The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-21 00:00:00

7HE FRENCH ELECTIONS.

It is beyond question that society in France,
political and religious, is approaching one of
those convulsions which, since the Revolution
of 'B9, are almost periodical. The ground on
which the Imperial throne rests heaves visibly.
Baulked ambition, wounded self-love, popular
discontent, poverty in the people, extrava-
gance in the State, the aggrandizement of
Prussia, and the new recruiting bill, are ele-
ments of danger which the restless spirit of the
Revolution is making use of for another vast
upheaving of social order in France. The state
of things much resembles that which existed
under Louis Philippe six months before the
Revolution of 1848. At such a juncture as this
the Emperor, who vacillates between his two
masters—the party of order and the Revolu-
tion—appeals for support to the country. It
is clear that the hope has never been absent
from his mind that his expedition to Rome in
support of the Pope against the Italian Re-
volution would in the next elections rally
round his throne the friends of social order
and religion.

A difference of opinion has arisen between
the Catholic papers of France as to the course
which Catholics ought to adopt in the coming
elections. The Univers, with its accustomed
vigour and precision of thought, lays down the
policy which in such an emergency it holds
the Catholics of France ought to follow. It
will have nothing to say to party politics as
such ; it takes, absolutely, neither the side of
the Empire nor of the Opposition. " Our
policy," it says, " to adopt the language of our
opponents, neither favours nor excludes any
one on the simple colour of his flag. It de-
mands in a like way and in a like measure
from every candidate, whether of the Govern-
ment or of the Opposition, to pledge himself to
Catholic electors on certain definite questions."
The Univers takes its stand simply on Catho-
lic:principles, and it asks what principles are
superior to those which it defends when it
makes use of the right of voting in order to
save the independence of the Church, and to
protect the liberty of the family. Its first ob-
ject would be to vote for a Catholic true and
loyal to the Church, and consequently to the
highest interests of the State, at least in such
districts as would be able and
i willing to re-
turn a Catholic member ; but n the majority
of instances there would be no such disposi-
tion. And under such a condition of things
the Univers contends that it is the duty of
Catholics to support such candidates, no mat-
ter whether belonging to the Government or
to the Opposition, whose views and votes would
be most in harmony with Catholic principles
and most conducive to Catholic interests.

This is the broad and intelligible ground
which the Univers takes up. But the Gazette
de France, too much after the fashion common
to party papers, is Legitimist first and Catholic
second in its' policy. Making party success
its supreme aim, it substitutes the supposed
future interests of the French Legitimists for
the real and present interests of the Catholic
cause in France. To this extreme partizan
and its supporters it seems not of the remotest
consequence what becomes of Catholic policy
or what candidate is returned, provided only
he is in opposition to the Napoleonic Govern-
ment and dynasty. "In virtue of its special
logic," says the Univers, " the Gazette de
France pretends that we ought to reject the
Government candidate, even though he share
our views and support the candidate of the
Opposition, even though he be a materialist,
and though his vote might give the majority
to the party who wishes to place Garibaldi in