Year: 1872




Our latest news from France, although of
a slightly more hopeful character, does not
encourage the belief that the present crisis is
to be got over easily or without danger. The
deadlock continues. The Assembly is divided,
and the majority in the Assembly is opposed
to the President The President stands upon
his dignity, the Assembly asserts its right;
and SO, for the present, the situation seems
somewhat desperate. 1t was our hope that
the committee of the Assembly appointed to
draw up reply to the Presidents message
would, taking into account the peculiar diff
culties Of tho general situation, successfully
endeavor to meet the Presidents wishes and
SO bring about o compromise This hope has
been blasted. The committee has divided,
and there is but small prospect of reconcilia-
ton. Yesterday the majority report was read
in the Assembly. According to the despatch
it is strong indictment against the radical
party and it insists on the establishment of
responsible Ministry as means of fighting
radicalism. It was the desire of the majority
that the report be taken up and disposed Of
Immediately. The Assembly, however, yielded
to the wishes of the minority, and by vote
of three hundred and ffty-six against three
hundred and thirty-two agreed to postpone
the consideration of the report until Thurs
day. On the other hand we are told that the
minority have adopted resolution, which is
to be proposed to the Assembly, and which
contemplates the nomination of a committee Of
thirty-fve members, with instructions to pre-
sent bill providing for the establishment of
Ministerial responsibility and embodying the
constitutional forms necessary to secure the
regular working of q republican government
The President. it is said, approves of the reso-
luton. General MacMahon, at the reception,
was observed to be on the most friendly terms
with the President, and General Ladmirault
assured the President that the city Of Paris
was with him in his conflict with the As
sembly. It is not wonderful that there should
be in Paris and, indeed, all over France, con-
siderable excitement because Of the state of
things at Versailles. The confession is freely
made that the crisis is pregnant with peril. The
radical journals are unsparing in their abuse
of the legitimists, Orleanists and imperialists;
and revolution is declared to be inevitable if
the government of Theirs is overthrown.


The situation is far from being satisfactory
At the same time, it must be admitted, there
is nothing in the present situation Of affairs
which entities it to be spoken Of as o surprise
It has long been manifest that unless Presi-
dent Theirs could so modify the workings of
the government machine as to meet the wishes
of some of his friends and not few Of his
enemies he would find it necessary to deal
with a recusant Assembly. It would be as
absurd, as it would be unjust to say that for
the bringing about of the present crisis Presi-
dent Theirs is alone responsible History
will never allow it to be forgotten that when
France was PROSTATE and completely at the
mercy of the foe NJ Theirs was called upon by
the united voice Of his countrymen to take
hold of the helm and save the ship of state
from ruin. Nor will it ever be forgotten that
having seized the helm he held it firmly, and
largely, if not completely, accomplished the
task which he undertook. In two years no
ruler Of France ever accomplished so much
for the actual good of his country. Not to
speak of the treaty Of peace which he made
with the German invader or of the destruction
of the Communal, what has he not done
for France since France was COM
pletely restored to herself? He has
restored her commercial prosperity; he
has built up her finances he has
commanded the confidence Of the money
holders of the world; he has in eighteen
months paid off one-half Of q war indemnity
which was sufficient to crush any ordinary
nation, and which but for him might have
ruined France he has reorganized the army
and made it, if not the equal of its German
rival, at least one of the most powerful mill
tary organizations on the Continent of Eu-
rope and, in addition to all this, he has done
more than has been done by any one man, or
by any administration, since the commence
ment of the present century, to reconcile the
French people, in country and in town, to re-
publican institutions. That in circumstances
of peculiar difficulty President Theirs has done
well must be honestly admitted by every i'm
partial student of the events of these times.
He has done well, however, because he had,
for some reason or other, an obedient Assem-
bly, at his back. Without such an Assembly
his success would have been impossible. The
difficulty of his position to-day is much
less the result of any blunders he has made
than Of the success which he has achieved.
He was the one man whom the factions could
trust when the country was weary Of war,
PROSTATE and bleeding at every pore, and
when no one faction was strong enough to
attempt to lead He was strong not
because he represented the Orleanists or the
legitimists, or the imperialsts or the repub-
hcans, but because, for the time, he repre-
sented France. Now, however, that France has
somewhat recovered from the disastrous blow
which she received at Sedan, the natural
vanity Of the nation is again revealing itself,