This incident is much more serious than it looks. The
Parisian populace suspects both the Ministry and the Chamber of "undue subservience to financial interests "—that is. in plain English, of corruption—and the Boulangists are using that charge as a weapon. M. Laguerre, the manager of the Patriotic League, on Saturday accused M. Constans of accepting a cheque for £400, in payment for the use of his name by an embryo Insurance Company, a charge which appears to be true, though when the project dropped, M. Constans returned the money. General Boulanger also, in the speech at Tours on Sunday of which we give the substance elsewhere, made the corruption of the Deputies his principal charge. It seems certain that many of them are "plunged in that pool of agio," and that the danger of a crash wildly excites the Chamber. M. Rouvier admitted on Thursday that the danger was considerable, there being £40,000,000 deposited with the banks in Paris. If another bank goes, this will all be withdrawn, and then a catastrophe is inevitable. Observe that the three preludes to trouble in Paris arc all present. The Government declares itself " in combat," the Chamber rings with atrocious personalities, and the financial situation tends towards " twenty-four hours of a state of barter."
