M. Thiers' speech in which he convinced the Assembly that
he had been sufficiently eager to cut the Alsatian trade adrift, and would have done so but for the bribe of obtaining the earlier evacuation of six departments, was a perfect model of the adroit argutneutuni-ad-French-deputy,—and consequently of benighted economy. M. Thiers spoke as one who had been a protectionist all his life, and still is one ; he descanted on his heroic resolution to let the six departments suffer on from the oecnpation, sather than keep up free commerce with Alsace for six years; he made a great point of the impossibility of obtaining the evacuation by the immediate payment of another 500 millions of francs of indemnity without running risks that might have quite upset the Money Market by the new demand for bills, or the rapid withdrawal of bullion for the pur- posestof export to Germany ; he spoke of the conqueror as having his iron hand on the very heart of France, a hand which could only be got rid of by this concession ; he vaunted the guarantees he had taken that France should not admit the insidious infiltra- tion of any German or Swiss trade under the disguise of Alsatian ; and he flattered the dignity of the Assembly by pointing out that he had hurried the negotiations in order to obtain the Assembly's counsel before it separated. Late last Saturday night he obtained a majority of 533 to 31 for the bases of the pro- posed treaty. It was a splendid proof how accurately the President of the Republic understands, and how fully ho shares, the economical lunacy he addressed.
