The contest for the Speakership of the French Assembly did
not end as we expected last week. When it was thoroughly well known that M. Grevy's resignation would not be withdrawn, the Government proposed M. Martel as his successor, while the Right proposed once again M. Buffet ; and M. Buffet, one of the most respectable of Napoleon ILL's last Administration, was elected by 304 votes to 285 for the Government candidate. As M. Grevy obtained 349 votes a day or two before against the same candidature, it is obvious that M. Martel did not really command the hearty support of the Republican party. Indeed many of the Republicans were so much disgusted by the Government action in relation to the municipality of Lyons, that from 70 to 100 of them delibe- rately stayed away from the division, acutely calculating, no doubt, that with an Assembly whose President was chosen from the party of the Right, M. Thiers would be less inclined to deal gently, and that the dissolution for which they wish would be hastened by the choice. How this may finally turn out we hardly know as yet. M. Thiers has exchanged the proper formal visits with the new Speaker, and some politicians predict that he will now begin to angle for support among M. Buffet's friends. For the present, however, both the Left and the Right are split into two very distinct parts,—and all this division profits M. Thiers.
Previous page
