The Star. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1879.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3380, 7 February 1879, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1879.

The interest in the recent news from Europe centres in the affairs of France. To Anglo-Saxons everywhere, France is necessarily interesting ; not only because she is the immediate neighbour, the friend and ally of England; not only because.of the wonderful recuperative power which she has developed ; not because she is a nation of gallant and chivalrous people, although that of itself were sufficient — but because of the lessons of patience and self-restraint which a proverbially impulsive people have been callrd upon to learn, and the constitutional difficulties which her present form of Government haß ca'led upon her statesmen to surmount. Within the past few days France has passed through a constitutional crisis, the possibility of which, indeed, was foreseen, but it nevertheless partook largely of the sudden and unexpected. Had it been anticipated, few would have be lieved that it could have occasioned so little disturbance. The difficulties which have arisen in France, are precisely those difficulties certain to arise in a country where a form of constitutional government is being brought into operation for the first; time, or if not for the first time, after the lapse of a long period of years. Somewhat the same difficulties we know to bo great enough in a Colony, amongafc people who have ever lived under constitutional government, — what then must they be with a people who have everything to learn, who have been tickled for years with the tinsel, pomp, and show of Imperialism, who are excitable and prompt to cut the gordian knot of difficulty by processes only known to those who have been kept in order by displays of force ? It was a sufficiently trying ordeal for Republican statesmen to master themselves and subdue their followers to the patience of waiting for fche working of the constitution, but the whole of France has had to learn the lesson as well. In addition to these difficulties there is the army — a political power and a disturbing element in France of which the citizen of a constitutionally governed country will find some difficulty in forming an adequate estimate. It was through the support of the bayonets of the French army that Napoleon Bonaparte overturned the Republic, established the Consulate, and then the Empire ; it was through the support of the French soldiery that Louis Napoleon, following in the footsteps ot his great nncle, overturned the Republic in 1849, and seated himself upon a throne. Republican statesmen "would be worse than blind could they ignore the lessons these facts and many others teach. It is impossible that there can be any safety for constitutional institutions when fche army is their master and nofc their servant. Ifc was not until the army became the servant of the Parliament of England in the time of the first Charles that constitutional institutions in England became secure to the people ; whilst the history of the Roman Empire, as well aa that of France, demonstrates that a political army is not a danger but a curse.

From an early period in fche history of the French Republic this difficalty has been clearly comprehended by the leaders of the Liberals, but it could not be immediately approached. With the Chambers divided into Imperialists, Monarchists, and ; with a military President disposed to reply upon the army as his main support, and the supreme authority to control tbe Executive yet to. be established, the subject of the necessity for changing the character of the military commands was not one to be rashly touched by the representatives of the people. It will be remembered that Borne time in the middle of last year a great crisis in the existence of the Kepublic recurred when, at the demand of the deputies the President was required to dismiss his Administration. For a long time the President hesitated, and another coup d'

etat was feared. The whole world was excited whilst the balance hung suspended. Afc length the Marshal yielded ; fche Deputies triumphed ; and the authority of the Chamber to control the administration was secured. No doubt it is to fche victory gained upon that occasion that France owes the quiet surrender of the position by the President to-day. Having clearly won fchis great power in the State, almost immediately M. Gambetta, on behalf of the Republicans, promulgated the future policy which would be pursued. The first plank of the political platform announced, was "he demanded the exclusion of politics from fche army and its subjection to law • he demanded that it should be so officered and controlled, as to secure that all danger of its becoming an instrument of oppression should cease." This was followed by requiring that " public instruction must be the passionate solicitude of your legislators, senators, deputies, and public servants." The machinations and the intrigues of clericalism were to be crushed, the reasoning faculties of the people called into play, and healthy patriotism instilled into the educational institutions of the country. M. Gambetta foresaw that there would probably arise a difficulty in reference to the reforms required in the army with the Marshal President ; but he spoke of the matter hopefully. He said — " There is no indication that the President will fail in his duty, he will remain at his posfc to fche end. * * The President will not resign, must not resign, he cannot resign, he has no interest in resigning." It will be seen fchat M. Gambetta was altogether wrong in his anticipations, but in the event of a resignation occurring he said — " Even in the event of the President's office becoming vacant, not a day would would elapse between the resignation and the succession, and there would be no personal competition." These remarkable words, spoken months ago, are evidently the result of a thorough comprehension of the whole position and fchey display a thoughtful estimate of the wisest course to pursue in the event of certain possible contingencies arising — which, in facfc, have since arisen.

Having laid down thus clearly the policy of the future, nought remained to do but to wait. " All things come round to those who wait." We learned by cablegram, dated Jan. 5, that " The French senatorial elections give a great Republican triumph. Fifteen Conservatives and sixty-four Republicans were returned." Ifc would appear from what follows thafc from the moment a staunch Republican majority had been secured in tho Senate, the Liberals in the Lower Chamber began to press their policy upon the Government, thereby producing embarassment and change. A cablegram, dated Jan. li-, contained the suggestive information fchat " the French Minister of War has resigned j General Grechy succeeds." From this it may safely be concluded that the Chamber of Deputies bad entered upon a line of action in which the policy of the Government in relation to the army was deeply involved. A further cablegram, dated Jan. 17, states that " the French Press condemns the Ministerial statement as too moderate, that there is a crisis, and tbat a change of Ministry is imminent." It thus becomes clear that the Ministry were not prepared to go the whole length of the Liberal programme. At length the crisis comes. Neither Ministry or President is prepared to yield to the demands of the Republican Deputies. The issue is the crucial one in reference to the army. Marshal M'Mahon refused positively to change the Anti-Re-publican officers of the Army Corps, aa required, and rather than permit the army to be disorganised, as in his opinion it would be, he preferred to resign and retire into private life. He has done so. The Dufaure Ministry has retired, constitutional principles have sustained the double strain, and the Republicans have achieved a great victory. As M. Gambetta predicted, there was no difficulty in the selection of a successor to the late President. Asfcatesman has been chosen aboufc whose Republican principles and sympathies there cannot be a doubt. The new Premier,' M. Wadding ton, who represented France at the Berlin Congress, is also a Republican of tried consistency and ability. From this brief resuml' it will be seen that the crisis through w.hich France has suddenly passed, is one of no ordinary moment. It has proved the capabilities of the Constitution, established fche Republican form of Government secured by placing its administration in the hands of the Republican party, and has enabled the way to be opened to the removal of the greatest danger to the safety of the State — a politican army.