The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-05-21
THE PLEUESCITUM.
A History Of the Great French
Political Weapon.
From the Liverpool Journal.

Napoleon. He Is going to try 1t yet a
fifth time. Article thirty-two of the con-
stitution of the l4th of January, 1852,
which, with the notifications of various
Senatus Consulta, is the present consti.
tuition of France, runs as follows: IAN
notifications in the fundamental bases
of the constitution, such as they were
laid down in the proclamation of the I'd
of December (1s5N. and adopted by the
French people, shall be submitted to
universal suffrage" This appeal to uni
verSal suffrage is known in France as a
plebiscite, from the Latin compound
word plebis-scitum or ,plebiscitum-a
law made by the common consent of the
people, without the intervention of the
Senate or Legislative power. The article
referred to occurs in chapter four of the
constitution, limiting and defining the
powers Of the Senate, by which the spe-
cial guardianship of the constitution is
committed to that body. Article twenty
seven, for instance, says TINT the Senate
regulates by a Senatus Consultum all
tina, has not been provided by the con-
stitution, and which is necessary for its
march, and 'the sense of the articles
of the constitution which give rise to
different intel pretations'
The tondness of the Emperor for the
plebiscite may be very easily accounted
for. BY this process, he and his uncle
got all they ever acquired of supreme
power in France What his special OBJ
ject in the present appeal may be is not
Oh the surface; but it may be mentioned
that the name of NJ. Rouher, regarded
as the Mephisto of the present situation,
is at the foot of the constitution of 1852,
and perhaps he, too, has conscientious
scruples. What if the vote should be
less than the votes of 1S4s, of 1851 aud
Of 1852? What if the vote should be
adverse :! Such considerations do not
enter into the theory of .plebiscites.
Since the execution of Louis XVI, there
have been several appeals to the plebis-
cite in France on constitutional points.
The first was on the constitution of
1893, when the Mountain party, having
finally conquered the Girondists in the
Convention, set about the completion OF
the constitution which the Girondists
had begun, said to be the handiwork of
Condorcet. This constitution, which was
filled up with a rapidity that contrasted
with the slowness of the Girondists in
celebrating constitutions, regulated the
number of representatives. in the Ma
tional Convention, ordered annual elec-
tios and established trial by jury. This
constitution was submitted to plebis.
cite, and approved by 1,s01,91S against
ll.0lO votes. The ardor of the conven
tion in constitution building was, how
ever, greater than its desire to put the
constitution into effect. This constitu-
tion, so approved. was, in fact, never
acted upon. Two years afterwards,
subsequent to the death of Robespierre
and the downfall of the Jacobins, the
National Convention again applied itself
to constitution making 1t employed
upon the work that experienced hand,
Able Sieyes, with Cambaceres and 9th
ers; and on the 23d of June, 1895,
there was submitted by Busy D'Anglas
bran new constitution. This constitu-
ton created two chambers-the Council
OF the Ancients (250) and the Council of
the Five Hundred, who in their turn
elected FIVE persons, called the Executive
Directory, known as the French Direct
ory. This constitution also was submit
ted to plebiscitum, and approved by
1857 $3.50 votes against 4e,957. More
fortunate than the constitution of 1898,
it did the work. 1t endured for four
years-.ill the famous Brumaire which
brought on the scene Napoleon Bona
parte, who made very short work of the
Ancieuts, the Five Hundred and the con-
stitution., Napoleon, in his turn. went
to constitution building, and on the 10Th
November, 1899, produced his constitu-
ton, which provided. among other
things, for the election of Chief Con-
sui and two assistant Consuls. This
likewise was submitted to plebiscite
and approved by 3,9l1,000 against
1869. The Consuls appointed were
Napoleon Bonaparte, Cambaceres and
Lebrum. Three years afterward, in
1902, Napoleon was appointed Consul
for the term of ten years; and few
months subsequently a plebiscite made
him Consul for life, by 3,56s,lS5 vote:
against 9,074. Quickly upon the heels
of the life Consulate came, as We know
the hereditary empire in 1904, when
again there was an appeal to plebis'
cite, not on the point whether Napoleon
should be Emperor, as has been otter
asserted, but with regard to the heredit
airy succession. The "yeas" to this
question were 3,321.675 ito 2,59s
"noes." Once more, in 1915, on the
acte additional as to the succession
there was plsbiseite. But the star Of
the Emperor had set; only 100000
votes were cast in the affirmative. and
but 4.206 against.
There is here long gap in the his
tory Of plebiscites in France. Until
| the cousin Of the Great Emperor came
upon the scene, the plebiscite gave the
Presidency Of the republic to Louis Ma
poleon by 6,04s.872, against the million
and odd votes cast for Cayagnac. In
December, 1861, a plebiscite declared
Louis Napoleon President for ten years
by 7,481, ,231 against 640,737 negative
votes. In 1852 the present constitution
was ratified by 7,473.431 votes to GAL,
/ 351. In December Of the same year, :
Iplebiscite ratified the Senasus Consul
| tum establishing the Empire by 1898.
/ 1s9 votss against 253,145. We car
| hardly wonder that the Emperor IS en-
/ au,ored of the nIan which has done i,