FRANCE. 



345 



An order of the day expressing confidence in 

 the statement of the minister was adopted 

 unanimously. In the Senate, on June 8th, the 

 Government obtained a victory over the party 

 of the Duke de Broglie and M. Buffet, who 

 tried to put the ministry in a minority by con- 

 testing its right of fixing the date of the sen- 

 atorial elections. M. Dufaure refused to give 

 any pledge on the subject five or six months 

 beforehand, and the order of the day pure and 

 simple, although opposed by most of the Or- 

 leanists, was carried by 140 to 133. Both 

 Chambers adjourned on June llth, on the un- 

 derstanding that, unless specially convened by 

 their presidents, they would not reassemble 

 until October 28th. The Chambers met again 

 on October 28th, but without transacting any 

 business they adjourned until November 4th. 

 The Chamber of Deputies on that day took up 

 the question of M. de Cassagnac's election, 

 which was declared invalid on the 7th. On 

 the 15th the Senate elected three life-members : 

 M. Baragnon, Legitimist; M. Oscar de Valle"e, 

 Bonapartist ; and the Count d'Haussonville, Or- 

 leanist. The Chamber continued its investiga- 

 tions into the election of its members, and 

 unseated a number of Conservative deputies, 

 among them M. de Fourtou, M. de Mun, and 

 the Duke Decazes. On the 26th the report of 

 the Budget Committee was laid before the 

 Chambers. The total expenditure was put 

 down at 2,696,664,375 francs, and the revenue 

 at 2,714,672,014 francs. The committee pro- 

 posed to reduce the latter to 2,701,080,014 

 francs, which would permit abolitions and re- 

 ductions of taxes to be made. On December 

 14th M. Waddington in the Senate made a 

 statement respecting the foreign policy of 

 France. That policy, he said, had not varied 

 since the close of the Congress. It was em- 

 bodied in the instructions given to the French 

 plenipotentiaries at Berlin. They were to de- 

 fend the interests of France, to maintain peace, 

 to do nothing to compromise French neutrality, 

 and to avoid all engagements concerning the 

 future. These conditions had been scrupu- 

 lously respected, and France left the Congress 

 as free as she entered it. With regard to 

 Greece, M. Waddington said, in the action 

 which France had initiated to secure for that 

 country a sufficient frontier, she would not be 

 isolated, but would act in concert with all the 

 Powers. 



The party in favor of establishing and sus- 

 taining the republic grew in strength during 

 the whole year. The municipal elections held 

 at the beginning of the year resulted in con- 

 siderable gains to the Republicans. Reelec- 

 tions held on the 27th of January to fill seats 

 which had been declared invalidated sustained 

 the decision of the Assembly, and resulted in 

 the return of Republicans to all the seats 

 in place of the Conservatives who had been 

 thrown out. The second list of elections, March 

 3d, was less favorable to the Republicans, the 

 Left gaining 10 seats and the Right 4. Two of 



the latter were gained by the Right in 1877. 

 On March 17th 3 additional Republicans were 

 elected. On April 7th 15 elections were held, 

 14 districts returning the Republican candi- 

 dates, while in the other a second ballot was 

 necessary, which on the 21st was also gained 

 by the Republicans. Eight elections on May 

 5th returned 6 Republicans and 2 Conserva- 

 tives. In 22 elections held on July 7th 17 Re- 

 publicans and 3 Conservatives were returned, 

 while in two districts a second ballot was ne- 

 cessary. Before many weeks of the year had 

 passed, the Republicans found themselves in a 

 position to carry the Senate for all their moder- 

 ate measures. This was secured by a breaking 

 up in the ranks of the Conservatives, which 

 resulted in the secession of the Constitutional- 

 ists from the Right, and their adhesion to the 

 Government, now substantially identified with 

 the moderate Republicans. Among the first 

 results of this movement was that, shortly 

 after the state-of-siege bill was passed by the 

 aid of the Constitutionalists in the Senate, 

 M. Garnbetta supported a motion to appoint 

 an order of the day for the budget of receipts, 

 on the ground that the time had come to as- 

 sert the confidence of the House in the Gov- 

 ernment and the future of the republic ; and 

 the motion was adopted by a vote of 436 to 34. 



The Republicans gradually came to a better 

 understanding with Marshal MacMahon, and, 

 having disembarrassed themselves of his oppo- 

 sition to their programme, became convinced 

 that it would be for their interest and the in- 

 terest of the nation for him to remain in office 

 for the full period of his term. The respect 

 for the Marshal grew to such an extent that by 

 the close of the year the expediency and pro- 

 priety of making him the candidate to succeed 

 himself in the Presidency was discussed among 

 some of the Republicans, and M. Gambetta 

 was represented as not being unfavorable to 

 the scheme. 



M. Gambetta made a tour of France in Sep- 

 tember, and was received everywhere with re- 

 joicings as the most pronounced Republican 

 leader. He made an address at Romans which 

 was regarded as embodying the programme of 

 the party. He justified the action and policy 

 of the Republicans, and the methods they had 

 pursued to carry out their measures. Refer- 

 ring to reports that prevailed attributing to 

 Marshal MacMahon the intention of resigning 

 the Presidency, he remarked that such an event 

 would involve no danger to the republic, since 

 a successor to the Marshal would be immedi- 

 ately appointed, and there would be no com- 

 petition for the post. But, he continued, " a 

 man invested with such an office must remain 

 at his post to the end. The President will not 

 resign ; he ought not, he can not, take such a 

 step." Proceeding to general topics, the speak- 

 er demanded that functionaries hostile to the 

 republic should be removed, while otherwise 

 he favored irremovability of the magistracy. 

 He eulogized the army, and indulged in some se- 



