Year: 1870

Ministerial Statement Of the Policy Of the
Nntion-Parliamentary Freedom and Citi-
zen cpcndence-Bonaparte's Policy to
be Repaired-Paris to vindicnte the Nation
The Country to be Defended to the Last
Extreme.


PARIS Sept. 10, VIA LONDON 10Th.


hasten to forward to the HERALD by cable report
q synopsis of French government circular which
has been issued by Minister Jules Favre addressed
70 the representatives OF the republic in foreign
countries, and which they directed to communi-
cate IN its completeness to the Powers to which
they are accredited.


He explains why the elections for members Of the
Constituent Assembly have been fixed at an earlier
date than was at nrst proposed. Objection had
been made that the present provisional government
at Paris not regular-a fact that we were forced
to admit The urgency of the case is also presented
in strong language. 1t was the first duty OF the
4 government to defend the soil and preserve its
honor, and then return the delegated power
TO the people without violence Nothing is
TO be expected from Prussia. Her supreme
win and exatatiOn at success are irrecon-
cllable with calm impartiality and statesmanshlp.
Two hundred thousand victims have already
been sacrificed to her ambition in this impious war;
and IL liz certain she will dictate to France cond-
tions that this momentary and incompetent govern.
ment should not accept Hence we convoke the
Assembly freely chosen, to decide. What we ask
is only to give the country our hearts and our
blood Then let France decide, not our transient
authority, but immortal France raising itself to
confront Prussia France, released from the winding
sheet Of the empire-France free and generous
ready to immediate itself for right and liberty. Dis.
avowing all these exalted political ideas Of the old
government, France has now no higher ambition
than to remain mistress Of herself in order to de-
velOp her moral and material resources, and labor
fraternaly with her neighbors in the development
OF civilization 1t is this France, recovering her
free action, that now asks for a cessation of the
war. But she will prefer thousand field disasters
to dishOnOr. The very ones who awoke the storm
now falsely say the country Is willing to YIELD This
may mislead abroad, but not here. France wishes
prosperity, commerce and civilization, but prefers
disaster to dshOnor. It is the duty Of France
to repair. as far as possible, the evils Of the
past government The French elections Of 1869 meant
peace on the part OF the people-peace with citizen





this sentiment, and this alone to the hands OF the
imperial government The men who were In the
Legislative Chambers OF that day defeated the idea.
They cheered Gramm0nts war Illumination speech
against Prussia just as lively as they had cheered
OIlivier's pacific declarations q short time before.
No person dare affirm thar If the French nation had
been freely consulted it would have made war on
Germany. 1t was wrong, certainly, to tolerate the
late government and its acts for such heightened
period Of time. France Will now do everything that
is possible to repair the mischief The liabilities Of
France in this cannot reasonably be held TO be
Sreater than the compensation for The evils occa-
stoned and reparatiOn IN SO far the does not
involve self destruction.


Should Prussia attempt, however, to OveTwhelm
the French nation as now represented in the Cham.
bers, by military force, the government and the
people will resist to the last acts Of war; resist TO the
EXTREMIST desperation Of battle. To the Power now
seeking to crush us we must oppose desperate re-
sistance until the nation is able to speak through
the Constituent Assembly, freely chosen. snake
- Powers understand this" ADDS M. Favre.
Mankind must admire but pity the spectacle OF
Paris, without looking to the right or the left or
backwards but with its eyes fixed on the great and
simple duty Of defending It's fresides and Its
freedom


I may add, says the HERALD writer, that this CIR
cuIar of Jules Favre meets the universal approba-
tiOn of the people.


Ihe Russian Ambassador left Paris for St. Peters
burg almost Immediately after the circular was
issued.