Chapter 169 Hugo counterattacks and the first meeting
"really!"
Victor Hugo looked relieved. He had already expected that the cabinet would be controlled by Jérôme Bonaparte. Once Jérôme Bonaparte, an ambitious man, took control of the power, he would definitely be satisfied with some of it.
people's interests.
Victor Hugo thought of the splitting behavior currently taking place in the Party of Order. He also smelled a conspiracy after being severely beaten by the state many times in parliament and politics over the years.
The attacks by the orthodox faction...especially those who are inclined to the Holy Orders against other members of the Party of Order are likely to be instigated by Jerome Bonaparte. In order to repay their instigation, Jerome Bonaparte must
Continue their certain benefits.
If Jérôme Bonaparte takes action in other fields, it will inevitably cause political turmoil. Such a distribution will not be beneficial to them. There is no safer way than taking action in the field of public education.
France lost nothing more than a group of liberal-minded teachers, but what it gained did come from church support and cuts in education funding.
The expenses of religious schools in France are much less than that of a group of ordinary colleges and universities.
Thinking that French students might become religious believers in the future, and that science and free thought would be strangled in the cradle, Victor Hugo was horrified by this future.
"I have to do something!" Victor Hugo lowered his head and murmured. He understood that rashly confronting the religion that had existed in France for hundreds of years would be a sure thing. Only by recognizing religion first could we launch an attack on them.
He had to go back and prepare "ammunition" for the attack. There was no need to talk about other things without "ammunition".
"François, Charles!" Victor Hugo was determined to fight for the future of France. He raised his head and looked at Francois Hugo, Charles Hugo with a firm tone.
"Father!"
"Father!"
Francois, Hugo and Charles Hugo responded to Victor Hugo one after another.
"I'll leave the affairs here to you two! I'm going back!"
After speaking, Victor Hugo picked up the leather bag placed beside him, stood up, put the top hat hanging on the hanger on his head, and left.
Only the big-eyed brothers and a group of busy workers were left in the newspaper office.
"Now, what should we do?" Francois Hugo asked Charles Hugo in a negotiating tone.
After Charles Hugo thought for a moment, he said: "You stay here while I come to the opera house!"
Charles Hugo also left in a hurry.
"Oh! What are you going to do?" François Hugo shouted anxiously as he watched Charles Hugo leave in the background.
"Let's see if we can help the newspaper to tide over the difficulties!" Charles Hugo had no intention of stopping. He waved his hand behind him while running and explained loudly.
"Alas!" Francois Hugo, who watched Charles Hugo leave, returned to the newspaper office and sat alone on the sofa with his hands hanging on his legs, staring blankly into the distance.
…
Just when Victor Hugo returned home to prepare the "ammunition" for the attack on the Legislative Assembly, a luxurious double-bridge carriage slowly stopped at the Matignon Palace (Prime Minister's Office). The golden bee icon on the side of the carriage caught everyone's eye.
Then you will know who the owner of the carriage is.
The car door slowly opened, and Jérôme Bonaparte got out of the car and went straight into the cabinet meeting hall of the Matignon Palace.
At this time, in the cabinet meeting hall, the ministers of various departments had been waiting in the hall early. Under the instructions of Prime Minister Opul, they all got up and waited for the arrival of President Jérôme Bonaparte.
A servant from the Matignon Palace entered the conference hall. He trotted to Prime Minister Opel to report to Opel the arrival of Jérôme Bonaparte.
Prime Minister Opal smiled when he heard the president's arrival. He said in a kind tone: "Everyone, Mr. President has arrived!"
The door of the conference hall slowly opened, and Jerome Bonaparte's figure also appeared on the other side of the door.
Prime Minister Opal was the first to applaud, and then the ministers of various departments also applauded Jérôme Bonaparte to show their welcome.
Amidst the continuous cross talk, Jérôme Bonaparte slowly came to the main seat of the conference hall. This seat was originally the exclusive seat for the Prime Minister. Due to the arrival of the President, the Prime Minister could only condescend to the first seat on the right.
Location.
Jerome Bonaparte, who was standing at the main seat, glanced at everyone present, cleared his throat and said: "Everyone, please take a seat!"
Everyone obeyed Jerome Bonaparte's order and sat down, and they turned their attention to Jerome Bonaparte.
Jérôme Bonaparte looked at the Bonapartists and the Bonapartist Party of Order in the cabinet and said in a kind tone: "I know most of you here more or less! Your abilities,
I understand everything, so I feel comfortable leaving the country to you to govern!"
