New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-09-18
REFORM IN FRANCE.

| timcnt, OF ner COuIclis-OcDcldi' 1o' "o ""''
that as the Senatus Consultum was surren-
der to the demand of the elections, as ex-
pressed by the Interpolation of one hundred
and sixteen legislators, so we expect something
like imperial Difference to the manifestation OF
the Councils These Councils do not accu-
rately represent France, but, looked upon as
somewhat conservative county or provincial
meetings, made up of men of local marx, they
come as near to intimacy with the wants OF
the French people as could be permitted UNI
der the imperial tutelage
The Government recognizes the present sig
nifcance of the Councils by half promising
through M. Devienne, its reporter OF the Senatus
Consultum, that they should be allowed to
choose their own officers. But this parsimony
of concession could not suffice. Though it has
been officially denied that eighty-nine Councils
of ACCOMPLISHMENTS, in the face of the Empe-
rors projects and sub-prefects, resolved for
the abrogation of Constitutional article by
which functOnares are protected from legal
pursuit. and for the election of Mayors by
Municipal Councils, yet the actual demand OF
the Councils General has about the same force.
The Government requires that the Coun-
ellis shall confine themselves to local mat
tiers, and not discuss general political ques-
tions; but in more than one instance TINS barrier
has been broken through or swept away. The
Presidents of the Councils (who are Imperial
appontees) felt in duty bound in their inau-
gurals to praise the Senatus COnsultum; the
Councillors, on their part, were anxious to say
that the Senatus COnsutum was not enough.
Sometimes the Presidents failed to put down
the uncomfortable spirit they had evoked. In
the asse-Pyrenees. and LOiret propositions
for MayOralty elections were suppressed as too
political; but in the NOrd the Council over
whelmed their President by deciding with one
| voice that certain questions regarding the aOo-
| lition of the newspaper stamp, the nomination
| of Mayors the limitation of electoral circum-
| scriDtiOns and the repeal of the greatly con
demned Article IS, that which saves the
| Empires servants from the grasp of the law
should be referred to committees. Other Coun-
ellis did as well or better. Those of Puy de
Dome. C6tes du- Nord, and Seine lnierleure en-
tertaned similar motions. Yonne added one for
a jury in press affairs Mosele debated Article
rs, and the election of Mayors; Somme consid-
cred the right to publish its deliberations /;
Vend6e boldly made use OF it by large
majority. in spite of President and Minister
Leroux Seine-et- Marine, though pestered with
eourtiers, voted for self-regulaton on motion
which four years ago was quashed az Illegal /;
Pas de- Calais has received a proposition call
ing, in tho words of NJ. Theirs, for necessary
liberties !" Haute Loire rejected an unauthor-
lied credit put down in its budget by the sub
project. But even these demonstrations of an
irrepressble reform spirit were exceeded The
Department of RhOne passed a series of re-
solves for all the reforms moved by the Oppo-
| sitiOn, and in La Manche a mover went so far
as to assert that the Emperor should not have
power to declare war without the consent of
the Senate and Corps Legslatif Sarthe pro-
nOunced for most of the reform motions, con-
demning the system of official canddatures,
| regrettng that department agents had been
taken awe5 from their proper duties to be
made electoral agents, and demanding that
functiOnaries paid by the communes should not
be employed to distribute bulletins for Gov
ernment candidates.
| The general programme OF the French OPP
position as elected from the. councils seems
first, that electoral districts or circumscriptions
| shall not be gerrymandered imperially; second
that Mayors and Deputy Mayors of $1,000 COM
munes shall not be chosen by Government;
third, that officials shall be subject to the law
These are the main resolves of the Councils,
but it is apparent that the Opposition at large
have such additional objects as the reform of
official candidatures and the abstinence of Gov
eminent from tampering with electiOns and
| finally, it is possible that they may yet demand
| a dissolution of the Corps Legislatf and new
election, to which motion, however, Prince Ma
poleOn is an opponent The Senatus Consultum
cannot be looked upon by the French people
as a fnality, since, though it gives certain
| privileges to their Legislature, electoral freedom
and honest representation are still denied. The
! Senate of France has the monstrous power of
altering the Constitution and of making laws
while the popular body of representatives re-
main prorogued at the imperial pleasure. Fur
| tbermore, as the radical M. Picard has ably
| contended, ait is impossible to allege with any
regard for justice, that France. with ten mil
| "lions of electors, is adequately represented by
$3.50 members, when she had upward of 400 at
the time when the constituent body consisted
of only 100000 taxpayers" Inasmucli as the
Senate is entirely appointed by the Government
and the electoral districts are arranged and
corrupted by the same influence it
is difficult to calculate the enormity
of the power which the Emperor has
distracted from France in order to estab-
lish and insure his despotism. He would have
us believe that what his opponents would still
demolish, and what he has already done away
with, is mere scaffolding, and that his house
will not tumble down. All that we need re-
mark is, that France was never so clear in her
rights or in her purposes, and every day adds
to her sense of past self.deception and endur-
ance of an imperial imposition. Prince Napo-