French Govcrnnioit in the West Indies 497 and considers self-government and universal suffrage in the colonies as an absurd institution.' Here for the present the matter rests. It is clear that the func- tion of the French Antilles as models for colonial legislation is past and that, while their institutions will perhaps not be disturbed, the French colonial administration will be guided more by English ex- perience and by the evident demands of the great colonies recently acquired by the French Republic. For these tropical colonies, it is believed that experienced administration is the main considera- tion, and that a settled society should not be disturbed and dis- tracted by the introduction of European institutions and the unrest of party poltitics. Instead of favoring general assimilation, French statesmen are beginning to show a more practical spirit in the en- deavor to take account of the peculiar needs of populations in the most varied stages of development. Paul S. Reinsch. ^ L' iconomiste Franfais, Jan. 27, 1900.
