Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-04-29
The Plebisci tn m Of Paris.
From the Springfield (Mass.) Republican.

From the springfield Mass.) Republican.
The 6sh-woman who burst into tears be.
cause DR.. johnson told her she "kept an
isosceles triangle in her back garrett" knew
as much about geometry as most of the
French voters do of the Roman law. But
French literary men and politicians have a
weakness for Latin terms, and so call spe.
cial election plebiscitum, which was the
Latin word for "a law passed in those as.
semblies of the people called comitia tribu-
ia. Strictly speaking, the plebiscitun., is a
decree thus passed by the whole body of the
people-so that the new judiciary article of
the New York Constitution, adopted last
November, could be called by that ''expres-
sive name," as Aaron Bradley would say.
The French form cf the word is plebiscite,
and the term is loosely applied to the de-
cree the submission of the decree to vote,
and the draft of the decree which is dis.
cussed, as now, in the Corps Legislatif
But this draft is also more properly called
Sendtus COnsultum-another Latin phrase
signifying both decree of the Senate and
a debate therein. Regularly the Senatns
COnsultum was the form in which the Ro-
man people passed upon a law by yea and
nay vote-but they also had the power of
voting on measures not introduced by the
Senate, and this power Of introducing laws
to the people for their vote is what in France
is called plebiscitory power, and what the
Emperor now reserves for himself indepen.
dent of any action his Parliament may
take.
When the Virginia planter told his negro
to 60 out and saddle his horse, "High
Olympus" Pompey groaned and replied
"Don'. know bout de Hio, massa, but he
Hmpus huff, dat for sartan." The Se"atus
part of the famous decree Of March 18th,
which the French Senate has now under
consideration, is obvious enough but we
don't exactly see where the consult EN-
comes in. Suppose the Senate refuses to
ratify the Emperor's plan, all he has TO do
is to set them aside and appeal directly to
the people, whose votes he has always con-
trolled heretofore, by official influence, and
hopes to do so in future. Indeed, the empty
form Of consulting the Senate is to be dis
pensed with as soon as the new Constitu-
tional Amendment passes; and ifthe I'm
peror takes notion to abolish the Senate
or the Catholic Church, or any other insti-
tuition, all he will need to do will be TO is
sue his pleLiscitum, and get an affirmative
vote upon it, Sappose President Grant,
irate at Republican Senate for rejecting
his treaties and nominations, and taking
advantage of a Democratic reaction in the
country, should put to vote a Constitu-
tional Amendment abolishng that body, it
would be no more than Louis Napoleon has
already done in France, and will do again If
he finds it necessary. Hence, probably the
zeal with which the Orleanis,s in the French
Parliament oppose the new project, for they
represent better than any other party the
strict principles of constitutional govern
meni. But there is another reason, quitp
rs potent, though less can be said about it
lust now. The Sendtus ConSultum now on
hand perpetuates the sovereign power in the
Bonaparte family, and its adoption will
bind anew all who support it for the for
tunes Of that family. The Oreanists, like
every body else. are looking forward to the
speedy death of Louis Napoleon, and they
are unwilling to diminish the chances of a
return to power by the Orleans family, as
the adoption Of this new Constitution by
their votes would do. The scheme of the
Emperor to continue the sovereignty Of
France in his own family, by Inheritance or
adoption, is a very shrewd one, and Count
Daru and his partisans now see in what a
trap they put their feet when they accepted
Ministerial Office under the Empire.