"The cabinet must still follow your leadership, President!" Prime Minister Opal, of course, could understand what was polite and what was sincere, he flattered hurriedly.
"That's right! As the saying goes, sailing the sea depends on the helmsman. Your Excellency, President, you are our helmsman!" Minister of War Regno then expressed his support for Jérôme Bonaparte.
"That's right! The French Constitution stipulates that you, the President, have the power to manage the government. I hope you, President, will not slack off!" Finance Minister Achille Fuld's seemingly critical words were also full of flattery.
The remaining ministers also more or less said to Jérôme Bonaparte that "presidential leadership, prime minister and ministerial execution are French traditions" and they must not abandon their fine traditions.
In line with the choice of a democratic system, Jérôme Bonaparte was "unable" to refuse his colleagues' wish for him to preside over the overall situation, and he "reluctantly" presided over the overall situation.
France has transformed from a stage in which the president "rules without governing" to a stage in which the president "exclusively wields power".
Jérôme Bonaparte nodded to Prime Minister Opel. After "obtaining" Prime Minister Opél's "agreement", Jérôme Bonaparte said: "Is there anything important happening in each department?"
Morny, who serves as the Minister of Public Works, spoke first: "Mr. President, I think the agencies under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works are too bloated and the scope of power is too large. I propose that the Department of Public Works should be appropriately compressed!"
As soon as this statement came out, it was like a thunder that exploded in the quiet parliament hall. Prime Minister Opal and some uninformed ministers looked at the Minister of Public Works Morny in surprise. They had never heard of it, and there would be someone who disliked it.
People who have too much power, but any bureaucrat with a little bit of idealism would like to have as much power as possible in his hands. This is the first time that a cabinet meeting has proposed actively reducing the power in his hands.
It didn't take long for the ministers and prime ministers present to understand that this should be a big show prepared by the president and Morny in advance, and they only needed to quietly act as spectators.
As expected, President Jerome Bonaparte seemed to have already known that Morny was going to propose reducing functions. He did not ask why Morny wanted to reduce powers, but asked directly: "
Secretary Morny, what function in the Department of Public Works do you want to cut?"
"Your Excellency, I suggest that the Railway Commission under the Ministry of Public Works be made into an independent department, directly responsible for the president and the prime minister!" Morny stood up and blocked the prepared information in front of Jérôme Bonaparte and Prime Minister Opul.
.
Jérôme Bonaparte, who had already read the contents of the information, pretended to look through the contents of the information and said to Morny: "What's the reason?"
"Due to the issuance of public works bonds and railway construction in the first half of the year, the number of people on the Railway Committee has gradually increased, and we have to send additional manpower to fill the Railway Committee! This has seriously affected other businesses of the Department of Public Works!" Morny said solemnly
Said to Jérôme Bonaparte.
"Then there's no need to re-establish a department!" Prime Minister Opal frowned, and he raised his head and glanced at Jérôme Bonaparte.
As a transitional prime minister, he did not expect to encounter such a "thorny" problem on his first day as prime minister. He wanted Jérôme Bonaparte to give an explanation.
"Your Excellency, the Railway Commission is said to be a subordinate committee of the Ministry of Public Works. In fact, it includes everything that a department can have. The Railway Commission has four branches and the General Office, the Personnel Department, the Transportation Bureau... This makes
The functions of the entire Railway Commission in the Public Works Department conflict with the Public Works Department, which seriously affects the operation of the entire Public Works Department!" Molny explained to Opple.
From the very beginning, Jerome Bonaparte had decided to separate the Railway Commission from the Ministry of Public Works. To this end, he deliberately created an overlapping situation between the subordinate agencies of the Railway Commission and the internal institutional powers of the Ministry of Public Works.
"Then just demote them all to one administrative level!" Prime Minister Opal replied.
"Mr. Prime Minister, if you lower it rashly, I'm afraid it will affect our bonds, and the market will lose confidence in the bonds! Our project progress may also be stopped!" Molny responded warmly.
Bonds... Prime Minister Opal suddenly remembered that he seemed to have purchased a large number of bonds from the Ministry of Public Works. Once the bonds were in turmoil, his money would shrink.
Thinking of this, Prime Minister Opal couldn't help but panic: "If a department is re-established, those bonds will not shrink?"
Morny glanced at his colleagues present. Most of them had purchased the bonds of the Department of Public Works. He said categorically: "Not only will it not shrink, it may even rise! Once the Railway Commission is established as a department, it will represent
The government has confidence in the railway industry. Which department is more promising, the department directly under the cabinet or the department under the Ministry of Public Works?"