, 1875-02-20

10 " A0S cav AOSOb HCdES hlu OVCu AOIA
ger. All this, I can quite understand,
will provoke a smile from q foreign and
disinterested reader but here, when one
sees what labour this Assembly has been
engaged in for four years in order to arrive
at this artIess and childish piece of Machi-
aYellsm, when one remembers that by this
means alone can it succeed-it it is to sue
coed at all-it is necessary to speak seri-
ously and explicitly of it. NJ. Lef9vre-
Pontalis withdrew his Amendment, and
declared his adhesion to one submitted by
M. WALTON, which / mentioned Yesterday
and will refer to presently. Owing to this
withdrawal, the Scheme of the Committee
came on for discussion. Since the First
Reading, the Committee, it will be recol-
lected, had modified it. They had sup.
pressed the Clause which stated that Mar
shall MacNIahon, President of the Republic,
would continue to exercise the power with
which he was invested. 1t had been per-
ceiyed a little later in the day that by CON
tirming this power, a vote declared to be
unalterable was reopened, for the right of
confirming it implies the right of repeating
it. The Committee, consequently, sup
pressing the first Article and placing the
Marshal outside of the question, commence
ed its new project in the following terms
The Legislative Power is exercised by
two Assemblies, the Chamber of Depu-
ties and the Senate. NJ, Boyer, a Legiti-
mist Deputy, spoke against the project of
the Committee. AS soon as hi, commenced,
the Ministers, Deputies, spectators, and
servants, began one of the most animated
and noisy conversations yet heard in the
Assembly. It reminded me of the " 4Ar5a
del S0r6ehj" formerly recited in Italian
theatres, where a singer of either sex was
sacrificed beforehand, and made to sing on
the stage while the public took refresh
ments. The Left was much excited.
Messrs. Gambetta and Arago called and
gesticulated in the midst of the Radical
Deputies. The entire Left must be made
to vote for the inoffensive project of the
Committee in order that the famous WAL
lon Amendment may be reached. This
latter is the indirect substitution of a Sep
%tennial Republic for a Republic without
any adjective. The Radical Deputies ap-
peared inclined to resist, but the |continu-
alton of the debate proved that they end
ed by being persuaded. NJ. Boyer con-
Guided his speech. The President then
took the Vote on the first paragraph
the Legislative Power, &c It was adop-
ted by a large majority, only the %irrecon-
cilable Deputies Of the Right and Left
voting against it. Paragraphs @ and
3 were adopted without discussion. They
were thus couched IS . "The Chamber of
Deputies is nominated by Universal SUI.
frage under the conditions specified by the
Electoral Law" Paragraph 3.-"The
composition, the mode of nomination,
and the functions of the Senate shall be
regulated by a special law" In point Of
fact, the Chamber only adopted the prin-
ciple of the Senate, a principle which, a.
it has been often said, is not contrary to
any form of Government. This Vote,
which was given by all the Moderate
Parties does not pref udico anything.
The Bonapartists and the Legitimists, as
well as the unconciliatory Radicals, voted
'No," because neither of them wish to
constitute anything whatsoever at this
moment. Numerous cries come from the
Tomorrow" The WALTON amendment
is anticipated, and it is known that the
Left have only voted the paragraphs in
order to get at this Amendment, in favour
of which a part of the Right Centre will
vote. Now the Left has made up its
mind, the unconciliatory Radicals have