296 



FRANCE. 



retirement, M. Gr6vy, on November 23, an- 

 nounced his decision tc resign. He requested 

 M. Ribot to form a Cabinet, and charged him 

 to convey his message of resignation to the 

 Chamber. M. Ribot consented, but afterward 

 advised him to confer with the retiring minis- 

 ters, as the message was a political act, requir- 

 ing the approval of the Cabinet. He recalled 

 M. Rouvier and his colleagues, who consented 

 to continue in office only for the purpose of 

 delivering his message. Although he was told 

 by every responsible politician that his con- 

 tinuance in power was impossible, M. Gr6vy, 

 with the obstinacy of conviction and vacilla- 

 tion of purpose characteristic of his period of 

 life, after authorizing M. Rouvier again to an- 

 nounce his retirement in a note published on 

 November 26th, recalled the decision in the 

 afternoon. The minister told him that he was 

 at liberty to refrain from laying down his 

 functions, but that the ministers could not con- 

 tinue in office. After another conversation on 

 the following morning, the President author- 

 ized him to publish a note requesting the Cham- 

 bers not to meet till Thursday, Dec. 1, when 

 a message would be communicated to them. 



The fears and passions of the French were 

 wrought up by the prolongation of the crisis. 

 The Communists and Socialists of Paris carried 

 on an agitation against M. Ferry, and threat- 

 ened a rising if he were elected President. 

 His supporters among the moderate Republi- 

 cans were the more determined to press his 

 claims to the succession. Many of the Radi- 

 cals, with timorous persons of various parties, 

 and some who, like the President, desired to 

 preserve the constitutional principle of a fixed 

 term for the presidential office, and to keep it 

 beyond the reach of parliamentary attacks and 

 popular clamor, urged M. Gr6vy to withdraw 

 Jiis resignation. When the Chambers met on 

 December 1 to hear the message, M. Gr6vy 

 told the ministers that, in view of the danger 

 of insurrection, and of a popular demand from 

 all parts of France that he should defend the 

 Constitution and the prerogatives of his suc- 

 cessors, he could not retire. They offered their 

 resignation, which, they said, should be final, 

 and, returning to the Chamber, announced that 

 the President had altered his resolution, and 

 that they had in consequence resigned. The 

 house suspended its sitting for two hours, and 

 the Senate passed a similar resolution, while 

 the ministers informed the President. 



When the news of what had happened spread 

 abroad, the streets and squares filled with peo- 

 ple. The legislators were agitated by rumors 

 of a coup d'etdt and dread of a revolution, and 

 it would have been possible for a small band 

 of resolute men to gain possession of the hall. 

 The mob, however, had no revolutionary pur- 

 pose. The troops were vigilant, noisy demon- 

 strations were stopped, and in the evening 

 Louise Michel, the anarchist, and Paul D6rou- 

 lede, chief of the Patriotic League, were ar- 

 rested while leading processions. In the even- 



ing, meetings at Belleville and in the other 

 faubourgs were addressed by Gen. Endes, Mu- 

 nicipal Councilor Vaillant, Citizen Basly, and 

 other socialist deputies and revolutionary ora- 

 tors. Denunciation of Ferry formed the bur- 

 den of their speeches. He has incurred the 

 hatred of the democracy, and is decried as 

 "assassin" and "Tonquinese," not so much 

 because he is politically responsible for the 

 Tonquin expedition, but because he is supposed 

 to have made that and other acts, especially 

 his policy toward Germany, the means and the 

 cover of financial speculations, by which he 

 has acquired great wealth. Gen. Boulanger, 

 who, with other corps commanders, was or- 

 dered away from Paris, and left for his post, 

 was very little heard of. 



The Chamber resumed its sitting only to 

 adopt another resolution of adjournment in 

 expectancy of " the communication which was 

 promised it." On again coming to order, it 

 listened to a statement from M. Rouvier, who 

 announced that the President had no idea 

 of entering into a conflict with the national 

 representatives, and would on the following 

 morning make known his sentiments on the 

 situation. When the House met on December 

 2, M. Floquet read the message, which was 

 couched in the following terms : 



As long as I had only to contend with tho difficul- 

 ties that have accumulated in my path the attacks 

 of the press, the abstention of the men whom the 

 public voice called to my side, and the increasing im- 

 possibility to form a ministry I struggled on and 

 remained where duty bade me, but at the moment 

 when public opinion, better informed, marked a 

 change which gave me hope of forming a government, 

 the Senate and Chamber of Deputies voted a double 

 resolution, which, under the form of an adjournment 

 to a fixed hour to await the President's promised mes- 

 sage, is tantamout to summoning the President to re- 

 sign. It would be my duty and right to resist, but 

 under the circumstances in which we are placed a 

 conflict between the Executive and Parliament might 

 entail consequences which restrain me. Wisdom and 

 patriotism command me to yield. 



I leave to those who assume it tho responsibility 

 for such a precedent and for the events that may en- 

 sue. 1 relinquish without regret, but not without 

 sadness, the position of power to which I have been 

 twice raised without solicitation, and in which I feel 

 conscious I have done my duty. To this I call 

 France to witness. She will say that for nine years 

 my government has secured to the country peace, or- 

 der, and liberty, has made France respected through- 

 out the world, has worked unremittingly to raise her, 

 and surrounded by an armed Europe leaves her in a 

 condition to defend her honor and rights ; further, 

 that at home it has been able to maintain the republic 

 in the wise course traced before it by the interest and 

 wishes of the country. She will say that, in return, 

 I have been removed from the post" where her confi- 

 dence placed me. In leaving^ political life I form but 

 one wish. It is that the republic may not gutter from 

 blows aimed at myself, but that it may issue triumph- 

 ant from the dangers it is made to incur. 



I place on the bureau of the Chamber of Deputies 

 my resignation of the functions of President of the 

 French Republic. 



The Congress to elect a new President waa 

 summoned to meet at Versailles on the follow- 

 ing day. 



