Year: 1870

restrictive measures has been right;-if despotsm'
puro and simple, has been the only thing Tor
how con the present system DO right too ana Roou
for Francef That 1t Is argued. the Emperor does hos
believe in the present state OF things lie mas ho'ci
changed his views but he consents TO try the expert
ment Of q moro liberal government wen, 'he"'
who forced him to consent to this changer has ho
not always declared that the free will OF france anu
the will of God combined have made hlm lne
Supreme Ruler of France and that he must DO sup
posed to know what Is best for his chiiuteh Al
either case, whether he has been driveh from '"o
position In which he thought himself 1Dtrencheu
beyond the reach of change. or whether ne mas
simply been forced to yield up the reins Of power Tor
time does any one sincerely believe that III MS
secret heart the man is not conscious bitterly con-
scious. of defeat Z The new generation, which re-
pudiates mperiaism is 80 sure Of its power that IL
spares the Napoleon of this Waterloo the material
physical disgraces that Lis uncle had to sufter but
for all that he knows-none better-that IL lsa
Waterloo His palaces, his carriages, his superflnity
of cash remain to him and will remain for the short
time he has to live and he will. l dare say, die,
when his time comes, under some one OF the many
stately roofs the French have built for their kings
but long before that day all but the barren sembance
of power will have passed from his grasp.


STILL for the present almost anything seems prefer
able to the shilyshally attitude Of tho Government
and of parties during the last four months The
Emperor's WILL after futtering feebly about among
different men and different projects, has at last set
tied down into something that has the appearance OF
defniteness. For few weeks, at least. wo shall
have what may deserve to be called Government,
blessing that since the middle of August, we have
been practically without. 1t is gain even II 1t can
no. bo reckoned very great one that after all tho
indecisons, the false promises, the assurances oil
unanmty that the newspapers have been full OF Tor
the last month"; we are at last sure that Olivier is
Minister for the nonce, and that certain men nave
accepted his invitations to join him in making
Ministry. All the discussions surmises. and false
reports from of the highest authority. which
have been accumulating since the Emperors letter
TO M Olivier arc cleared ont of way Us so much
rubbish, aud we have nothing to do. now, but to
wait until more shall have accumulated, process
that wo may be tolcraby certain will not take long
time.


As for the new Cabinet 1t Is composed OF very
well educated very honorable very mediocre, men
men scarcely known outside of Paris, and who are
as much an experiment as is the system they are
charged with the onerous duty of establishing But.
a Ministry of mcdiocrties is the only thing possible
in France under the present Government. The men
of intellect of moral force. of political convictions
who are the glories of France, and who are to mold
her future are careful to declare that they have no
part nor lot with those who sit to-day in her high
places under the shadow of swords. Their prlnc-
pies are the principles Of men like Jules FavTe who
not long ago. declared that lie would not touch tho
hand Of any man who had taken part i'll the
Coup d. Etat, or who belonged TO the Coy
ernment founded on that crime. These men bide
their time They are not dreamcrs but cool, clear
headed practical men, the sincerity of whose pollti-
cal principles and whoseihigh personal character no
one doubts. What all parties want to avoid is civil
war; bloody revolution. Whether they can avoid
it. remains to be secn but the effort is being made
If Louis Napoleon can keep from meddling. and if
the men ho allows to work at the tearing down Of
the edice he has been eighteen years abuiding use
their time WELL enough incompetent or mischievous
mon may be got out of the way, enough administra-
tive abuses corrected and enough bad laws annulled
10 take away excuse for violence after the death of
the man to whom owe all these evils and the in
eyitable Republic may come with peace, III tho full
ness of fine.


Meanwhile the new ministry has begun its w,orl,
with spirit No one can say that il has not clearly
defined programme that it is not carrying 1t out
with energy and consistency And the Emperor.
too suffers himself to be led along by tho y0ung Oh
liyier, as meeky and INCREASINGLY as lamb to the
slaughter The first great sacrifice no made was that
o.
whose work has made this city an eighth wonder of


the world in the eyes Of cockney tourists and ariso
cratic Americans, but who has made himself hateful
to the vast majority of Parisians. rich and poor
alike. Long before this, you will have heard all
the particulars of his dismissal You will have
read how the ministry made the sacrifice OF the
despotic Projects head the first condition of their
acceptauce of power. How the Emperor meeky
plead that att least, Baron Haussmann might be
left him. bnt could obtain concession from the stern
and seadfast young Olivier and. how. finally, he
wiote one of his paternal notes to Haussmann, beg
qng him TO resign. How Haussmann refused to re-
Sign, and demanded 10 be heard in his own defense.
and how all Of no avail, and how, porsisting in
his refusal, he was quietly turned ont. There was q
tender leave-taking at tho Tuileries and they say
the Empress wept, and pressed tho Prcfect's hand
But Paris has heard the news with satisfaction
there was no head that Olivier could have de-
manded of tho Emperor that tho city would have
preferred to Baron Uaussmann's. Then followed
two three smaller measures which have increased
the favorable impression The journals, the Rappel
the Marseiildise, the Rftorme and tho Rere,i
now allowed to be sold in the streets aud in the
Kiosques no distinction being any longer made in
this regard between them and the other newspapers
of Paris Thank you for nothing" says the Rap
pei. 1--WE never asked for the removal OF this alb
sur restriction nor authorized any one 10 ASK III lot
u.s. 1t never did us any harm. and we rather liked
it, for it made the Government look ridiculous. Our
sales have always been uncomfortably large, and
'tsnt likely that the permission granted by the
Government will make them any larger Meanwhile,


if our friends prefer to buy their Rdppe,s ut tho
Mosques and at the street corners, We are glad
for their sakes To us, 1t makes no difference"
Finally. what is not TO be considered small thing.
Ledru -Rollin is now free to enter France. You will
remember that, on the publication Of the amnesty