342          THE REPUBLIC FIRMLY ESTABLISHED.
denounce those who happened to express in their presence
opinions which were obnoxious to the government. M.
Gambetta laughed at that futile attempt, and said : "Vou-
loir empêcher les Français de parler, c'est comme si l'on
voulait empêcher les Américains d'agir." Then Gam-
betta went on to speak of the men who were endeavoring
to draw the Chief of the State into dishonorable action,
who were well known, and whose names he mentioned,
as well as the names of certain military men who were
thought to be urging MacMahon to the scheme which
had been proposed. He thought that the army as newly
constituted could not be urged to make a military coup
d'état.
M. Gambetta finally concluded this most interesting
and valuable picture of the situation in the following
manner: "Taking everything into consideration, the
coup d'état of the 16th of May will have profited the
country. Its immediate effect, it is true, is to strike
down at one blow the great material and business inter-
ests of the country. The loss to France will be fifty
millions of francs per day, but, on the other hand, it
will give to the French people a solemn opportunity to
affirm, in profound peace and in a quiet and orderly man-
ner, its determination to live under republican institu-
tions, by calling for a new election. The marshal would,
in fact, submit himself to the verdict of the nation. If
he is ready to abide by its decision, the republicans are ;
if the people support him, we will submit. But we do
not fear such a result. Never has a more general and
unqualified condemnation been passed upon any govern-
ment than that which the French people will visit upon
the unwarrantable policy which the irresponsible advisers
of the marshal have induced him to pursue."
On taking leave of Gambetta I thanked him very sin-