New-York tribune., 1869-06-08
THE VOTE IN FRANCE.

THE VOTE IN FRANCE.
Despite the process of gerrymandering as ap-
piled to France with imperial means and vigor,
the accruing results by the late elections are
more and more in the nature of protest against
the Empire. Out of two hundred and ninety
two crcumscriptiOns into which France is di-
vded, 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 26 candidates Of the
opposition, or but three more than its number in
the late Legislative Body, have so far
been chosen. Nevertheless, there remains
several remarkable and even formidable
facts. First, the elected opposition is far
more Radical than heretOfOre second,
as many as ffty-eight districts require
a second election, not having come to choice.
Consequently the radicals of France have still
a chance of great gain, and with energy may
win at least half of the debatable districts.
If any anxiety is caused to the Empire by the
elections, it will be chiefly occasOned by these
districts if more OF less explosion is apt to he
the result of repression, it may find its OppOr-
tunity here. Both the NapOleOnists and the
Liberalists have earnest reason to contest the
uOuDIIQl
BY the latest kilograms we learn that the En-
peror has been provoked to new effort, and will
especially contest the district in which NJ.
Rochefort is a candidate, the election of whom
would be considered personal insult to Ma
poleOn.
The vote of Paris and Lyons, which has
been generally and boldly against the throne,
predicts a measure of the result in the case OF
the uncertain districts. Nowhere has Napoleon
ism sustained so thorough rebuke as in the
capital of its pride and power. The Emperor
claims that he has embellished and benefited
Paris as never did monarch before, and might
have expected that at the late ballot one hund
red or two hundred thousand public workmen
would have risen up to call him blessed. But
the facts are lamentably ungrateful and it is
plain that workmen put no trust in princes. A
conservative writer in Paris tells us that the
whole vote of the metropolis may be
classed rs 12jO00 liberal opposition, $1,000 radi-
cal and extreme opposition, and $4,000 for the
government. According to Reuters kilograms
nearly three hundred thousand votes were cast
in the nine circumscrptions of Paris, indi-
eating a 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
nifcant In 1852 the Partisan opposition was
$4,000 strong; in 1SG3 10000 in 1869 it is
100000. In 1868, the government counted
$1,000 votes. To-day it has but $1,000 The
government has lost since 1852 not
less than 1900 votes, and the op-
position has gained $4,000. One of
the radicals, NJ. Ernest Picard defeated
the candidate of the Government by the over
whelmng majority of $4,000 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
decided anti-dynastical opinions; and even the
great Jules Favre has been Out-radicaed and
out-voted in the district which returned Bancel,
once refugee in Brussels. The irrepreSsble
Henri Rochefort comes back to France to claim
a 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
Fayre, who seems to have been unfortunate
as the candidate of several districts. BY
the law of French elections no person is elected
deputy who has not obtained, first, an absolute
majority, and second, number of suiirages
equal to one-fourth of the electors registered
on the lists of cipcumscrption. The number
of the candidates in the field, and the gerry
Wandering of the Empire, have made the elec
tions, under this test, a matter of some nicely
and difficulty and hence there are tifty-eight
undecided circunscriptons. But France has
spoken its mind, or as much of it as could well
be spoken now, and the Empire foresees its fate,
be that violent or peaceful. or near or remote