The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-06-19
The Present state Of Frenon Parties.

PARIS. May 15, 1S74.-The summer
session has just commenced, and it IL
kngwn,s that evahts Of great political
IMPORTANCE must soon happen. The
new c6hstituti6pal bills have to be
passed.S an electoral law has to be
frahn ed, and, in short, an amount Of
serious work has to be got through
which would require that every mem
Der OF the Assembly should be ami
mated with clear purpose, and that
each party should be efficiently organ.
ized. But no man seems TO have any
purpose. nor can any party boast of an
organization. Royalists, Donapartists,
Constitutionalists, Moderate Rspub.
licans and Radicals are all blatant
with loose talk about the necessity for
establishing a settled regime; but they
are like gang Of masons. each carry
ing hod-full of bricks and wrangling
with ono another as to how they shall
set about building wall. The idea
OF putting their bricks in common and
working harmoniously together is the
last which will occur to them, for each
man wants TO follow his own designs
in erecting the wall, and will hear of
no compromise. The wall to be built
IN this instance is, as above said, the
new Constitution-that is. the four
teenth Constitution elaborated since
1888. BY it's provisions, France is to
have two legislative chambers, viz:
Senate OF 300 members, to be called
the Grand Council, and Lower
House. also Of 800 members, which
will retain the name of National As
sembly. The Deputies in the Lower
House are to be elected direct by the
universal suffrage Of the nrondisse-
ments; but universal suffrage is to be-
purified" Of about 1000, 900 voters
by the electoral law. which raises the
minimum age of electors from twenty
one to twenty-five. disfranchises all
who have been sentenced to enc or
imprisonment for drunkenness, setli-
ton or even street brawliug, and
imposes three years residential qua
litication on the rest of the electorate.
OF the members of the Grand Council,
100 are to be appointed for life by the
Chief OF the Executive; SO will be &c
oDIc'o members, marshals, admirals,
chief Justices, go and the remaining
LOU will he returned by COMMITTEES
OF notables, formed of the leading
officials, merchants, Judges and clergy
IN each department.. In case Of the
Presidents demise, the President of
the Grand Council would temporarily
succeed him; and the Grand Council
and the National Assembly wauld be
convoked 1T the shortest possible
notice and resolve themselves into
q "CoDgress" to elect his permanent
fI,A
tutional bill specially providing that
the Congress shall have power to
alter the "title" of the new Chief
of the Executive and to shorten
or prolong the term of his Office.
Now this clause simply means that the
Congress will have power to change
the President into o monarch, and
fierce debates may be expected on it. 4.
The Prime Minister, Duke de Broglie,
has hopod that by holding out the
prospect OF the future Congress elect
ing King to succeed MacMahon, he
may concilinte tho toyalists, aud n
cunning proviso which implies that
the Congress might proceed to o new
election in the event, not only of Mac
Mahon's death, but of his resignation,
is intended to be further bait to
them. But the Royalists do not trust
the Duke do Broglie, and, on the other
hand, that which might tempt the
Royalists would naturally alienats the
Republicans, who command almost
one-ha;f of the votes in the Assembly.
The policy Of tue lsoyalists is to thwart
tho Duke de Broglio in every way, in
order that he may resign aud be re.
placed by the Duke Decazes, whom
the Legitimists like. or, failing this.
they desire to bring about such u
dendlock that MacMahon will see it is
impossible to carry on the Govern
ment, aud SO lend himself to some
scheme for restoring Henri Y. The
policy Of tho Repnblicans is to keep
MacMahon where he is. with his pre-
sent little of President of the Republic,
but to overthrow the Duke dc Droglie
and get more liberal Ministry, with
nj. Casimir Perier at It's head. AS to
the Bonapartists, they are opposed to
the bill which cripples universal suf-
frage, and have nlso IL strong wish to
OCCASION dead lock. to tho end that
MncAlahon may be driven in mo-
ment OF impatience to appeal to tho
nation by ptcJiScium. On the whole,
then. the situation is pregnant with
trouble. and nothing is mora likely
than that on some clause Of the Con
stitution bills the extreme Royalists,
the Republicans and the Bonapartists
may all vote together, and turn out the
Duke de Broglie.