Ernest Plonk

Pierre Ernest Plonk , born with Autun the October 10th 1822 and died in Borough-in-Bresse the September 12th 1909, was imperial prosecutor and Minister of Interior Department.

Biography

Formation

Ernest Pinard is the son of Henry Louis Laurent Pinard, lawyer in Autun, and of Marie Francoise Guillot. Having very early lost his father, it is raised by his mother who gives him a catholic solid education. It enters first of all to the small seminar of Autun and carries out its Rhétorique then it goes up to Paris (1840) and enters to the Stanislas college to make his class of philosophy there. It follows then the courses of the Faculty of Law of Paris while going regularly to the Collège de France and the Sorbonne to listen to brilliances lecturers there, in particular the abbot Dupanloup who makes him strong impresson. Besides very pious, it goes each Sunday to the church Notre-Dame to listen to there the sermons of Henri Lacordaire.

Doctor in right (1846), it goes from Paris as lawyer and starts to be interested in the policy. He supports the Révolution of 1848 but condemns the agitation which follows the closing of the National Ateliers. Conscious that the authority is necessary, it decides to leave its lawyer trade and to enter the magistrature. On the councils of its uncle, Oscar Plonk, it chooses to become prosecutor.

The prosecutor

He is initially named substitute of the public prosecutor to Tonnerre (1849). It shown a great rigor there, in particular during the epidemic of Cholera which decimates the city. Rejoined with Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, it becomes successively substitute with Troyes (1851), substitute of the imperial prosecutor with Rheims (1852) and finally substitute with the Parquet floor of the Seine (1853). It is there that the " prosecutor impérial" will make known itself for its participation in the great literary lawsuits of the beginning of the Second Empire.

The first relates to Gustave Flaubert continued for a novel considered to be licencieux: Mrs Bovary . In spite of a brilliance indictment, it cannot make condemn Flaubert who is discharged. This one will however keep of it resentment to him all its life. Hardly the lawsuit of Flaubert it is finished that he sees himself entrusting the task to require against Charles Baudelaire. This one indeed has just made appear the Flowers of the Evil , collection of poems considered as " a challenge thrown to the laws which protect the religion and the morale". It has this time more chance since Baudelaire is condemned to 300 francs of fine and certain poems are prohibited of publication (they will remain it until the judgment is broken in 1949). It attacks then Eugene Sue who has made appear for several years a monumental work: Mysteries of the People , history of a family of proletarians through the ages. In spite of the death of Known, the lawsuit continues and it obtains the judgment of the editor and the printer.

In reward of its services, it is decorated with the Légion of honor (1858) then promoted public prosecutor close to the Court of Appeal of Douai (1861).

The minister

Noticed by Napoleon III, it is named with the Council of State (1866) whose principal function is the drafting of the bills which are submitted to the emperor before discussion in front of the legislative Body. It takes part in particular in the drafting of the law on the press which removes the sorrow of imprisonment and substitutes the deprivation of the right electoral and the fine to him. Plonk considers that " detention is used as pedestal with the journaliste" and that " that which makes the violation of the press laws has only two objectives: to be made a political situation or to earn money at all costs. The temporary deprivation of the electoral rights stops it in the first case; the fine, the strong fine, stops it in the second".

Approaching the first circle of the emperor, it is named, in spite of its lack of political experience, Minister of Interior Department (November 14th 1867). It is, in particular, charged to defend in front of the Rooms this new law on the press of which it took part itself in the development. During its stay Place Beauvau, it is proof of largest sectarianisms. He is opposed to erection on a public place of a statue of Voltaire, author whom he considers impious. He makes to condamer the journalist and lampoonist Henri Rochefort. Lastly, believer with a vast plot and fearing a riot, it mobilizes the troop against a demonstration commemorating the death of the deputy Baudin. At one time when the empire is liberalized, this rigor is not any more setting and it must leave its functions (December 16th 1868).

Disgrace

After having refused an important station at the Court of appeal, it decides to make countryside with the legislative elections of 1869 and is elected appointed Northern . With the War free-Prussian and the disaster of Sedan, the Republic is proclaimed but there remains faithful to the Empire. Undesirable to Paris and in its district of North, it turns over in its birthplace of Autun. The war not being finished, it takes part in the defense of the city where Garibaldi, come to put service of the Republic, settled with its staff. Shown complicities with the enemy, it is stopped and thrown in prison. It is released at the end of a few days, for lack of evidence.

From return to Paris, it returns in policy and takes part at a committee imperialist which brings together former ministers and deputies under the presidency of Rouher. In same time, it is made elect at the general advice of Saône-et-Loire to Issy-l' Évêque and takes again his old lawyer trade. As of spring 1871, it returns visit to Napoleon III exiled in England. After the death of the emperor, it will continue his visits near the imperial prince but the final installation of the Republic (1875) and the death of the young prince (1879) definitively ruin the projects of the partisans of the return to the Empire.

After the death of his mother (1882), it gives up any public life to be devoted to its family. Its last years are endeuillées by the death of its close relations since in less than 10 years, it loses his sister, his wife, her son, his daughter and his/her son-in-law and it is alone which it dies in his private mansion of Borough-in-Bresse.

The shortly after its death, in its edition of September 13rd, 1909, Le Figaro greets the memory of this character of which " the name wakes up alone the remote memory, a little confused, one time of political struggles, lawsuit of press where the old one and trusty servant of the Empire had acquired a reputation of energy frightening, intransigent, a little aggressive, and had been offered to the blows, which he did not fear more to give to receive. Its life of magistrate, of statesman, was dedicated very whole to the defense of the principle of autorité".

Quotation

“ PLONK, Ex-minister, Appointed livid souffreteux cockroach, Eloquence of vinegar manufacturer, Saint Ignace request for him ” (Legend of a caricature of Hippolyte Mailly appeared in the Pilori )

Sources

Najjar Alexandre, the Prosecutor of the Empire , ED. Balland, Paris, 2001

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