The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-02 00:00:00

EXPRESS FROM PARIS.

(nox OUR OWN 0011UNPONDINT.)
PARIS, FILIDAY EVINING.

As the day of the general elections draws nigh
the government shows the cloven foot. The hypo-
critical pretences so smoothly put forth by official
orators that the system of " government candi-
dated " only implies a desire to prevent the electors
from being deceived as to the persons really enjoy-
ing the confidence of the government, are now un-
blushingly put aside. The Moaiteur sternly an-
nounces the determination of power to break up
all free electoral committees by enforcing the laws
which prohibit the meeting of more than twenty
persons without permission. The crown lawyers
have found out (and who shall contradict them 1)
that although any one section of an electoral
committee may consist of less than twenty persons
its meeting will nevertheless be illegal, and the
journals are warned that they will be prosecuted
if they report any of the proceedings of any such
;sections. What now becomes of M. Baroche's
boast, uttered only the other day, that the more
free the elections were the greater would be the
majority for the Emperor's government 1 What
reasonable man, not being a French functionary,
can pretend that an election is fair when a regime
of terror prevents all effective organisation of an
opposition j The threatening note in the Moniteur
to-day only discloses, after all, a part of the "foul
play" which the authorities meditate. The elec-
toral committees are not to meet ostensibly even
in small sections, and the journals are to give no
publicity to their resolutions. But if they are
industrious enough to work by writing numer-
ous letters they know very well that there are
in the arsenal of the imperial laws abundant
means of visiting them with the terrible copse-
queuess of belonging to a secret society. Private
or public canvassing, the moment it becomes ef-
fective, is to be put down with the strong hand. I
hear that several of the committees mean to throw
up the game, and protest. The course taken by
the government certainly tends to justify M.
Proudhon's argument that abstention is the most
dignified as well as the most effectual way of mani-
festing opposition. Of course the crippled French
press cannot speak of the ominous demonstration
of the Moniker as it deserves. Most of the even-
ing papers register it servilely without comment.
The Opinions Nationak, however, says :
It is not doubtful that the government has the letter of
the law in it. favour; but the question is, whether the in.
terrention is opportune, judicious, politic, or justified by
any reasonable apprehension of danger or inconvenience ?
Noon. can venture to say it is. The near ►pproach of the
elections makes the measure singularly ill-timed. The
subject deserves an attentive consideration, and we shall
return to it.
In the Prase M. E. de Girardin writes :

The Moniieur hes done a famous service to the electoral
committees, which were breaking up under the weight of
their own impotence. The Monsieur has saved them from
ridicule. Now that they are prohibited from meeting, they
will not fail to say and repeat that but for the fear of the
government the central committee would have been the
master of the elections, aad have obtained a majority after
its own image. As the contrary cannot be proved, the
government thus gives them every possible advantage.•
The Echo du Nord of Lille has received a warning
for writing about the ooming elections, and exciting
to hatred and contempt of the government by
"attacking the authority and sincerity of universal
suffrage."
The 'Bourse was very uneasy. The Russian
answer is understood to have arrived in Paris, and
there can be little ground for hoping that it is
satisfactory. Route fell 25c., and Mobilier 271 r.
A telegram from Brittany brings the verdict in
the case of the adulterous murderess, Madame
Olive, and her acconitlices. They are all found
guilty but with extenuating circumstances. The
sentence on her and two of the suborned assassins
is imprisonment with hard labour for life. The
fourth gets off with eight years' imprisonment.
The Emperor and Empress went to the Vaude-
ville Theatre last night to see Sheridan as repre-
IDented in L'llornme de Bien.

The committee of the Legislative Body charged
to examine the bill for opening to the Minister of
the Interior a credit of 1,200,000 fr. in aid of the
suffering cotton weavers, has received several
amendments, demanding that the sum shall be in-
creased to 2,2d0,000fr. The committee is said to
consider the proposed addition favourably.
The Echo Honjleuraie states that a new line of
steamers is expected to be established to run be-
tween Bonileur and London. One of the motives
for the new line is the extensive trade carried on
between that port and England, and particularly
in MR&
WEATHER REPORT.—{THIS DAY.)

RAMADA!, MAY

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