General Boulanger finds that the greatest obstacle to his candidature
in Paris is a belief that his election would mean war. He consequently on Sunday issued an address in which he declared that the Republicans had issued "an insulting appeal to cowardice," but that "France has nO longer to fear a Sedan," for she is strong enough to defend herself against provocations as well as assaults. M. Jacques, continues the General, "discounts invasion," but at Champigny, the place from which he comes, "be was neither among the combatants nor the wounded." The General is vague, for though it is doubtless true that a strong Power can pass over " provocations " more easily than a weak one, he does not say that -he will pass them over, while he does say that the fear of war is cowardice. In practice, we imagine that if raised to power he would make wax, for the simple reason that if he did not his power would dissolve, like that of every other peaceful French Government, under floods of criticism. The alternative would be to effect enormous internal reforms, in accordance with the desire of the people for pleasantness of ' life; but only a victorious Government could carry an Income-tax, a Poor-Law, or those reductions of military expenditure which must precede any large reductions of taxation.
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