FRANCE. 



315 



line there were considerable unbroken tracks 

 of red. On the whole, the map showed that 

 northeast France is Republican, with a few 

 patches of Conservatism ; southwest France is 

 also Republican, with less admixture of Con- 

 servatism ; northwest France is pretty equally 

 divided, Republicanism being more inland, and 

 Conservatism more on the coast; and south- 

 west France is predominantly Conservative, 

 but with considerable Republican tracts on the 

 northeast and southeast corners, and more 

 scattered patches elsewhere. The Republicans 

 monopolize 23 departments, while the Conser- 

 vatives hold sole possession of none. 



A severe loss for the French nation in gen- 

 eral, and the Republicans in particular, was 

 the death of M. Thiers, the first President of 

 the Republic, which occurred on September 3d. 

 For the Republicans particularly, the loss was 

 a severe one, occurring as it did shortly before 

 a general election, and depriving them of their 

 recognized leader, the only man in their ranks 

 who was thought fit to succeed Marshal Mac- 

 Mahon, in case of a Republican victory. 



On September 19th, President MacMahon 

 issued a manifesto to the French people, of 

 which the text was as follows: 



FRENCHMEN : You are about to be called upon to 

 nominate your representatives in the Chamber of 

 Deputies. I do not assume to exercise any pressure 

 upon your choice, but I feel bound to dispel any doubt 

 upon what you are about to do. What I have done 

 is this : For the last four years I have maintained 

 peace, and the personal confidence with which I am 

 honored by foreign sovereigns enables me daily to 

 render our relations with all Powers more cordial. 

 At home public order has never been disturbed for 

 a moment, owing to the policy of concord, which 

 brought around me men devoted before all things to 

 their country. Public prosperity, momentarily ar- 

 rested by our misfortunes, has recovered its elasti- 

 city; the general wealth has increased, notwith- 

 standing the heavy burdens borne by the people : 

 the national credit has been strengthened, and 

 France, peaceable and confident at the same time. 

 sees her army, always worthy of her, reconstituted 

 upon a new basis. These great results were, how- 

 ever, threatened with danger. The Chamber of 

 Deputies, daily throwing off the leadership of mod- 

 erate men, and more and more dominated by the 

 avowed leaders of the Radical party, at length forgot 

 the share of authority which belonged to me, and 

 which I could not allow to be diminished without 

 involving the honor of my name before you and be- 

 fore history contesting at the same time my rightful 

 influence in the Senate aimed at nothing less than 

 substituting for the necessary equilibrium of public 

 powers established by the Constitution the des- 

 potism of a new convention. Hesitation was no 

 longer permissible. Exercising my constitutional 

 right, and in conformity with the opinion of the 

 Senate, I dissolved the Chamber of Deputies. It is 

 now for you to speak. They tell you I seek to over- 

 throw the Republic, but you will not believe it. The 

 Constitution is intrusted to my guardianship, and I 

 will make it respected. What I Took for from you is 

 the election of a Chamber which, raising itself above 

 party rivalries, will occupy itself before all things 

 with the country's affairs. At the last elections an 

 abuse was made of my name among those who then 

 proclaimed themselves my friends. Many have not 

 ceased to oppose me. People still speak to you of 

 their devotion to my person, and assert that they 

 only attack my ministers. Do not be duped by this 



artifice. To frustrate it my Government will desig- 

 nate among the candidates those who alone are au- 

 thorized to make use of my name. You will ma- 

 turely consider the bearing of your votes. Elec- 

 tions favorable to my policy will facilitate the regulur 

 conduct of the existing Government. They will 

 affirm the principles of authority sapped by dema- 

 gogy, and will assure order and peace. Hostile elec- 

 tions would aggravate a conflict between the public 

 powers as well as impede the course of business and 

 maintain agitation, and France, in the midst of these 

 fresh complications, would become for Europe an 

 object of distrust. As for myself, my duty would 

 increase with the danger. I could not obey the 

 mandates of the demagogues. I could neither be- 

 come the instrument of Radicalism, nor abandon the 

 post in which the Constitution has placed me. I 

 shall remain to defend conservative interests with 

 the support of the Senate, and shall energetically 

 protect the faithful public servants who, at a difficult 

 moment, have not allowed themselves to be intimi- 

 dated by vain threats. 



Frenchmen, I await with full confidence the man- 

 ifestation of your sentiments. After so many trials, 

 France desires stability, order, and pence, and, with 

 God's help, we will" secure to the country these 

 benefits. You will listen to the words of a soldier 

 who serves no party, and no revolutionary or retro- 

 grade passion, and who is guided by nothing but 

 love for his country. 



It created a storm of excitement throughout 

 France. The Bonapartist and Clerical papers 

 applauded this document as a declaration of 

 " No surrender." The Republican papers, on 

 the other hand, were very bitter in their de- 

 nunciation. 



This address from the President was 

 answered by one from M. Thiers, to the elec- 

 tors of the 9th arrondissement. Under the 

 circumstances it produced a great impression, 

 not only in the arrondissement for which it 

 was intended, but throughout the whole of 

 France. It was published on September 24th, 

 and had been written entirely by M. Thiers, 

 but he only revised the first portion previous 

 to his death. In the first place he justified the 

 Chamber lately dissolved, and praised the 

 moderation and wisdom displayed by the mem- 

 bers in their proceedings. He pointed out 

 that it did not deserve the reproach of Radical- 

 ism, and explained that the reason of his pref- 

 erence for a republican form of government 

 was in consequence of the impossibility of 

 establishing a monarchy. 



M. Thiers then went on to describe the actual 

 situation of affairs as intolerable, there being 

 a republican form of constitution with an 

 anti-republican personnel. He said that the 

 Republic was the government necessary for 

 France, with all men desirous of making her 

 prosperous; and he strongly protested against 

 the authors of the crisis of May 16th. 



He denounced, as a violation of the right of 

 all free peoples, the long and extra-legal post- 

 ponement of the elections, the newspapers' 

 threats of repeated dissolutions, and of levying 

 taxes without parliamentary sanction a mon- 

 strous step, never entertained even by the Em- 

 pire. As to the excuse that France was in 

 danger of perishing, and must be saved, this 

 fatal word had been the forerunner of all the 



