer.


The substantial points made or attempted to be
made by NJ de Broglie that all things done in the
interest of social order, which is In terrible danger
of being burned up with petroleum, are well done
if done against radicaism, that Is Republcanism
that members Of the Cabinet of the President of the
Republic may most properly, in their individual
capacity, be active royal prOpagandists; that the
peculiarly alarming social peril of the day is fac
tious denial of the sovereignty of the Assembly that
is of the majority of the sovereign Assembly, which
i. paka all Rpnublican
>gandism alarmingly dangerous to society and as
defiant of the sovereignty constitutlonaly danna.
BILE and rightly to be suppressed.


Put these two together, the military Dukes mes
sage and the civic Dukes comment, add powers"
if they can enlarge them in proportion to their
accorded molongation and luck If they can have
IT, scruples are already subtracted and you have the
sum in brief of the position, plans and purposes
now held aud intended to be executed and pushed
over the nation and in its despite against the Re
unblie bv its actual President and the controlling
members of his Cabinet.


1.-THE best laid plans of mice and men gang aft
aoleep De Broglie is not great man. nor Is he
q statesman Clever, notably able political man.
aeer he has proved himself TO be. How far and
long his narrow, highly cultivated intellectual
force calm cunning and doctrinalre arrogance
combined can succeed in guiding the
French ship OF state dgdlnst INC Hiouoin
and national current of ideas and desires-against
the great aspiring breath of the vulgar people, and
the fatally rising democratic tide, which he, in his
undoubting conceit, desires will stay itself rather
than presume to overwhem him-this bril-
liantly blind leader may lead his followers along
the ditch without falling is question with its con-
nected phenomena, as curiously nsouble for the
moment as it is curious to follow toward solution.


W. II. II.



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