The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-18

house Of Bourbon, they allow that fact to be In
published in the Mo~itexr d. So,r, and not in the
Gazette de France. The newspapers are equally
reserved. Hitherto they have, in genera, pub
hshed the document without comment, and the
remarks made are OF little importance. The Ordre
OF TO- day Is an exception. IL publishes long artl-
Gle, in which il compliments the Count de Cham
bord. This article Is the more important, as the
Oydre is the organ of NJ Theirs, and has hitherto
been particularly severe on the Legitimists.
Internal Agitation In the French Republic
Renoddcili.g the Commuass.
[From the London Chronicle, Feb. ~.
The great scheme devised by the Council of
Stats for re arranging the administrative mechan-
ism Of France-er rather for moulding the simple
organization inherited from the first revolution into
something like congruity with the complex institu-
tons which have, from time to time, been thrust
at hap hazard into its interstices-has rather unex
pectedly proved the occasion OF fresh contention
between the coalcsced parties and the conserva-
tives who adhere to the President. Partaking, as
this project does, rather Of the nature of codca
ton, than OF an original law, and de iling much
more with detail than with principles, we should
not perhaps, have thought proper to introduce it
formally to the notice of our readers. but for the
heats which it seems destined to revive. Yet we
are not sorry for an opportunity OF abiding To the
aspects Of controversy with which the immense
question oil decentralization is Intimately wrapped
up. Whatever may be the real motives of
that portion OF the assembly which has arrayed
itself in pronounced opposition to some principal
provisions of the new measure, and which, in the
committee appointed to report on 1t, has already
secured seventeen voices against thirteen, the os
tenslble ground OF its dsapprobaton is the avowed
purpose OF the bill to multiply and system the
lnterierences Of the central government with local
privileges, at a moment when the independence
OF the provinces is more imperatively demanded
than ever. The legitiniss more fortunate than
usual in being able to reconcile their antagonlsm
with appear snces, for il is unquest0nable that to
the cause Of decentralization they have repeatedly
given pledges, though they have repeatedly be-
. havrn Thn o,t,An a.lxc
the same heads of the project which are repudIated
by the extreme right, on principles which we shall
presently explain. On the other side, the young
statesmen who have ranged themselves with the
tenn under which they have been reared-while the
rank aud tile Of the conservative minority either
offer their support as part of their general adhesion
to the ministry, Or as dynastic Bonaparsts, are du-
tiful admirers Of the fabric which the great Napo-
leon rveted firmly to the body polite OF France. A
new succession OF ministerial defeats is, on null
titude of grounds to be lamented; but the loss in
volved in an increased estrangement between the
estates OF the commonwealth will, this time, be
compt nsaed by tenfold gain in the movement
which will be effected on the only path that con.
will be worth much more risk than, under present
circumstances, il Is likely to entail; and we can
only rejoice that so precious a jewel should be
plucke d from The head of obscene and venomous
faction.
II is we'll known that, in the ultimate result of
its ephe neral constitutions the first revolution left
France divided specifically into Departments, each
department being subdlvlded into ACCOMPLISHMENTS,
the into cant0Ss, and the CdntOHs
into C0nDstsnes. The unit of the system was the
commune, which was made to coincide almost ex-
actly with the ecclesasIca Paroisse OF feudal and
monarchical France The Emperor-for though
the pattern was not his, il was his strong baud
which knotted together this network-certanly In
tended these demarcatons to serve exclusively the
purposes OF civil administration. He did not love
representative assemblies, whether provincial or
metropolitan; and he extinguished the former
wherever he found them existing. But the govern
ments which followed the empire hove successfully
professed, with more or less of insncerity, their
anxiety TO arrest the catalepsy which has been
creeping on the provinces ever since l7S9. Hence
almost every OF the territorial divisions before
mentioned has, at one time or other, had conferred
it the honor Of a special delberative assembly,
which, however, was intended By its founders TO
be nulhty from the paucity and insignfcance OF
its attributes From comparatively early perioi
the communes have had their municipal coun cis,
elected by the inhabitants and presided over oy the
Maus. The arrondtssemswt has also enjoyed its
particular council, and the department has been
presented by the more important assembly known
as the Copseil-General IL cannot be said that all
these local deberaiive bodies have existed merely
on paper, or that they have exered inappreciabe
influence. Here and there they have developed
toerably energetic vitality, though generally in
consequence Of their having extended their sphere
beyond the design and the expectation Of he orig-
nator. The Municipal Council OF the Commune,
although occasionally converted into instrument
torily discharged the only serious functions assign
ed 10 it-those OF managing the corporate proper
~, and directing some petty matters of police. The
councils general Of the departments have proved
an even more successful institution but their grow
ing consideration has flowed not so much from
their statutable duties Of supe intending the high
ways and levying some small local taxes, as from
their successfully usnrppg the privilege OF horta.
tory voice in the general politics of France, an
croachment 10 which they were aided 6y the policy
OF Louis Philippes ministers, who made them the
theatre OF Their electoral intr2ues. As for the
c0~sstLs d ar0ndisstMent, they were still-oorn
The authors OF the new project asciibe their COM
plete failure to the exorbtan extent oil the districts
which they represented, and following up this
idea, they propose 10 transfer the right of repre-
sentauon 10 The smaller crcumpe cuon, the Canton.
But, in fact the co~seis dduoa basement were in-
operative because their functions were no, active,
but merely consultative, and therefore nominal
The new cantonal councils will assuredly share
the like fate, for the like reason,
Tn. plan which comes from the Council OF State
10 chiefly directed 10 he adjustment of the mass OF
incongruous laws which have legalised these AZ
tenbies and regulated their functions. The no.
velties which II introduces are confined the for
nation Of the Cantonal Comedian experiment
which all parties seem conten.ed TO lry-to the
election OF all the councils by universal suffrage,
which Is made necessary by the present constiu.
ton, and TO the nomination OF the communal
Aaues by the central executive. On the last two
points has hinged the controversy in the bureaux
Universal suffrage may imply either the franchise
IN its GREATEST extension, or the light OF voting
limibd by the enactment OF last May. II was oay
to be expected that the republicans should
vehemently for the first Interpretation, and the con-
servatives for the last Again, ever since the
events Of February. ISIS, the Mare has been
elected by the municipal council Of the commune.
The new project Of law, on the other hand. gives
the nomination OF this official to the President OF
the republic, on condition that his nominee be
alresdy member OF the municipality. What
ever be The policy on this head % which the
republicans would naturally incline, they are
not At all disposed, under present circumstances,
to place an immense field Of patronage a: the
disposal Of an executive which is likely long to
remain IN the hands Of their enemies. They ATE
therefore Tor maintaining the arrangement OF lSI3
The views OF the left on both these questions have
teen espoused by the legiinnsts The right ex.
cuses its advocacy of unres,rictei suffrage the
ground that, under the monarchy, there were two
distinct qualifications for the municipal and the
Parliamentary franchise. More honestly and more
logically q declares that the pledges i has publicly