New-York tribune., 1868-04-04

name of the Emperors new pamphlet. Saving his
Majestys respect, We might add for subtitle, " a
Sell" for il certainly is sell the pensiye public
which had been led, as the pensiye public easily is
led by the loud and mysterious heralding for days
preceding its publication to expect an indefinite
something more-some sort Of Imperial manifesto
some moro or less emphatic personal decla-
ration of more or less liberal sentiments
some announcement OF adumbration Of constitu.
tional notifications even, possibly. proclamation
of plebiscite, new appeal to the popular vote.
Instead the pamphlet is made up of selected hstori-
cal documents showing the number of votes that the
First and Third NapOleons have received at the diff
ferent popular elections when they successful
candidates for various offices. To these are
joined extracts from several OF the actual
Rulers speeches and procamatiOns. issued when he
was President of the Republic and preparing
the coup d. 6tat and the Empire copy OF the Con-
sttution of 1852 with its preamble IL given IN fnll
AccOmpan ying the documents relating TO the cleo
tions of the first Napoleon as Consul for life and az
Emperor q few extracts from Theirs History OF
the Consulate and Empire. The few original re-
marks affixed and ufXed 10 those relating TO LOUIS
NapoleOns elections to the various offices OF republ
can Deputy, republican President for four years re-
publican President for ten years, and Emperor, do
not altogether amount in matter TO more than six or
seven pages, OF what some of them amount TO IN
other respects word or two presently But first let
attend 10 the question which the sold peDsiye pub
lie is busted with, asking itself what does the pamph
let as q whole amount 10 On the face of IL, and
literally TO nothing more than republication OF no.
t0nous documents repeating the notorious iact that
the first and present EmpeTors were elected 10 their
offices by large popular vote
What is the special and occasional pr0vocation TO
this republication to-day of old election IetnTnsi
What is the sudden need for this apology for the En-
piT6 by the author of the Life of Cesarf is II the
people beginning 10 question the titles or u It the
ttulary himself who begins TO doubtf Qd Scrcase
sdccase
The truth is that the pamphlet, az we have it.
seems like fragment that in itself leads to nothing
As documentary preface to political essay, or as
annexed piece jusilfoatit it's publication would be
more Ineligible The a priOii argument then
comes III aid 10 leakages from the Imperial printing
house and other loOsely-hOoped Informed circles,
Strengthening the probability that such was the
primary purpose of its compilation. Napoleon did at
time entertain the notion Of putting forth large
personal handicapped 10 the French people.
its publication to have tho occasional auspciOus
date of March 16 the twelfth birthday of his son. Ma
poeon w, that Is to be. IL would coincide with the
actual enforcement of tho most Immediately unpopu-
lar provisions Of the new Army Organization law
the enrolment of nearly the whole valid male popu-
lation mot caught by the conscTpuon for the regn.
aimed 10 touch the patriotic fiber" II would have
assured the nation of its rulers intimate and ardent
sympathy: ii would have intimated, If not openly
asserted, his want of sympathy with the f.trograde
wing Of the majority III the Corps Ltgislatti lt
would have vaguely promised over again large hb-
erty for the future nj least " would perhaps, have
proposed some modification of the Constitution i'm
liberal sense important enough to be the object OF
plebiscite-porhaps, have directly announced aud
nasty in tho cuyenescent h1espring Of the cleo
toTal Urn - it would have been an epochal paper,
marking an in the history of the Second Empire.
Setting aside imaginative conjectures, ndmittnga
wOful absence of positive proofs, Tegrettng my own
ignorance OF anything whatever bearing upon the
case that is not common property OF any tOcfaby IN
tegent man who keeps his eyes and ears open 10
what passes aud is patent and ~ Whispered, can
honestly report, at least that the Intelligent pub
lie" believes the existence IN Ms. Of what ten
days ago was intended to have been the essential
part of on imperial pamphlet of some 40 pages OF
which we now have only 20, OF The compiler uh-
essential part Characteristic Nascllatpn ana plu-
dence let the original author at the last moment re-
tain il i'm his portfolio One OF two passages from "
are however 90 Judge by internal evidence, mingled
with the work of the compiler, Monsieur Cont. l0u
will find on page s another on page 40 i5 oi the
pamphlet which is forwarded 10 YOU by tins mail.
They are noteworthy. go
Note the first: Some months later than the re-
peated elections Of Louis Napoleon 10 the constituent
assembly Of the Republcl the elections for the
naming of the Chief of State took place and notWth-
standing the OmnpOtence OF an established Govern
m at and the efforts OF press that for the most
part hostile the Prince ~ elected President of the
Republic land took an iron,bound oath To preserve IT.
your Majesty u The whole number OF votes cast
being 75i2 G of which 55s7 759 cast for Prince
.ouis Napoleon And an extract from the second:
Tile opposition 10 the Presidential election in lsiS
was gs sIi on the 10Th Of December 1851 vote for
ten years holding-afteT and under pressure Of ON
nipOtent government Of coup dttdiJ 1t sank Ia
Gn ,3jl for the creation of the Empire Nov lS'2l 1t
Now, observe that all these ciphcrs are historically
accurate, though they do appear in an imperial
pamphlet and as we'll that they do Indicate If not
demonstrate that light or wrong more or less sin
cercly the overwhelming majority Of the French
people did vote that Louis Napoleon should bo
looked by republicans here and abroad. And
whatever may be said of the sincerity of
the last two electoral tests, the majority
which Louis Napoleon obtained IN Deceu bcr, 1915,
more than five and half million in less than seven
and half million of votes cast was surely not OBJ
tained by pressure from the Central Government.
A. hot al, lef
government tired 10 unfairly turn the election
against him, pitifuy, shamelcssly false. llut let
that pass for the moment The curiosity of these
passages lies in this, that the pamphlet ostenta-
tiousy Te-afrms these two sets of notorious facts;
namely. that, under the Republic, Louis Napoleon
was repeatedly successful candidate deputy, and
then once helmingly President. IL then af-
firms the notorious fact that he was popularity chosen,
by increased maJorItics, deccnnial President aud
dynastic Emperor In the first set of these elections,
as every body knows, there was little or no restrlc
ton in the freedom of speak ing, printing, and public
meeting, and yet the elections went OIL peacefully
In the second set, according 70 the pamplletcers
own eager showing. the opposition all counted,
reduced 10 less than $4,000 in a population Of
thirty-seven or eight millions
Is il possible to conceive that just at this time the
Emperor should set forth these facts az argument III
favor of the new pressgag law Just voted by ms
Legislative as apropos 10 the new bill Of law
against the right OF meeting in full discussion in the
Corps Ieqislaftce just while his truncatcd pamphlet
was getting through the Imperial pressi
Here are the essential features OF the new law
ipretendedly liberal against the right oi meeting:
Article first provides that meetings may be held with
out previous authorization: on IpIess condition,
"however that they do not have for their object the
treatment Of political or religious subjects" That ~,
n public lecture, condition that II does not touch
upon religious or political questions, may be given
without previous authorization. Now, what would
a lecture on Noltairc, CObden lpolueal economy
comes within the political category or Pascal, or
Lincoln or Charles l.. or Richard ILL., on cotton. or
gunpowder or printing, be exposed to by this law'
Its next six articles will tell YOU They are all Tesrc-
tive OF The graciously conceded privilege, and their
Interpretation is committed TO the arbitrary jndg-
ment of an agent of the authorities who attends the
he held in covered place with doors to it that can