FRANCE. 



307 



out fresh invitations, in which it was simply 

 described as a private meeting of Catholics. 

 The congress sat till the 7th. The concluding 

 speeches were made by M. Chesnelong, a Sena- 

 tor, who affirmed his conviction that a few 

 sophists and demagogues would not stifle a faith 

 which had resisted the laugh of Voltaire and 

 the axe of the Reign of Terror ; and by Mon- 

 seigneur Freppel, who described Freemasonry 

 and the International as the two destructive 

 agencies at work in society. 



The Chambers met again on May 1st. The 

 Due Decazes, on presenting the Yellow Book, 

 containing the diplomatic correspondence relat- 

 ing to the Eastern question, made a speech, in 

 which he said : 



From the commencement of the crisis we have re- 

 marked how earnestly all the Governments which 

 are anxious to prevent Europe from being disturbed 

 by the vicissitudes of the Eastern question have de- 

 sired a localization of the war. Europe has observed 

 our sincerity, and our lasting desire to remain in har- 

 mony with her. Never during the last seven years 

 have our relations with foreign states been better. 

 The neighboring Powers, like ourselves, have no di- 

 rect interest in the present events. The language 

 used by their Governments leaves no room for doubt 

 as to their pacific sentiments, or the price they attach 

 to the strengthening of their good relations with 

 France. 



In conclusion, he said : 



In the Eastern question the most absolute neutral- 

 ity, guaranteed by the most scrupulous abstention, 

 will remain the basis of our policy. 



On May 2d and 3d the Chamber of Deputies 

 discussed the interpellation of Leblond as to 

 the doings of the priests. M. Simon, in the 

 session of May 2d, declared the respect of the 

 Government for religion, and at the same time 

 their earnest desire not to permit the clergy to 

 exceed their spiritual prerogatives, but, above 

 all, to prevent an attack upon a neighboring 

 country. 



On May 3d, an order of the day was finally 

 adopted, by a vote of 861 to 121, and was con- 

 curred in by the cabinet, requesting the Gov- 

 ernment to use all means to oppose the man- 

 ifestations of the Ultramontanes, "who are 

 a standing menace to peace both at home and 

 abroad." This order produced great bitterness 

 among the Clericals ; and in the Senate Franc- 

 lieu gave notice of an interpellation, but with- 

 drew it again, as the leaders of the Right did 

 not consider the time for it to have come. 



In the month of April the Bishop of Nevera 

 wrote a letter to MacMahon, calling upon him 

 to draw the sword against Italy for the " Pris- 

 oner of the Vatican." In answer to this, the 

 Minister of Justice, in the beginning of May, 

 wrote to the bishop that he had exceeded the 

 functions of his office. 



On May 16th, President MacMahon addressed 

 the following letter to M. Simon : 



I have just read in the Journal Officid the report 

 of yesterday's sitting. I have seen with surprise 

 that neither you nor the Keeper of the Seals urged 

 from the tribune all the serious reasons which should 

 have prevented the repeal of a law on the press, 



passed less than two years ago, on the proposal of 

 M. Dufaure, and the application of which you your- 

 self quite recently demanded from the tribunals. 

 Yet, at several meetings of the Council, and even at 

 yesterday morning's, it had been decided that the 

 President of the Council, as also the Keeper of the 

 Seals, should undertake to combat it. There had 

 already been room for astonishment that the Cham- 

 ber of Deputies, in its latest sittings, had discussed 

 a whole municipal law, and even adopted some pro- 

 visions, the danger of which you yourself had recog- 

 nized in the Council of Ministers, such as the pub- 

 licity of the sittings of Municipal Councils without 

 the Minister of the Interior having taken part in the 

 discussion. This attitude of the head of the cabinet 

 naturally suggests the inquiry whether he retains 

 over the Chamber the influence necessary to make 

 his own views prevail. An explanation on this 

 point is indispensable ; for, if I am not responsible, 

 like you, to the Parliament, I have a responsibility 

 to France, with which I must now more than ever 

 be preoccupied. 



This letter was considered one of the most 

 serious events which had happened in France 

 after the fall of M. Thiers. Since the general 

 election of 1876, the parties then defeated had 

 been preparing for a conflict, and were re- 

 solved to profit by it. The new Chamber, 

 however, had foiled this attempt ; and had re- 

 sisted every temptation to excite it, and justify 

 a dissolution. On several occasions the Pres- 

 ident had declared that if he were led too far, 

 he would form a Right and Dissolutionist Min- 

 istry. This simple threat had been sufficient 

 to moderate the actions of the Chamber. 

 When the Jules Simon ministry came in, it 

 was hoped that the ministry would not be 

 able to exist very long, and that its fall would 

 force the President to ally himself with the 

 Right. Religious discussions were finally re- 

 lied upon to afford the opportunity of raising 

 a conflict. But again a compromise was made 

 between the cabinet and the Chamber, and 

 the conflict once more avoided. But the elec- 

 tions of one-half of the Councils General were 

 drawing on ; to which bodies, together with 

 the Municipal Councils, were intrusted the 

 next senatorial election. These could not be 

 left with the existing Republican cabinet ; and 

 so the Right forced on the conflict which the 

 Chamber had avoided. The result was the 

 above letter of the President. As soon as M. 

 Simon had received this letter, written with- 

 out the knowledge of any member of the cab- 

 inet, he waited on the President, and said : 

 " I offer you my resignation." " I expected 

 it, and accept it," was the answer. M. Simon 

 also addressed the following reply to the Pres- 

 ident's letter : 



In view of the letter you have thought fit to write 

 to me, I feel myself bound to hand you my resigna- 

 tion of the functions you were good enough to con- 

 fide to me. I am obliged, however, at the same 

 time, to tender explanations on two points. You 

 regret, M. le Marechal, that I was not present on 

 Saturday in the Chamber, when the first reading of 

 the Bill on Municipal Councils was discussed. _ I 

 regretted it also. I was detained at Paris by indis- 

 position ; hut the question of the publicity of the 

 sittings was only to have been discussea on the 

 second reading. I had come to an agreement on this 



