Page:A Scene from Contemporary History.djvu/20

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SCENES FROM CONTEMPORARY HISTORY
329

M Le President Schneider—Your applause hinders the orator from being heard

M Glais-Bizoin—We reply to the murmurs and to the interruptions that come from yonder

M Le President Schneider—I demand again for once the most complete silence, that our discussion may conserve its dignity (Very good! Very good!)

M Thiers—It appears to me that upon a subject so grave, were there not but one individual, the lowest in the country, who had a doubt, you ought to listen to him, yes, were there not but one, but I am not alone

Voice from the left—No! No! We are with you

From the right—How many?

M Horace do Choiseul—If the elections had been free we would have been more numerous (Exclamations)

M Le Marquis do Prié—Recall to your mind M Thiers, the energetic nobleness with which you have branded the legislative defections of 1815 and do not imitate them

M Le President Schneider—M de Piré, be pleased not to interrupt

M Thiers—Were I alone—(Interruption)—were I alone, yet for the gravity of the subject, you ought to hear me (Speak! Speak!)

M Cosserat—We cannot hear, will the orator be pleased to mount the tribune! (Yes! Yes!)

M Thiers—Well! Gentlemen, is it true, yes or not, tha upon the main point that is to say, upon the candidateship of the Prince of Hohenzollern your demand has been heard, and right done to it? Is it true that you break upon a question of susceptibility, very honorable I dare say, but that still you break upon a question of susceptibility? (Movement)

Well, gentlemen, would you that men say, would you that all Eupe say that the great thing was gianted, and that for a question of form you resolved to shed torrents of blood (Noisy denials from the right and from the centre—Approbation from the left)