New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-02-13
THE Liberal PARTY OF FRANCE


THE LIBERAL PARTY OF FRANCE
At the election Of new Corps Lcglslatii,
which took place in France on May 80 and June
| /, 1868, the combined Opposition Parties
! Icglimists, Orloanists and Rcpublican,-suc-
ceedcd in clecting about % deputies. In 1851
they had chosen but five. The total number OF
votes cast for the Opposition candidates wa'
about | 900 900; in ISL, 81 900. The result
was announced with deep modification by most
Of the organs Of the Government, and with
great exultsiion by tie organs of tho Progress
siyo Party Abroad it was generally viewed
as forcshadowing an irresistible progress OF
liberal tendencies.
During the recent debates in the Corps Legi--
la,if, the Minister of State made an effort to
prove that public opinion, upon the late cleo
ton, both In France aud elsewhere was all
wrong. In support OF his arguments. he addnced
some interesting statistics. The candidates of
the Government, he remarked, had obtained
:, 33i .03A votes, or Il5,452 votes more than
they received at the first election after the es-
tablishmcnt Of the Empire, in l-52 The Oppo-
sition according TO his calculation, had gained
over that year only about COO, 900 votes. II
was therefore clear, that the Government was
still as siaachly supported by the immense
majority of the French people, as in 1852 and
that since then only the number of those who
RETAINED from voting had diminished.
The minister also denied that the population
of the cities Wa. hostile 20 the Government, for
the election statistics showed, that in the towns
souls the official candidates had obtained coo 600
votes, and the Opposition candidates only
1900.
This statement of the Minister fncd tol
make an impression upon the country.
II was easy to snow its iallacy The speak
era Of ,he Opposition very properly re-
marked that the Government had no right
TO speak Of the free opinion of the coun-
try, as long as il adhered 10 IL. system Of
intimidatng the voters, and Of preventing the
candidate of the Opposition from canyasslng |
their districts with the same liberty which l. !
accorded TO the official candidates. IN an
amendment, proposed By them 10 the dralt of an
address 10 the Emperor, they expressed the con
fdcni belief, which public opinion everywhere
regards AZ we'll grounded, that without the pres.
sure brought to bear upon the people by the
Administration, the whole country would have
voted a. did the cities of Paris, Lyons, Mar
settles, Lille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Saint
Eticnnc, Dion, IIayre, Strasburg, Brcst, Mines,
and the large cities in gcncral-nine-tcnth Of
which, by their votes. pronounced an emphatic
condemnation Of the policy of the Government.
The Opposition expected to win signal trumphs
at the session Of the Legislative body which was
opened in November 1868. They looked with
natural pride upon the illustrlous men by
which they were to DO represented. Most OF
them were known, not only in France but
throughout tho world, a. statesmen or ora
tors of eminent talents. They could com
mand the closest attention Of the French
people to every word they should utter.
They were ready TO attack the Admins
tration on such points az tho lattcr could
not meet. Every discussion, it was believed,
would show the business of their cause and the
superiority oftheir talents, and the applause Of
tho world would come back to France, to
strengthen the enthusiasm Of the friends OF lib
erty and their confidence in the final success of
their cause.
This expectation has been fully realized.
Theirs, Berger, Jules Fayrc, Jules Simon,
and other speakers of the Opposition, have
won imperishablo laurels Even tho par
tisans of tho Government in tho Lcgisa-
tive Body have been unable to withhold
ho expression of their admiration, and the
Government has entirely failed to neutral
izo tho powerful effect which their speeches
have produced. From all sides, We learn, there
il a universal demand that the Government
shall adopt more liberal course. The sup
Elementary elections which have recently taken
place showed increased, and, in some instances,
astonishing gains of the Liberal party. Some
of tho amendments, proposed BY the Opposition