The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-11-17
A New Phase in French Politics.


they have given the world large
share of the ideas and fashions pre-
Valing now throughout civilized coun-
tries. they will never he able to make
any other community adopt their poit-
cal peculiarities. This ought to be borne
in mind When French politics are discussed
abroad. We cannot understand the French
politician; and though we are at liberty to
laugh at him rs much rs We please, we
ought not to judge him from the stand
point Of tho established political princi-
pies OF the Auglo-SlXon race. or TO com
pare his Institutions with those we have in
this country.
A few days ago a telegram announced
that the Conservative fractions of the Ma
tioua Assembly, aud with them the Cabinet
of Marshal MACM anon had obtained
victory over the Liberal elements OF that
body by carrying through the second
reading new law about voting The
Conservatives have insisted for some time
past upon introducing the scru'in dGvon-
djN,cp,sai, which Is something similar to
our vote by districts. The Ministers Dr.
fNURE, LGoN SAY, and BUFFET were the
great champions OF that movement, and
though they quarrcled am ong themselves
over good many other questions TO an
extent which made n Cabinet crisis prob
able. they were strongly united on that
point They considered the scrWtH ddr-
rpI-siiSsomcW Is the great Con >ervative
security, for il gives the Government
the power to influence the elections
through it, officials ia the first place.
while IL of plpt-
toral questions, ia the second. In firm
ly established republic like our own,
with tn incalculablr diversity of Interests
in the various localities Of our immense
territory. this mode of voting has been
generally If not universally adopted
though it,rcsults are often anything but en-
oouragins: but the fact Of it, adoption here
is not a reason for assuming that the system
would he HlvantageOu, in France. The
Liberal amt Radical leaders in that conn
try argue very justly that the scrutip de-
ltStc-or what we call here the general
tickets much preferable method.
As GAuHErTA pointed out in his re-
cent address to the electors OF Lyous.
the scrrfD dc liStC makes of the elections
" Il contest of opinions, not Of persons;'
ana this will remain II very important
point for France SO long rs the republican
form of government is not firmly o,tab-
h~hcd there. The first thing the general
elections should show is. whether the
country If really republican, or Bonapart-
ist OF Rnyalist. or whatever else it may be.
The Scluti1 dclsfc would at once show this
while the scrtfn ddrr0ndi sscmcnt will
not show it, for it will return Bonapartist
candidates IN one district Orlcanists in an
other, Lecitmists IN II third, aud Republic
Guns of various shades III rs many others.
The final result of all this will be that the
new Assembly Will. like the old one, he
composed of the most Incompatible elc-
ments, troublesome, noisy, constantly
quarrclhnG and sacrificing the interests Of
business-lil,e legislation to mere party
struggles.
At the mere fact that the Assembly has
accepted law for voting by small districts,
the majority OF our contemporaries in
this country have expressed their sntistac-
ton; but we have respectfully 10 observe
TO them that they are all in the wrong
about this matter, and that their approba-
| ton is the result Of their not well under
standing either French politics in general,
| or the present condition of French par
ties in particular.
From the same telegram we have 10 con-
clude that the Assembly which has so long
been sitting at Versailles has AT last made
up its mind TO vote next month its own
dissolution, after having made certain that
the new legislative body viii be neither
much better composed nor more har-
monious in its working.
But with all these unfortunate pecuiari-
ties and prospects of political life in
| France. the great characteristics of that
country show themselves as strongly rs
ever. Any other nation subjected, after
disastrous war, for more than four years
to such an uncertainty in government
affairs would have been utterly ruined in
every branch of affairs. In France, how
ever, nothing Of the kind is observable,
The French dance sing, amuse themselves,
send all over the world the products of
their genius and industry just as lavishly
as if they had been for a century past TIT
quietest, the most domestlcated, and the
best governed people on the globe. More
than that, the vaults of the ma
tioual treasury seem to be burst
ing with money. The Custom House
revenues, for instance, show for the lasl
nine months an increase Of over $1,000 00C
as compared with the same period last
year; the total of indirect taxes for th,
same period shows an increase Of nearly
$4,000, 600; and the Minister Of Finance hn'
just reported that he has since the begin.
npg of this year Sl,5OO,O 600, which he doe
not know what to do with rs il is a pur,
La.
II the world Al large has good reason tC
snrer nj the political follics of the French
J u has just as good reason t. tiy to Learn