New-York tribune., 1869-06-17
THE ELECTIONS IN FRANCE.
COUNT DALTON sHEE AND NJ. THIERs-THE FUR
TIER RETURNs-GEN. DIX's PUBLICATIONS..

l.
TIER RETURNS-GEN. DIX'S PUBLICATIONS..
IFRoA OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE
PARIS June 4, i669.-Ihe last of the second series
of political meetings held in the districts where
there is to be second trial next week, closed on
Monday night. Several of them here in Paris were
exceedingly noisy, but the police not interfering
there was no disturbance in the streets.
THE GRAND TOPIC.
The elections are still the absorbing subject Of
mems thought and talk. The immediate result Of
the 5S second trials viii be decided next Monday
and be made known to you long before this letter
reaches NewYork. Current conjecture on that point
need not be reported Let me note agaiu that the
of Thiers if he succeeds will be more disa
greeable to Government that that of several Roche
forts. One of the striking though by no means
strongest proofs of this that the ofcious journals
are openly indirectly favorng the election of his
rival Dalton Shee Dalton Shee is a Radical,
irreconcilable." NJ Theirs ia a too moderate Lib
oral he is agreed with Government on several of
the leading features of its policy, such the main
tenance Of the PcJes temporal power. the mainten-
arce of a great army he detests republcanlsm' ne
dislikes democracy, he has horror OF socialism,
Excepting BeTanger and Louis Philippe no one man
has done so much as he did by his historical writings
10 apotheosize the First and prepare the way 10 the
throne of the Third Napoleon. lie was one of the
most efficient members of the famous Committee of
the Rue des Poitiers that labored to secure the
election of Iouis Napoleon as President of France.
Rut he is by far the most efficient critic of govern
ment principles and measuTesin ine the ablest par
Humanitarian whom Ministers have ever had to con-
test with in the Corps Legislative. His return IS
deprecated as that of an enemy far more dangerous
than defiant radical, who is openly dehed, not be-
cause of his berality but because Of his argumen-
tative power. He is more dreaded by Government,
and perhaps with more reason, than the violents.'
Some of the yioents slirewd enough to feel TINS
and it is noticeable that he is supported against
Dalton Shee, by the Rappcl, the especial champion
of Rochefort the organ Of ayOwed, revolutionary
Tepubhcansm.
RADICAIIsM or THE PEOPLE.
lis reproach constantly east by highly respect
obIa English and American Observers on Fench
radicals that they are RADICAL that they don't limit
themselves TO a moderate opposition, to a practical
Constitutional opposition. The observers omit to
observe that the Constitution makes no provision for
Constitutional opposition, and that its authOT-at
least his appointed agents. from Ministers of State
down to village mayors-put opponents like Theirs
and Provost Paradol i'm the same category Of hos
tiles" with opponents like Gambetta and Rochefort.
Whenever the Emperor makes concessions-and he
has made several important Ones-he invariably
makes as concessions mOtR prOpriO made OF his per-
sonal good pleasure Whatever they are in spirit, or
imply by fatefu consequence in fact be always care
fully observes for them in form the manner Of gifts by
his free grace-they acts Of his personal bounty
not acts Of contract and, by logical implication,
could be withdrawn as they were granted 1t is be-
cause this then common feature is 50 evident, that
some have openly recommended and many have
thought that he would respond to the alarming mi
nOrty vote of this year by a Teactionary movement,
and, withdrawing the privileges he has from time
granted to the nation since 1850 retire to the position
whence he commanded it without control from 1862
10 the lastnamed date 1t is not the fault OF
the radicals alone If so many of the elements
of the Situation Of 1852 offer themselves still
unsolyed in the Situation of to-day, that the
Constitution of that date and its author present
themselves TO the nation now as then for unquali
fed acceptance OF rejection by OUI on Nom yes
Its author has said that his constitution is perfect
bic but he has ordered it to be made criminal of
tense for any Frenchman but himself to say that i
has. OF to debate whether it has single imperfec
I'll. A GLANCE AT THR RETURNS
Let us glance again at the election returns, and i
view Of such facts and considerations as hav
touched. attempt to estimate the significance OF the
bold figures These we have little more az
cUrately than they given in my last. In lSt
the official candidates had an aggregate {
$4,000 votes. In 1869 they have at mo:
100000. There has been, then O loss Of at lea'
10000 in the legions of the faithful. The difle
ence between faithful majority and opposition mino
fly Is only about 10000 In another six years
ths rate OF progression, the opposition TO il
majority. And thenf The Constitution makes u
provision for It's legal ezstencel Undoubtedly ther
IS an error in that calculation Of the revomtouar
hopeful which sets down all the oppo,. ion vote i