The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-09
THE VOTE IN FRANCE.
-OOl the n Y T,.jb1yys

ETOHt tue W. L ITtOULk'
Despite the process of gerrymandering as
applied to France with imperial means and
vigor, the accruing results by the late cleo
tions are more and more in the nature of a
protest against the empire. Out of two hun
dred and ninety-two circumscriptions into
which France is divided, the results in two
hundred and eighty are known. Not less than
1876 of these have chosen candidates either
favored or unopposed by the Government.
Only 2G candidates of the opposition, or but
three more than its number in the late legis-
lative body, have so far been chosen. Never
theless, there remain several remarkable and
even formidable facts. First, the elected op-
position is far more radical than heretofore;
second, as many as fifty-eight districts require
second election, not having come to a
choice. Consequently the radicals of France
have still chance of great gain, and with
energy may win at least half of the debatable
districts If any anxiety is caused to the en-
pire by the elections, it will be chiefly occa-
stoned by these districts; if more or less ex-
plosion is apt to be the result of repression, it
may find its opportunity here. Both the Ma
poleonists and the Liberalists have earnest
reason to contest the doubtful circumscrip-
tions with all their ability. By the latest tele-
grams we learn that the Emperor has been
provoked to new effort, and will especially
contest the, district in which M. Rochefort is
a candidate, the election of whom would be
considered a personal insult to Napoleon.
The vote of Paris and Lyons, which has
been generally and boldly against the throne,
predicts measure of the result in the case of
the uncertain districts Nowhere has Napo-
leonism sustained SO thorough a rebuke as in
the capital of its pride and power. The EN-
peror claims that he has embellished and
benefited Paris as never did monarch before,
and might have expected that at the late bal
lot one hundred or two hundred thousand
public worlmen would have risen up
call him blessed. But the facts are
lamentably ungrateful, and it is plain that
workmen put no trust in princes A con-
servative writer in Paris tells us that the
whole vote of the metropolis may be classed
as l25,OOO liberal opposition, $4,000 radical
and extreme opposition, and 50, 900 for the
Government. According to Reuters kilograms
nearly three hundred thousand votes were cast
in the nine circumscriptions of Paris, indi-
eating number of voters proportioned to a
larger population than the capital possesses
The vote may be somewhat over-calculated
but we know that the issue between liberal
ism and empire has been squarely met, and
the latter defeated where defeat is most sig
niticant. In 1852 the Partisan opposition was
$4,000 strong; in 1868, 149, 900; in 1869 it is
100000. In 1868, the Government counted
oo,uou Notes' Today II has but 90, OO0 The
Government has lost since 1852 not less than
1900 votes, and the Opposition has gained
$4,000. One of the radicals NJ. Ernest Pi-
card, defeated the candidate of the Govern
ment by the overwhelming majority of
"A, 600 against 5000 votes. In the electoral
reawakening of France, NJ. Thiers, the man
of state and OF history has been ousted from
his seat by candidate of no fame, but of de-
cided anti-dynastical opinions; and even the
great Jules Favre has been out-radi-
called and out-yoted in the district
which returned Bancel, once a refu-
gee in Brussels. The irrepressible
Henri Rochefort comes back to France to
claim seat under the very nose of majesty.
if the doubt in the seventh district turns as
it not unlikely may, in his favor, and against
Jules Favre, who seems to have been 1nfor-
tunate as the candidate of several districts.
BY the law of French elections no persons
is elected deputy who has not obtained. first,
an absolute majority, and second, q number