, 1873-11-24
THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Y.
Its Political Complexion.

Its Political Complexion.
From Tho I1aN Mall Gazcttt. -.
Of February. 1871, during tho throo wceks ar1na-
tico granted by the Gormann. ItB mission waB to
appoint regular Government in liou of that
which had sprung from the revolution Of tho 4th
Of September, 1870, and to ratify tho Treaty OF
poaco Which tho new government would CON
cludo with tho invading armics. II was no
gouorally undorstood tllat tho Assembly would
10 meroly proviaional, and would exercise no
constituent povorBt that the Electoral Com
mittco formed In oaol' department woro composed
opinion; md the 1iets Of candidates which these
ooEnmttoos drew up included, on tho samo priu-
ciple, mon WHO woro influential in their dopart-
mcnts as land-owners, manufacturers, or mer-
chants. or who wore distinguished for their
ncbcyomonta IN arms, acieuco, or lettors. poli-
tics woro GO 1itklo regarded that Homo Of tho nts
wero purpoaelY arrangol 80 al to comprise ca.,-
didates at tho utmost variance on questions OF
faith; and 1T may be remarked that theBo lists
woro tho most suceeasfnl, many electors voting
proteosionist mud froo-trador, Gonora and an
author al together. Tho voting did not tao
place by oirounlscriptions, as undor tho Empire.
but by sc'1ti dc liste-that Is, every o1ector yot-
cd for as many candidates as his department
had mombors to elect, tie lcast number being
Sumo Department, forty~threo. The ros,,lt
Of this election WAS tho return of 750
nnmoa, but many mornbera had boon elect-
cd IL several departments (M. Thiora for
doputios was only 672. This total was further
leaaoncd by tho annulling Of eght elections, aud
after tho .poaco bud been voted ut Bordeaux by
tho :, roalgnatton OF tWonty-two mcmbors.
mostly Rad!cals llkc Mn. Hen1i Rocbofort,
tic Assembly !ad fulfilled It's task, and tIat tic tic
country should DO appealed 10 agnin on dis
tinct political isAues. M. Thicra was thon op-
posed to this view, and 30 were oil tho moderate
Republicans. :, The Assembly accordingly nd
journcd to Versailles, and 1cgislatod thore
throughout the Con1mune, fow deaths occur
ring in tho meauti1no and reducing tho number
Of deputies to G36.. The parties tGon Htood as
follows: 210 Logitimists, 10 Donapnrtiats, 60
Orlcanista, 22G Republicans Of all colors aud $50
contristo, who called themselves Libaral Con-
iosy boin H. rhorsy Mony xoea aFtv aie-
sions took plnce, but the ContriBts oaciiatod now
to ono sido and now to tho other at III. Thers
factions WAS noutralized, and thcro was no toll
ing with any accuracy whether tho minority Of
the Chamber was Monarchial. This state Of
things continued till tho elections Of tho I'd Of
July, 1871. There woro thon LII vacanclea to DO
filled up, and the horrors Of tho Commune wcro
SO froah in mons minds that it was calculated
powerful Anti-Ropullican majority would bo
returned. But N. Thiers Ind already expressed
tho oplnioa that 4 Conservative Ropnblic was
tho most desirable form Of Government, and, to
tho disgust OF tho Monarchists, the electors re-
turned Is Moderate Republicans aud s5 Radicals,
that is, 50 liopublicanB,- against &c profoss-
cd Conservatives, but one who declared himself
q Legitimist, the othors being for tho
most pare Ceptrists Of tho Orleanist typo.
among tho Mouarchiats, and about DO Of the
original Centrists In tho Chamber pronounced
openly for Constitutional 1ioyalisu, ''being dis
Mayed" as thoy publicly exprosaed it, "that
tho country ahoula have tho blindness to elect
wcro still Hmoldering." No further elections
woro held for ak months after this; but, on tho
9th Of January. 1879, seventeen scnts having to
be filled, the constituoncies returned twelve Ro-
publicans Of various SHADES, two Donapartists,
two Constitutional MonnrchistB, aud ono Libora!.
Conservative Centriat. These elections woro
signalizcd by tho dofoat Of II. Victor Hugo, tho
Radical candidate for paris, by H. Vautrain,
Moderate Republican, and they strengthened tho
Thicrest ranks. while increasing the con-
tma st9rnaton Of the M0narshsta Tho this
tion in tho Provinces BY moana OF
pamphlets and gratis newspapers. But this did
little good, for tho fourteen elections held in
February. Juno, and October. 1879, showed tho
Republican itloa to bo steadily gaining in ,popu-
Legltimist, two Bonapartists. and ono Orloanist.
Tho ne1t elections woro those OF tho 9th Of
April in tho present year, and they included tho
famous g Election Baro4ot in Paris. There
wero eight aeats vacant, and tho roturnH wore
seven Republicans, mostly Radcal, to ono Logi-
tmst; on tho 11th Of May five moro electious
voro held, resulting in tho triumph of four
Radicals and one Bonapartist and this actod
like G. trumpot.call on tho Monarchists, who
ooalescoq, overthrew M: Thiora, and established
nu Anti-Ropublican Ministry,-w what result,
however, WAS aeon by tho 12ttl OF October olcc-
tions, which added four now members to tho Ro-
publican party. There arc now thirteen soats
vacant aud tho reluctance Of tho Ministry to is
suo the writs proves small confidence in tho
probability Of noyallst victories. But it We look
simply to the 151 elections hold since February,
1871 without specu!ating on elections to como,
,so got tho following atatistics Moderate Re-
publicans, GA Radicals, 81; total Republican
returns. i'll; Conservative Contrasts, 20 Con-
stitutional Monarchists, Z; Donapartiats, s !;
Lcgitimists, 8. That is, deducting tho Bona
parthta and reckoning the 20 Conservatives to
tho Fuaionist ranks. LII Republicans to " Roy
alists.
NJ n A1tf