358 



FRANCE. 



Orleanists and Bonapartists into a union with 

 the Opportunists, in order to combat the Radi- 

 cal tendencies of French politics, supported 

 the proposition. It was carried on December 

 3, by a vote of 262 to 249. The majority was 

 composed of 173 Eeactionaries, 67 members of 

 the Extreme Left, headed by M. Clemenceau, 

 16 of the Radical Left, and 6 other Republicans, 

 while 46 Republicans did not vote. The same 

 evening the ministers tendered their resigna- 

 tions to M. Grevy. The Left wished to force 

 the Government to abolish sub-prefects by giv- 

 ing a smaller majority than in favor of retain- 

 ing the sub-ministries, which was 24, but had 

 no desire to overturn the Cabinet. 



President Grevy requested M. Floquet, the 

 Speaker of the Chamber, to form a cabinet ; 

 but he could not be induced to sacrifice his 

 political chances as M. Brisson had done the 

 year before. On the 8th of December, after 

 first declining, M. Goblet accepted the task. 

 The new cabinet was gazetted on December 

 12. The Prime Minister took the portfolio of 

 the Interior, and provisionally that of Foreign 

 Affairs, which was first offered to Baron de 

 Courcel, but declined by him and then by M. 

 Billot; the Ministry of Finance was given to 

 M. Dauphin, who was a judge at Amiens ; M. 

 Berth elot, an eminent professor of chemistry, 

 was made Minister of Public Instruction ; M. 

 Sarrien became Minister of Justice, instead of 

 Minister of Internal Affairs ; Gen. Boulanger 

 and Admiral Aube remained at the head of the 

 ministries of War and Marine ; M. Granet re- 

 tained the portfolio of Posts and Telegraphs ; 

 M. Lockroy, that of Commerce; and M. Develie 

 remained Minister of Agriculture ; M. Millard 

 was appointed Minister of Public Works'. Aft- 

 er several diplomatists had declined to take 

 the portfolio of Foreign Affairs, it was given 

 to M. Flourens, Vice-President of the Council 

 of State. As the budget could not be com- 

 pleted before the end of the session, the Cham- 

 ber voted two months' expenditure on account. 



The Councils-General. The Monarchists hoped 

 to find in the councils-general of the depart- 

 ments a basis of operations for their campaign 

 against the republic, but were disappointed. 

 Of these bodies, which were opened all over 

 France on August 16, there were seventy -two 

 with Republican, and only eleven with Con- 

 servative majorities. Jules Ferry, in the Coun- 

 cil- General of the Vosges department, deliv- 

 ered a speech in which he appealed to the ene- 

 mies ot the republic to abandon their chimerical 

 hopes, and take an active and earnest part in 

 the politics of the country, forming a genuine 

 Conservative party, which is necessary for the 

 well-being of a rightly constituted republic. 

 The Radicals treated this declaration as treason 

 against republican principles, the Bonapartists 

 characterized it as an impudent proposition, 

 but the Orleanist journals promised Ferry and 

 his party a truce if they would follow moder- 

 rate counsels in ecclesiastical and economical 

 matters, and bring about the return of the 



princes. The Orleanists and Bonapartists car- 

 ried on a vigorous electoral agitation, and hoped 

 to show in the August elections for the depart- 

 mental councils a general reaction against the 

 republic in consequence of the expulsion of the 

 princes. They revealed the weakness of their 

 parties in only gaining by their extraordinary 

 efforts seven seats. The connection between 

 the councils and national politics is frequently 

 denied, yet the elections are generally regarded 

 as an indicator of the political sentiment of 

 the nation. In case of a revolution these bodies 

 possess, by virtue of the law of Feb. 15, 1872, 

 the power to control to a large extent the fate 

 of the nation. For this reason the revolution- 

 ary parties exert themselves to obtain as large 

 a representation as they can in the councils. 

 If at any time the legislative Chambers are 

 illegally dissolved, or prevented from meeting, 

 two delegates are to be chosen by the council 

 of each department, who shall constitute a 

 provisional assembly to take measures to restore 

 order and enable the Chambers to resume their 

 sessions, or after the lapse of a month to have 

 a Chamber elected by universal suffrage. 



The election of the elementary school boards 

 under the new law took place in the councils- 

 general in the middle of November. Of the 

 eighth-two departments only seven chose Cleri- 

 cals, while one elected two Republicans and 

 two Conservatives. 



The Affair at Chateauvillain. At Chateauvil- 

 lain, a small town in the Isere, a chapel, con- 

 nected with a factory, was ordered by the 

 sub-prefect to be closed. Public service had 

 been held in the chapel for forty years, but 

 without authorization, which is contrary to 

 the Concordat. The cure of the town, who 

 had been dismissed for an electoral misdemean- 

 or, was made minister of the chapel, and con- 

 ducted an active agitation against the republic 

 and the Republicans of the district. The sub- 

 prefect, when his orders were not obeyed, pro- 

 ceeded to close the chapel by force, but neg- 

 lected to apply to the manager for permission 

 to enter the premises, a preliminary formality 

 which the law prescribes. The manager of the 

 factory collected his work-people in the chapel, 

 and when the police appeared they were re- 

 ceived with insults and pelted with all kmds 

 of missiles, while Fischer, the manager, fired 

 two shots from a revolver at them. The police 

 returned the fire, wounding Fischer and killing 

 a woman. This affair was the subject of in- 

 terpellations in the Chamber, and of angry 

 attacks upon the Government by Count de 

 Mun and other Clerical representatives. 



Strike at Decazeville. A strike, which lasted 

 through the first half of 1886, occurred at a 

 mining village in Aveyron, that was founded 

 by the father of the late Due Decazesin 1830. 

 Some time after the original company failed, 

 other capitalists resumed operations, but of 

 late years the mines and iron-works have not 

 been profitable, and the wages of the workmen 

 were pressed down below living rates. The 





