The New York herald., 1870-04-26
The Plsbiseisum and Iss History.

Plctcu III y lew udyB. Inc government WAS utSliOu5
OF reconciling justice with humanity.
Tho sitting then closed.
Tho Plebiscisum and Its History.
From the Liverpool Journal, April 1871
The Emperor OF the French is about, more, to
appeal 70 universal suffrage. In 1SlS IN 1851 and In
leon ae Is going 10 try Il yet NTH time. Article
thrtywo OF the constitution OF the 14th OF January,
Co,.a Is the present pre- conssnton o. Of France runs
as foll0ws:-"All notifications In the fundamental
bases OF the constitution, such as they were laid
1851 and adopted by the French people, shall be
submitted to universal Suffrage" Thlsappea TO uni
o hs s q Word !" o
0fscttusn-a law made by the common consent OF
the people, without the Intervention OF tile Senate or
the legislative power The article referred to occurs
In chapter four OF the constitution, limiting ana de-
nning the powers Of the Senate, by which the
especial guardianship OF the constitution Is commit
ted TO that body Article twenty for instance,
says that the Senate regulates by Senatus Con-
slat,ss all that has not been provided by tns con,
sttuti0n and which iB necessary for It's march," ana
"the sense OF the articles OF the constitution which
give rise TO different interpretations"
The fOndness Of the Emperor for the ptebtSCffe may
b. yeay easily accOuneh for. By ttts process he ana
his u'sCe 0Ot al ev eUer acquired Of supreme pocer
IN France. What his spec al object In tho present
appeal may be IL not on the surface: but 1t may be
mentioned that the name OF NJ kouher, regarded
as the Mephst0 OF the present situation, s at the
foot OF the constitution OF 1884, and perhaps too
has constitutional s5ruples. What u the vote
should be less Than the votes OF 1S4S, OF 1851, and
of 1897 What II the vote slionld be adyersef Such
considerations do not enter into the theory OF pie
btscites. Since the execution OF Louis XVI. there
nave been several appeals TO the pebscte Ia France
constitutional points. The first was ON the con-
stltutiOn Of 1893, when the Mountain party, having
finally conquered the GrOndisIs In the COnven-
tlon, set about the completion of the consultation
which the Glrondists had begun, said 70 be the
nandiwork OF CoHdorcet THIS constitution, which
was nlled up with rapidly that contrasted
constitutions, regulated ihe nnmher OF repre- e,ta
tives IN the National Convention, 0rde ga annual
uon sas ans asa 10 and
by sol 9ls, against 110l0 voe es. The ariOr OF ihe
convention Ia constitution building was however,
greater thln its desire TO put the constitution into
elect THIS constitution, SO approvel, was In lact
never aci ed upon. Two years afterwards suDequent
the Jacobns the National Convention again applied
itself to constitution making. employed upon tho
work that experienced hand Abbe Sieyes, with Gam
baceras and others; and ON the 23d OF June, 179b
there was submitted by Busy UAnglas bran new
constitution. This constitution created two cham
bersthe Council OF the Ancents (250 and the Coun-
Gil OF the Five Hundred who In their turn elected
five persons, called the Executive Directory known
as the French Directory; Tais constitution a also 80
10s7, $50 votes against 4o,o67. More fortunate
than the constitution Of l79s 1t did work. 1t
endured for four years-till the famous 18th Bru-
mare which brought on the scene Napoleon Bona
parte, who made very short work OF the Ancients,
the Five Hundred and the constitution. Napoleon,
In his turn, went to constitution building, and on
the 10th November, 179o, produced his constitution,
which provided among other things, for the election
suls This likewise was submitted to a pieotscits,
and approved by 3011 900 against $50 votes. The
Consuls appointed were Napoleon Bonaparte Cam
baceres and Lebrun. Three years afterwards, In
1902. Napoleon was appointed Consul for the term
of ten years; and few months subsequently q
plebisctte made him Consul for life, by $685. 185
votes against 9,0H Quickly upon the heels OF the
life Consulate came, as we know, the hereditary
empire in 1904, when again there was an appeal to
pteofscue, not on the point whether Napoleon
should be Emperor, as has been Oflol asserted, but
with regard to the hereditary succession. The
''yeas" to this question were 3,32l, ,675 to 1850
'noes." Once more, in 1916, ON the 0cte additional
star Of the Emperor had set; only 1,300O 900 votes
were cast in the affirmative and but ,206 against
There is here long gap In the history OF ptebtS-
cites In France. Until the cousin OF the Great Enpe
rOr came upon the scene the pe0iscue was allowed
to rust In 1848 DlebtsCte gave the Presidency OF
the republic to Louis Napoleon by 6,04S 1872, against
the million and odd votes cast for Cayagnac In De-
cember, 1851, plebiSctte declared Louis Napoleon
President for ten years. by 231 against 840 737
negative votes. In 1852 the present constitution
was ratified by 7,47S, ,4Sl votes to GAL 35l. In De
cember OF the same year ple0tsCtte
ratified the Se,aatus CO1lsIlturn establishing
the empire by 7s2sis9 votes against
enamored Of the plan which has done 80 much for
him. and that he will make struggle to retain the
power to resort to it when necessary. very con-
siderable party In the Chambers Ii bent on destroying
this power OF the Emperor TO keep himself outside OF
the constitution. II the Emperor Is equally deter
constitutional struggle which In England we shall re-
gard with interest, but with that equanimity and
philosophy with which people are apt to regard the
troubles OF Others In the meantime 1t Is remembered
that PI0nPlon only last September declared that pie
0tscttes were shams.