New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-04-13

lion of absolute power to invest him with ha.pOwer
Could any amount OF argument render the truth On this
head more pslPable
But what Of these Three Million votes We cay
they were farce-a humbug-of 40 possible Authority
or sicnifcance. Under the French machiaery of pre-
fects sub-prefects &c, rsmfy ing from the Tuieres
TO the nost secluded hamlet il the Pyrenees or Alps
whereby one IF Of tie entire population, eubod!ing
seven eghths Of the influence, intelligence and moral
weight are stpendaries Of the central power, such
elections as those of 1900 1904 ISL &c the most
transparent sbams. Napoleon frst usurpej supreme
authority next silenced all opposition then called
On the people to present themselves before his
sub,er7iont fupctionsres there to vote the ques
ron of keeping him in power or turning him out.
Suppose majority had voted against bis continuance
in power does anybody suppose that the Official
returns would have shown that fact Suppose
it had been possible to prove that majority az;
tually voted against him. who believes that he would
have Obeyed that majority What motive had Re-
publicans OF BourbOniss to lend character TO hat Jug
gle by voting, and thus su5jectng themselves TO the
powerful reseu tment of the usurper
We were in France during the summer of l5j1
when the question of changing the Constitution so as
10 increase materially the power and proong the sway
Of Louis Napoleon under discussion in the Assem-
bly,. OF course the proposition excited discussion,
agitation, perturbation, every side Paris was es-
pecialy alive with IT, and, in spite of the frowns of
Authority, the activity aud Omnipresence of Police,
and Tie selfish coTardice of TOO many of the Bour-
geoisie no ore who kept Lis eyes open could doubt
the earnestnefs and the predOmnsnce Of Republican
.. l..
or any other form OF monarchy were freely sold in
the streets while their Republican rivals were not
allowed TO be- and the large demand forohe latter,
during the tendency or the discussion compelled
many 10 wait till nine or ten o'clock for copies of
their iayorite evening dsiies containing reports of
the dsys debate in the Assemble The places where
these journals were sold surrounded for hours
by eager but patient crowcs aid each copy grabbed
with aydity it could be had while the Ma
poleonic gazettes met but here and there languid
purchaser. friend who had resided some years in
very large lodging house in the Quarsr Latin (inhab
tied in good part by students) assured that among
tie hundred and odd odeers in that house every one
was an incorporating Red'-'red as blood va, his
expressiOn-snd such was the general sentiment of
the studying as well as the abOrng classes of Paris
"a
trun PHI in the Presidential and Legislative cleo
ton which was to have taken place the next
spring; indeed, the moral certainty of such result
wes the chief argument for the coup d'dat of De-
cember 81 and the long train of anti-Republican
contpiraoies md persdies whereof it was the finale
The Assembly was ther intent on saving Society
Louis Napoleon ultimately did that job, by sitting the
voice and oyertbrowDg the power Of the People Aud
when he had fully adjusted and oiled his machinery,
be, roo, ike "uy uncle, the Emperor appealed TO
the People. whose mouths he bad gagged, whose
MODEST be had chained or exed, TO bring in their
ballots to bis interruptions PratOrians throughout the
country and say whether be should should not
tiIue to save Society" and maintain Order" Oui,
said the returns as counted and declared by his
lacqueys Seten Millions majority was his figure,
though tie france Of 1872 is smaerthan that of 1900
which gave the elder Usurper but Three Millions but
one lumber is just good the other for if either
had wanted Ten Millions to five hundred declared as
the result, he could have hsd it We spit upon the
whole farce and turn with unutterabe loathDg from
the yarDisLer AID polsher who whether in the interest
of the greater tie baser depot devoes his very
siderable tact and quite Unreasonable unscrupulOuness
10 the work Of elorgiDg Ll6erticide and sdulatiDg
Crime.