The New York herald., 1875-03-01
THE FRENCH SENATE BILL.
A Grand Struggle Of Parties
in the Legislature.
THE DEMOCRACY vINDICATING ITSELF.
American Ideas Pervading the
Assembly,.

PARIS. Feb Is, 1875.
The Bonapartists have but eighteen votes In the
Assembly, but they hold the balance Of power In
the two critical divisions OF Thursday and Satur.
day last II their action that turned minortres
into majorities. On Thursday the Assembly was
to consider the elaborate scheme OF the select
committee for Senate partly consisting OF mem.
bers e1 oNcto partly OF Presidential nominees,
and partly OF members elected oy the Councils
General, which may, with an approximation to
correctness, be called the local Parliaments OF
France. For seventeen months the ablest heads
In the country had been laid together to devise,
with care and even touching spirit OF fairness.
what should be an efncient check to the possible
excesses OF democratic Chamber elected by uni
versal suffrage Like
HOUSE OF CARDS
tho whole scheme fell to pieces at the nrst
touch. NJ. Pascal Duprat OF the Lett, proposed as
an amendment to the nrst article Of the COM
mittee's bill that the Senate should be elective
ana chosen by the same voters as the Chamber OF
Deputies. To NJ. Duprars ast0nishment his
amendment was carried on division by 322 to
$40. The Extreme Right. who have orders from
the Conte de ChambOrd not to aid In the founding
OF o constitution, abstained from voting at all.
The Bonapartsts, whose very Ofdcial name Is 'the
party OF appeal to the people," and who never
lose an opportunity OF showing themselves friendly
situation. They voted with NJ. Duprar ana secured
the triumph OF his amendment. 1t was
PRETTY PLAY,
for they risked nothing, as will be seen In the
sequel. Their tactics are virtually those OF the
Extreme Right. As the latter wish 10 prevent
the establishment OF any settled government
put the monarchy Of Henry V. 80 the former will
allow nothing to be constituted but the Empire.
Cnly the mperialists generally show more spirit
and. 1t is fair to add, more unscrupulousness than
the old aristocracy OF France. Hence without
the slightest intention OF suffering the election
of Tree Senate the partisans Of Prince Louis
Napoleon were clever enough to get the credit Of
supporting the idea.
MACAAHoN ANNOYED.
Meanwhile Marshal MacMahon was annoyed
beyond measure at the vote OF Thursday. On
the following day General de Clssey, Minister or
War and Vice President Of the Council ascended
the tribune and made the following declaration -
GENTLEMEN-The President Of the Republic mas
not deemed 1t right TO authorize our Intervention
in the continuation OF this debate. He thinks. in.
Decd that your last vote has altered the nature OF
decision. ana would thus deprive the cOnstitu.
tional pills as whole The character which they
interests. The government, which cannot, there.
lore, associate Itself with the resolutions adopted
in your last sitting. deems It right to apprlse you
OF the TACT before they become de1ntttve.
A THREAT.
The only meaning that could be discovered In
this studiously obscure message was threat to
DO something which the sender Of the message
evidently had not the courage to say openly. Was
military interference menacedf No one could tell
THE DEBATE
proceeded, and after some discussion the new
first article OF the bill, due 70 joint amendments
OF NJ. Duprat and or N. Bardoux, q barrister and
member Of the Left Centre, was adopted BY 80 9
| t0 II tQYc n a
ARTICLE 1.-The Senate Is elective and Is CHOSEN
| by the same voters as the Chamber Of Deputies.
I Eacn department. snail appoint tnree members OF
lions OF eligibility hereafter determined.
That each department should return an equal
| number OF Senators, irrespective Of its popula-
ton, was, OF course, q provision borrowed from
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES,
| and one OF the best as well as the most liberal,
that could be devised. But republicans might
have guessed that their victory had been too com.
pete, ana won with the assist ance OF too doubtful
allies to nave much significance. The debate had
already become unreal. Nevertheless, 1t went on
Tor a WHILE and the House accepted without Q
division.
Article 2, which declared that no one can be o
Senator ii ne Is not Frencnm An, aged iorty years
at least, and In possession OF MS civtl. political
Article next became law. 1t enumerated the
categortes OF citizens from when the Senate
might De taken.
They comprised present and former Deputies,
memoers OF councils general, ministers OF state,
ambassadors, ministers pienipotentlary, coun-
cillors OF state at the Court OF Cessation and
Court Of Accounts, members OF the Institute, OF
the Academy OF Medicine, OF the Superior Council
OF Commerce and Agriculture, archbishops and
bishops, members OF consistories, marshals, ad-
mrals, governors or Algeria. mayors OF towns Of
10000 inhabitants twice elected to the Municipal
m m mhorS n Z ha
Gil at the Bank OF France ana presidents OF the
Chambers OF Commerce.
Articles to OF the Committees bill were sup
pressed In consequence OF the eject OF the Duprat
amendment
The paragraph OF article 9, relative to the cleo.
tion OF Senators by the colonies WAS adopted and
became article OF the new bill.
Article H. which was also adopted and became
article g. borrowed
ANOTHER AMERICAN IDEA
and enacted that
1.-THE Senators elected by the deputies be chosen
for nine years, anu are renewable by thirds every
three years. At esch nomination all toe vacancies
which may have occurred are filed up. Neverlne-
less The powers OF all are only conferred on them
with the reserve Of the right, which may be
attributed BY the constitutional laws to the TWO
chambers united In Congress-"
Article IL of the old bill declared that Senators
should receive no salary or allowance. n Bar.
doux wished them to receive the same pay a.
Deputies ($2,500 . year) but agreed to postpone
his amendment till ,u, vor,
had been taken on the third reading Of the oil.
which Immediately follow Cd, when there appeared
for the third reading-yeas s4s, nays ses-
majority against the Dill, 23.
THE BILL LOST.
Tue bill was therefore lost and the ASSEMBLY
alter years has once more proved It's inability
to found stable constitution or indeed TO act
nationally for o fortnight together. 1 predicted
this fate for the constitutional bills and expressed
doubt to you whether the vote OF the soth Of
January, which was supposed to have afnrmed the
principle OF the Republic would stand the test OF