M. Buffet has been at his old work again. M.
Renault, the Prefect of Police, to whose very admirable speech in favour of the Consti- tution accepted last year, we referred last week, has been com- pelled by M. Buffet to resign,—much as M. Leon Say was com- pelled temporarily to resign a few weeks ago,—by a complaint of M. Buffet's to the Marshal, that a Moderate Radical, M. Valentin, had recommended M. Renault's candidature, and that it was not decent for a Ministerial candidate to accept the support of the Radicals. In M. Renault's case there were no colleagues to make common cause with him, and so compel M. Buffet to change his ground. So M. Renault has really resigned, and his successor, M. Fax Voisin, a moderate man of the Right Centre, has been appointed in his place. It is supposed that M. Buffet's kostility to M. Renault was grounded on jealousy, M. Renault being talked of by the Moderate Republicans as the best Minister of the Interior they could find. It is added that M. Buffet endeavoured to make M. Renault sign a letter, not only repudiating 31. Valentin's nomination, but declar- ing the Republican party the enemy of the Marshal,—which M. Renault naturally refused to do. Is M. Buffet really bent on securing a solid majority for the Republicans ? His strategy with M. Leon Say secured the Republican predominance in the Senate, and now his dealings with M. Renault appear admirably adapted to secure a like predominance in the Assembly.
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