FRANCE. 



301 



!. Mans, 34; Paris, Yaugirard, 44; Paris, 

 Rue Lhornond, 80; Paris, Hue de Madrid, 19; 

 Amiens, 62; Avignon, 48; Poitiers, 65 ; Al- 

 giers, 22; and Oran, 18. The. disability would 

 also affect 2t> other communities, having 01 

 establishments and 1,089 teachers. The rec- 

 ognized communities, whose establishments 

 would not be interfered with, but whose mem- 

 bers would eventually be subjected to the 

 same examinations as lay teachers, instead of 

 obtaining episcopal certificates, called "letters 

 of obedience," are 28 in number. They have. 

 2,443 schools, 768 colleges, and 22,769 teach- 

 ers. Most of the clauses of a bill were voted 

 on March 19th, which provided that within four 

 years normal schools for the instruction of 

 primary schoolmasters and schoolmistresses 

 should be established in every department of 

 France. 



M. Paul de Cassagnac's election was on tiie 

 19th declared valid. On the 23d the Cham- 

 ber of Deputies decided by 880 to 131 votes 

 in favor of convening both Houses of the Legis- 

 lature in Congress, with a view of revising 

 that article of the Constitution which fixed 

 the seat of the Legislature at Versailles. On 

 April 1st a motion brought forward by the Gov- 

 ernment in the Senate was adopted, postpon- 

 ing until after Easter the consideration of the 

 question. The Chambers adjourned on April 

 5th. The Senate met again on May 8th, but 

 adjourned until the 12th, and again until the 

 15th, when the Chamber also reassembled. On 

 May 23d the Senate adopted a bill adding eight 

 members to the Council of State. On May 27th 

 Admiral Jaureguiberry and General Gresley 

 were elected life-members of the Senate. In 

 the Chamber, on the same day, M. Clemenceau 

 proposed a resolution for the liberation of Blan- 

 qui, to enable him to appear to defend his elec- 

 tion ; but the Government opposed, and the 

 motion for urgency was rejected by 272 to 171. 

 On June 5th the time expired in which Presi- 

 dent Grevy had the power of amnesty, without 

 this privilege having been applied to Blanqui, 

 and he was therefore ineligible for the Cham- 

 ber. The debate on Blanqui's liberation was 

 marked by one of the stormiest meetings of 

 this session. In the course of it M. Le Royer, 

 Minister of Justice, said that M. Clemenceau 

 could not share the Csesarean doctrine of right 

 versus legality, invoked by a man who, violat- 

 ing all the laws of his country and exulting in 

 his crime, dared to say, " I depart from legal- 

 ity to reenter into right." M. Paul de Cassa- 

 gnac here interrupted the speaker, demanding 

 that he should withdraw the word crime ; and 

 when the President attempted to call him to 

 order, a perfect uproar arose. After this had 

 ceased, M. de Cassagnac disclaimed having dis- 

 puted the authority of the Chair, but com- 

 plained that M. Le Royer had insulted theBo- 

 napartists by declaring that the Empire had 

 originated in a crime. If the President would 

 condemn that expression, he himself would 

 withdraw anything too strong he had uttered. 



Ho regretted the scene, but hoped the Presi- 

 dent would censure M. Le Royer's words. The 

 President said he should not have hesitated to 

 condemn any insulting or ofieiibive term such 

 as the word u criminals," but M. Le Royer had 

 simply spoken of an historical event according 

 to bis right and his conscience. A censure was 

 then voted on M. de Cassagnac. 



On the 14th the Senate took up the discus- 

 sion of the bill for the return of the Chambers 

 to Paris. M. Waddington, who opened the de- 

 bute, said: "The Government, after having ex- 

 amined the question under every aspect, and 

 with every means of inquiry at its disposal, 

 declared, without the slightest hesitation, that 

 the return of the Chambers to Paris involved 

 no inconvenience and no kind of danger." The 

 principal speech against the return was made 

 by M. Laboulaye. He summed up the argu- 

 ments on his side as follows : " When we speak 

 of Paris, the great industrial and commercial 

 Paris must first be taken into consideration. 

 Do you think that commerce and industry de- 

 rive any advantage from, I will not say revolu- 

 tions, but from a certain agitation, from orders 

 falling off, from anxiety creeping up on every 

 side, and labor being less in demand ? You have 

 not received a single petition on the part of 

 commercial and industrial Paris." He pointed 

 out that the Exhibition did not fail for want 

 of the Chambers ; that the Paris of arts and 

 sciences got on as well without as with them ; 

 that foreigners flocked thither as usual, and 

 did not ask for their return. Political Paris 

 remained, for he would not assert that there 

 were not certain persons who did desire the 

 return, but even political Paris was far from 

 unanimous. M. de Freycinet answered M. 

 Laboulaye. He concluded as follows : " By 

 making Versailles the seat of government after 

 every preceding regime has had Paris for its 

 seat of government, you proclaim that the re- 

 public does not seem to you in a position to do 

 what preceding governments have done. In 

 saying that you would consent later to do what 

 does not seejn to you prudent just now, you 

 are declaring that the present situation is not 

 satisfactory. Well, the whole Cabinet says the 

 danger which alarms you does not exist. We 

 have thoroughly examined the situation you 

 dread, and we assure yon there is nothing that 

 ought to prevent the return to Paris." The bill 

 was finally passed by 149 votes to 1 30. The ma- 

 jority comprised 148 Republicans, 4 Bonapart- 

 ists, and 2 members of the Right not inscribed 

 in any particular group. The minority consist- 

 ed of 108 members of the Right (that is, almost 

 their entire force) and 22 Republicans. 



On the 16th the discussion of the Ferry bill 

 was resumed. M. de Cassagnac again became 

 violent and insulted the Government ; so that 

 M. Gambetta asked for an exclusion from the 

 Chamber for three days, which was granted 

 by the Chamber, the first instance of the kind 

 under the republic. On June 28th the gen- 

 eral debate was brought to a close. On the 



