The southern press., 1852-01-27

gratultous; nevertheless, in certain cases. an,
! for certain persons, the President will be au
thorlzed TO dispose of sum either by way
I retiring pension or indemnity, at his pleasure
for the benefit Of any member of the senate
} the said sum in no case 10 be more thar
, 20,0OOf of annual allowance. This arrange
, ment would appear to be sort of compromls,
between those who urged the allowance to al
J senators OF 100000, and M. do Montalembert
who, with his political friends, absolutely op
posed any remuneration whatever of pecuniary
kind The senate is the real pivot on which The
new political organization of the State will
turn; It's attributes will be yery extended Its
acts VIII be III virtue OF orgauic Sendius Con
SufteeS-like the senate Of the year VIII
But this Senate, which had during fifteen
years shown itself the most devoted adRerent d
the Emperor Napoleon, not rarely the instigater
and always the approyer of his worst and mos,
imprudent measures, hurried with shameful
haste, but only when it was quite safe to do so
to pronounce his deposition, and that in terms
which history has not forgotten to record and to
4 stigmatizs. The Plebiscite, which universal
suffrage has Just adopted, sanctions with refer
ence 10 The Senate the principle proposed by the
President in his proclamation of the I'd ult. Ii
is admitted that the Senate will be composed OF
the most distinguished characters Of the country.
IN order to give it weight in public affairs-aa
preponderating power, the guardian Of the fun.
damental pact, and of the public liberties. /"
With such definition Of the second chamber.
the President may give to il all functions, with.
out exception, even those of legislative char
acter, which are, nevertheless, the general and
ordinary ones Of the legislative corps.
Inc legislative corps will be s9mEposed ofas
sements in France. The French territory Is d.
yided into departments each department is sub.
divided into ACCOMPLISHMENTS, and each arron.
basement by sub-pretect. There is, besides,
atrbunal for each reimbursement In the same
manner each reimbursement will have its mem
Der OF the Legislative corps; and rs there are
/ 365 of those subdivisions, the legislative body
will be composed of the same, or nearly The same
number of members The election of Legislators
will be by reimbursement, Of which each will
be the delegate, or representative chosen by par
ticuar ballot, and by means. of direct universal
suffrage of the whole of the citizens, as it has
II just been exercised for the President himself.
! The functions Of the legislators, or representa-
tivcs, are proposed to be gratuitous, and without
any exception of the kind that | have already
noticed with reference to tie senate. The elect
ors will, therefore, be forced TO choose such per
sons as possess sufficient means to pass con-
siderable portion of the year in Paris. Under
| the empire the legislators received salary of
| 10000 francs.
The legislative corps will be elected for FIVE
years, at the end Of which it will be entirely re-
newed. The President will Away. have the
| right of dissolving the Legislative body In such
case new elections will take place. but the Pres
ident will not be obliged to convoke the new
Legislative chamber before an interval of six
months. II the legislative chamber elected az
| ter it's dissolution do not agree with the Pres-
dent, he can purely and simply dissolve it and,
ifit be his will to do SO, he may govern, con-
jointly with the senate, during six months, the
senate being Professionally invested with the
powers of the Legislative corps. At the termn-
alton of the year thus given to the President, he
may, should he think proper, make an appeal to
the nation, with the object of obtaining still
more powers from universal suffrage, should he
require them, TO meet the difficulties of the sit
nation. 1t is to this that alluded in my late
| letter.
The Legislative corps will discuss and vote
the laws. In principle, the sttings will be pub
lie, but restrained. The number of strangers
admitted to these sittings will not be much more
than so. The journals are not to publish the
debates summary of each will be drawn up,
published officially in the Monileur, which the
|
The constitution is silent on several questions
which in this country are regarded as constitu-
tional and fundamental, but which are referred
for their solution to certain organic laws to be
made at later period-such, for instance, as
the liberty of the press, and the appointment of
judges, whose independence itwoud be desira-
BILE TO guarantee by rendering them not liable
to be removed at pleasure the question of the
jury; that OF the state of siege those connected
with criminal jurisdiction the question of the
liberty of worship which compromises all that
concerns ecclesiastical discipline and the indie
pence of the clergy.
/ | have already alluded to the question of the
PRESS IL is stated that little or nothing is
changed in that respect and the question of
previous authorization, and the unlimited right
Of suspending journal, even when authorized,
is stil where IL was when last wrote. Ii is
thought that the right of suspension may be ap.
piled only TO such journals as are condemned by
tribunal. But the silence Of the constitution
on the liberty of the press woO!d authorize the
government TO continue Professionally the present
regime-that IL, the censorship strengthened by
the absolute right of suspension or suppression.
i The question Of education has also begun TO
occupy the public mind. The University was
founded by the Emperor Napoleon in lS07-s.
. o.,
and its regime been made more liberal and
more philosophical" Its precisely to this latter
quality that objections are made and if those
who are hostile TO its system of education pos
sess influence, IFS fall may be anticipated
In mentioning the above details relative TO the
new constitution, ! do so on the authority of
persons whom ] have found we'll informed on
other subjects IL will not be expected that,
carefully and Secretly tie operation of forming
the constitution is carried on, should be able
TO give all the provisions Of that instrument, but
only some Of the more important points hese
general data may, in the process of reduction,
undergo some modification; the original idea
may yet be qualified or altcred-not essentially,
however But all doubts on that subject will
soon be at an end as Il ia stated that the consti
tuition will be promulgated on Monday next, the
9Th inst The subject will still possess interest
and any further notice | mpy have to take Of
that act will be the result of careful inquiry and
consultation with men whose opinions must al.
ways have weight