The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-09
MONDAY, MAY 9, 1870.
THE FARCE IN FRANCE.

THE farce is over in France, and, as far as we
are now advised, the people have, as M. Olli-
vier would put it, preferred liberty to revolu-
ton, or, as the true issue stood, have given
the Emperor ''an unqualified approval of the
past, and carte blanche for the future" 1"
There can be no question that majority of
the votes cast throughout the Empire has
been in favor of the Government. The con-
idence of the Emperor in the popular vote is
shown not to have been misplaced in this
instance; but the result of the vote, from the
meagre returns thus far received, indicates
that the last desperate resort of q pEebiscite
will not be as available in the future as it has
been in the past. The vote in Paris was
largely in the negative, there being ma
jority of about $4,000 against the Govern
ment in total of about AGO. By COM
parison with the vote at the elections of last
May, it will be seen that nearly the full
strength of the opposition in Paris was ar
rayed against the ple6iscStc despite the coali-
Eon of the Olivier party with the Govern
ment. In May, 1869, the Government candi-
dates for the Corps Legislatif received &C, III
votes, the opposition candidates polling
229, 758; while yesterday the vote on the
ple6iscite, with one section only to hear
from, stood 1887 in the affirmative
to 1S2,8S1 in the negative. This result
was to have been expected, as Paris is the
seat of Red Republicanism, and all the other
isms which are arrayed in irreconcilable oppo-
sition to the Government. The few returns
from the provinces which had been received
at the capital up to midnight footed up
LOG, 436 votes in the affirmative to 80, 80 in
the negative. II these returns should prove
to be faithful index of the entire vote, the
opposition will count about 3, 900, 600 votes
to 5000, 900 in favor of the Emperors pro-
gramme, which is about the proportion into
which the popular vote at the elections for
members of the Corps Legislatif in May of
last year was divided. But, until the COM
plete returns are in, it will be impossible to
speculate with certainty upon the result,
although it is probable that the opposition
vote yesterday was much larger than
on any previous occasion Of an appeal to the
people. The constitution of 1852 was adopted
by vote of 7,473, 431 to GAL, ,351, while on the
Senatus C0nsultum of December of the same
year the vote stood 1928, 1S9 to 253,145
Despite all the appliances brought to bear
by the Government upon the result, including
the gross and unprincipled exaggeration of
the alleged plot against the Empersr's life,
the French people yesterday protested against
the imperial regime in manner that should
teach Napoleon a merited lesson. But the
chances are that it will be unheeded, and that
the carte blanche which was demanded by the
Government and accorded by the people will
be made available in the future to the utmost
extent. The fact that the election passed off
in Paris without any disturbance has no signi-
fcance whatever. Marshal Canrobsrt had
under his command in and around the capital
at least 100, 900 disciplined and thoroughly
reliable troops, and an attempt to raise dis
turbance in the face of this overwhelming
force would have been piece of folly of
which even the extreme radicals of Paris
are incapable. If the whole opposition had
risen as one man it would have been cut down
like grass. But the fact that the day passed
quietly is no security for the future, in view
of the large vote which was unquestionably
polled yesterday throughout the empire, in
opposition to "the liberal reforms which have
been effected in the constitution since 1860
by the Emperor, and the .Scnatus COnsultuna
of April 20, 1870" .r...