New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-09

4 a.. \, .,e,.., Nc q essddste appeared doubtful
ms .Snd Obtain no other explanation; but, conf
asu, ~ his popularity, be undertook to oppose N.
N;solIe, the Government candldate-M the same
. dsc,sYipe himself to be, as he always hsd been,
SsasfI adherent Of the Imperial Government.
We W.. elected BY majority Of $500 notes.-the
al al. number Of slfrsges cast being about 80, 000
Tie il fuepce of the Pieect of the Department Of
the Sub Project and Of most, though not of all,
other officials was exerte3 against hun.
TWAS now pretended that he had gained his election
BY Illegal means A preliminary investigation by the
regular magistrates resulted in the folding of the fol-
lowing cOsnts: Electoral frauds, by means Of prom
ises threats fsse reports, and csumniOus writings;
orally Insulting gendarme and a mayor. On this
finding be- is presented for trial by the Prosureur
Imperial before court sitting ut Colmar, although
ali the Ofenses charged were committed within the
jurisdiction Of similar court sitting at Belfort. 1t
was only after matters had reached this stage that
new count was added to the ndictment-namely,
that of having illegally worn the decoration of the
Legion of Honor
please remark that the two preceding paragraphs
present number Of facts, carefully purified from
cOlOring or inference the exact truth Of which ia
undisputed by any party.
Count MigeoD then, 10 to be tried these charges,
for having carried illegally his election Sixty wit
nesses are called by the prosecution Many OF them,
most Of tn I'm whose testimony carries weight are
government officials including the Project OF the
department. the Sub-Prefect magistrates, mayors,
police agents. etc. The TWO frstnamed and several
OF the others were, until the eve Of the cleo
ton, personal acquantances and, ostensibly even
intimate friends Of M. MigeOn certain of the
most damniDg parts of their testimony could On'y
have been obtained by virtue of their intimate rea
tioDs with him. One of them, for instance, NJ.
Baillehache, government prosecuting attorney,
swears positively that on a certain occasion (the
year preceding the election, Observe) he saw the
decoration of the Legion of Honor on NJ. Migeon's
breast he could not be mistaken, for he went up to
that gentleman, and, beginning with some cOmpli-
mentary phrase, carried ON conversation with him
for the sole purpose of examining this decoration,
which it was unlawful for the Count to wear and
which j. was his official duty to prosecute him tor
wearing. Notice, by the way, that this geDtemanly
procedure took place at party given by the Pre-
feet in his own house, where Migeon and Baille-
hacbe were guests.
Still, the reader will observe, cOnhne myself to
statemtn of undisputed facts. Coming now to
the mass C testimony and the pleadings of advO-
Gates which cannot be quoted entire, nor intellgby
compressed within the limits l must necessarily
mirgle opinions with facts. Neither shall intention
ally be coored by prejudice.
If all the testimony offered by the prosecutor
we're 10 be taken without qualf cation, 1t would
provoke side many other things. of which l shall
spe ak presenty-that NJ. MgeOns lndiscreet friends
had been guilty Of utteIing promises, threats and
fase reports; that be had been guilty OF insulting
gendarme and mayor (who had acted most treach-
erously toward HIM, and of wearing decoration
that did not rghtfllly belong to him. 1t would be
too long to tell in detail what these oenses definitely
were; one of each kind may suffice as sample: A
promise that if M. Migeon were elected the work
ing mans day would be only ten hours long, but II
Nizolle were elected it would be fourteen hours
long. A threat-that Mayors who did not use their
influence for MgeOn would lose their Offices A false
report-tbat the Administration of the Department,
but not the Emperor, was opposed to N. MigeOn.
An insult to g,ndarme-that said gendarme was
not tit man to be shaken hands with by NJ.
MgeOn.
The witnesses for the defense, including in their
number, it must be remembered, great many
mayors and parish priests contradicted those OF the
prosecution, a matter of course. And 1t their
testimony were to be taken without qualification,
the witnesses of the State were generally mistaken,
and some of them perjured. However, by strict
technical Interpretation Of the laws, one can con-
ceve that an impartial judge might wholly condemn
MgeOn on the charge of circulating false rumors IN
one instance and also on that of circulating illegally,
certain printed documents For though his most ndis.
Greet friends did little, and he did strictly nothing
that our laws respecting elections or public opinion
with us would gravely condemn, il must not be
forgotten that the French laws bearing on the
case are diferent-nOt only those laws made since
1852 but such as date from much earlier periods.
One of the severest Of these laws under which, with
most show of reason, the accused might be con-
demned the law on cOlpOrtage namely, was earnest
" sustained and voted for in l849, by Migeon him
self and as earnestly opposed and voted against by
bis present eloquent defender Jules Favre, then an
eloquent defender of the public liberties in the Leg
islative Assembly.
The charges found against Migeon were plainly
but the pretext for efectpg his utter ruin as poll
tcian and as man of high social position. They
were trumped up against him after his unexpected
success in the election, by the influential members OF
the departmental admin istraton. 1t was first by
their intreues that the central authority at Paris
was msled to substitute for him another candidate.
In the interest Of this candidate all the Illegal means
charged upon Migeon excepting the wearing OF
decoration) and still others not charged upon him,
we're employed with the sanction OF high ofclals.
MigeOn, who seems 10 be dashng, free-sp0ken,
free-hanled and witha strong wiled man, enjoying
great personal popularity in his district, where his
Charities have been profuse, went into the
canvass with spirit, proclaimed everywhere
his devotion to the Emperor. and carried
the day, as we have seen, by an overW helming
msjority. The cabal was intensely yexed
NATURALLY; the Centaal Government was also ve1ed
Il, naturally. A large number Of Mayors who had
venured to vote for MigeOn were dismissed or re.
Quested to send in their designations. Then this trial
ia got up and in the course of it the prosecution,
wandering wide away from the counts of the indict
nent, take every means to destroy the reputation Of
Migeon. His money transactions, bis pecuniary
condition, his family relations aud Utmost private
e are all brought into open court The Procureur
Imperial, with sll the aVidity and more than the
malice of llsge gossip rakes together from secret
police reports floating scandal private letters, mis-
oonfoo I'M nrxy