Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1870-05-05
Of 1897 VIVA. II sAe Sv,oas.. i. i,bs i,.bosu,d a
sdvAr~eSs 9,sr3F>,sas;, ,3-w~s<s...., la IA.

| Of 1897 VIVA, II a. S,,as. Sv,oas. l,,bso.,d /,
adverses eacFecssiderstinus do'Sot en-.
ter iato the theory of ra<.seies. Since
the e1eessioa Of Lpais XVI. thers hare
been several appeals p the, p.ebiseits in
France on constitutional points. The
FIRST was on the consultation Of 1913.
when the Mountain party, having 6nall '
conquered the Groadists in the Csuven.
tion. set about The complexion Of the con-
ssitu,ion which the Girondists had begun.
.aid 70 be the handiwork Of Condoroet.
This constitution. which vas illed 40
! With rapidisy thss coutrastei ~itk the
sloWness Of the Girondists in elatcratiae
constitutions. regulated the number OF
representatives in the National Convsn-
tion. ordered annual el.ctions and essab.
;ished trial BY jury. This constitution
vas sabuitted to q fle6isciie. and appTo-
we'd By ]. sol .92l. against 11.010 votes.
1lc ardof ofthe convention in coast;su-
ticn handing was. however. greater Ii IN
its desire to put the constitution into ef.
feet. This constitution. 90 approved,
was In fact never acted upon. Two ysars
afterwards. subsequent to the death Of Ro-
bespierre and the downfall Of the Jacohias,
the National convention again applied itself
to constitution making. II employed
upon the work thas experiencel hand,
Able -Sieyss. with Camb,ceres and 9th.
ers; and on the 23l OF Juue, l795,
there was submitted BY Busy D'Auglas
a bran new constitution. This eonstita-
ton created tvs chambers-she Council
Of the Ancients (25O) and the Council of
the Five Hundred, Who in their turn
elected Eve persons, called the Executive
Directory, known as the Frcack Directo-
~. This constitution also w Submitted
to q piebiseise, and approved by 1,007,-
$50 votes against 49. .957. More fortu-
nate than the consultation Of 1898, it did
work. It endured for four years-till
the famous 18th Brumaire which brought
on the scene Napoleon Bonaparte, Who
made very short work Of .<.ths Ancieuts,
the Five Hundred aud the constitution.
Napoleon, in his turn, went to con-
stitution building. and on the 10sh Of No.
vembcr, 1799, produced his constitution,
which provided, among other things. for
the election of Chief Consul and two
assistant Consuls. THIS likewise was
submitted to a plebiseite, and approved
by 3,9l1 900 against 500 votes. The
Consuls appointed were Napoleon Bona
parte, Cambaccrcs and Iebrua. Three
years afterwards. in 1902. Napoleon was
appointed Consul Tor the term of ten
years; and few months subsequently, .
p'cbiseite made him Consul for life. BY
1865 .1S5 votes against 9.O74. Quick
ly upon the heels Of the life Consulate
came. ~ We know, the hereditary en-
pire in 1904, when again there was an
appeal to plebiscite, not on the point
whether Napoleon should be Emperor, as
has been often asserted, but with regard
to the hereditary succession. The yeas
to this question were 3.32l.675 to .. 500
noes" Once more, in 1915. on the
octe additional as to the succession. there
was pleJiscite. But the star Of the En-
peror had vet; only 1900, ,0O0 votes were
cast in the affirmative aud but 4 2O6 against
There is hore long gap in the histo-
ry Of pleJiscites in France. Until the
cousin OF the Great Emperor came upon
the scene the plebiseite was allowed to
rust. 1S4S piebiseite gave the Presi-
dency Of the republic to Louis Napoleon
by 6,04S. .S72. against the million aud
odd votes cast fer Cavagnac. In Decem-
Der, 1851. a pseblscite declared Louis Ma
poleon President for ten years. by 7,4s1,
231 against 640,737 negative votes. In
1852 the present constitution was ratified
by 7.473, 43l votes to 64l,35l. In De-
cember Of the same year a pteJiscite ra.i-
fed the Senafus Consu'tum establishing
the empire by 7 1923. .1s9 votes against
253.1 .145. We can hardly wonder tha,
the Emperor is enamored of the plan
which has done 90 much for him, and
that he will make y struggle to retain the
power to resort to it when necessary. A
very considerable party in the Chambers
is bent on destroying this power of the
Emperor 70 keep himself outside Of the
constitution. IF the Emperor i. equally
determined to retain Il France has just
entered upon constitutional struggle
which We shall here regard with interest.
but with that e9uauiaity and philosophy J
with which people are apt to regard the
troubles of others. In the meantime /.
is remerabered that Plon-Plor only las,
September declared sha. p'ebiseites were
shams.