網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

CHAPTER VI

THE SEPTENNATE

I.-Combined meeting of the groups of the Right-Attitude of the Orleans Princes-The Extreme Right-The prolongation to be proposed by the Rights.

II.-Opening of the parliamentary session-The Duc de
Broglie proposes the Septennate-Message of the President
of the Republic-Changarnier proposal-The Comte de
Chambord at Versailles-M. de Blacas with the Marshal-
The Marshal refuses to see the Comte de Chambord.
III. The report of the Committee on the Changarnier proposal
-Debate on the prolongation-New presidential message
-The Septennate is voted.

IV. Consequences of the vote-Difficulties of the Extreme
Right-The Comte de Chambord leaves Versailles.

Failure of the Parlia

TH

I

HE want of agreement between the two monarchical systems rendered a mentary parliamentary Restoration impossible. The failure of this combination disconcerted those who had placed all their hopes in it.

Restoration

The Comte de Chambord, on the contrary, did not lose heart. Following a line of thought, the secret of which he confided to nobody, he decided to risk the adventure of a direct restoration.

But there was no longer contact between the Claimant and the chiefs of the royalist party in the Assembly. The latter, ill-informed as to the Prince's plans, afforded him no help. They saw no

resource but temporisation. They gave their adhesion to a solution prepared long before the prolongation of the Marshal's powers.

The Prince came to Versailles, and failed; the expectant policy gained the day: this time again it was to advance the cause of the Republic.

Such is the history, such the bearing, of those hurried days which inaugurated the parliamentary session, and ended in the vote for the Septennate.

End of the

of Nine

On Friday, October 31st, at eleven in the Committee morning, the Committee of Nine met at the house of General Changarnier. The latter could but repeat the unhappy words which he had already uttered at Metz: Victory is for those

who know how to wait." 1

The Committee was in presence of "defeat.' They did not even linger over the idea of challenging a vote of the Assembly in favour of the monarchical restoration : "We should have been 160 in its favour," says M.Chesnelong, "perhaps 200, if the most royalist portion of the Right Centre had joined us." The Committee of Nine "considered itself virtually dissolved."

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

The Government remained.

The Duc de Broglie understood better than any body the futility of an enterprise whose object was to proclaim or to found the Monarchy, without a king who refused the crown." He was persuaded that they would never succeed even in bringing forward any plan, much less in getting it voted; so it would be necessary to keep to the powers of the Marshal, to consolidate those powers without changing the title, to assign to them a fixed 1 General Zurlinden, Souvenirs, p. 141.

duration, to render them independent of the present Assembly, and especially of future parliaments, and thus to constitute authority by personifying it in a man in default of a dynasty; then ultimately to build up free institutions round this temporary but stable authority, which was moreover incapable of any encroachment. He thought that no other refuge remained between demagogues and a Cæsar."1

This was also the opinion of the Comte de Paris : he wrote a letter on Friday the 31st to one of his confidential friends in intimate relations with the Government, in which he traced a whole line of conduct :

Plan of the

Paris

"I like to believe that nobody will Comte de involve my name in a campaign which would have no chance of being useful to the country. It must be very plainly shown that we did not enter on this campaign either with personal aims in the background, or in order to set ourselves free from the Legitimists. There is therefore an even measure to be observed in the evolution imposed on us by circumstances. But throughout this evolution we must have a definite aim in view, without pressing the consideration of our self-esteem at the expense of more exalted interests. That aim should be to maintain a majority in the Chamber for the Conservative party for that is our sheet anchor. We can reach that aim by imposing on our allies, from whom we have the right to demand it to-day, the task of supporting the Government as frankly as ourselves, in the policy which it shall adopt with reference to constitutional legislation. There we can find a ground which will unite all true Conservatives, all 1 Vicomte de Meaux, p. 213.

honest adversaries of Cæsarism. It will be necessary from the outset to make a clear utterance upon a distinction which is hardly apparent to-day, but will become of capital importance as soon as we grapple with the question: that is the distinction between a pure and simple prolongation without organisation, the programme of the Radicals and Bonapartists, and, on the other side, a solid and serious organisation."

1

Full Meet

Rights

In this remarkable letter everything was ing of the foreseen. It was simply for form's sake, that, in the combined meeting of the groups of the Right, which took place at General Changarnier's house on November 1st, All Saints' Day, the Duc d'Audiffret-Pasquier proposed to make a final attack upon the Comte de Chambord, and if this effort did not succeed, to proclaim the monarchy with the Comte de Paris governing in the name of the King under the title of Regent.

After a confused discussion, the decision remained in suspense. The Extreme Right opposed the idea of a Regency, above all with the Comte de Paris as Regent. In the end it permitted inquiries to be made as to the sentiments of the Prince de Joinville."

A note published by the Français dispelled the doubts, if any existed, on the subject of the attitude of the principal parties interested. "In presence of what has just happened," said this note, "it is naturally asked, what is the situation of the

1 From an unpublished document.

2 See on this point the contradictory information supplied by (1) M. Merveilleux du Vignaux, p. 115, and the Vicomte de Meaux, p. 215, who say that the plan of a regency was adopted; (2) by M. Chesnelong, p. 412, and the Duc de la Rochefoucauld (Dreux-Brézé, p. 331) who affirm that no decision was taken.

Orleans Princes. This situation is perfectly clear. The Princes of Orleans have declared that, on the day when there is a wish to restore the Monarchy, pretenders to the crown will not be found among them. Their declaration stands, and they remain faithful to it.”

Nevertheless, General Changarnier executed the mission with which he was entrusted to the Prince de Joinville. The Prince refused: "That," said he, "would be to try a second 1830. The conduct of my father," he added, "was justified by the fact that at that time France had no resource except himself. If I accepted the offer which is made to me to-day, men would have the right to condemn my father retrospectively, because we should seem to be always ready to seize the chief power, whatever the manner in which it became vacant. France has now what she had not in 1830, a Government still in existence. She has the Marshal; he must be retained. I am, and we all must be, MacMahonist." "

Other approaches made to the Comte de Paris, the Duc de Nemours, and the Duc d'Aumale were equally futile.'

[ocr errors]

We are all MacMahonists! " were the words of the Prince de Joinville, and they were the words of the situation.

However, the Extreme Right was losing patience. It had no news from Frohsdorf: how was it to pledge the future without definite instructions from the Prince.

1 Vicomte de Meaux, p. 215.

* Some days afterwards, by the Comte de Chambord's orders, the Marquis de Dreux-Brézé conveyed the thanks of the Prince to the Comte de Paris and the Prince de Joinville for "their resolution, their attitude, and their language on this occasion" (Dreux-Brézé, p. 126).

« 上一頁繼續 »