, 1875-08-18
THE PALESTINE EXPLORING PARTY.
CoNsrANTINoPLE, July %.

l11E EAEl4OhINU 4 All Ii.
CoNsrANTINoPLE, July %.
The recent attack upon Lieutenant Couder's
party occurred near Acre. Lieutenant Gender
was badly, but not dangerously, wounded. The
official account represents that the assailauts
were led by a relative of the late Add ell. Kader,
The French Consul at j erusilem is Investigating
the affair. NJ further details have yet been
received.
THE ST. GOTHARD TUNNEL.
BERNE, July %.
A strike of 1900 men has occurred on the st.
Gothard Tunnel works. They demanded the
establishment of provision dep6!s by the con-
tractors aud a rise of wages. A number of the
man, armed, blocked up the Goeschenen
(Northern) entrance to the Tunnel. Tho con-
tractors demanded assistance from the Govern
ment, and the authorities of the Canton OF
Uri sont a company of Infantry to the spot.
The soldiers were received at Goeschenen
with stones, and subsequently fired upon the
rioters, killing two and w~ounding several others.
The remainder Of the rioters then dispersed.
THE FRENCH ELECTORAL LAW.
PARIS, July 80.
The Report of MN. Ricard and De Marcere
ON the Electoral Law has just been distributed
among the Deputies. 1t has been awaited,
as will be remembered, with some impatlence,
lOI ~ CUiIpl6l6S (uO IbCPOtNS - NV
of Thirty on the CONSTITUTIONS Laws. The
present Bill comprises 20 clauses, but the
only one which led to serious discussion was
that on the mode Of Scr@t1R.
Sabioined are some passages from the Re-
port together with Clause IA of the Bill.
"Whenever aninominaJ scrutln has been
applied in France it has produced effects al
most necessary, so natural are they. The
electoral BODY Of a limited district chiefly
thinks of Itself and its affairs; it loses sight
of the general interests of the country. It
gives its Deputy a kind Of private mission con-
fined to local interests, and he in turn, by
duty, and noS without anxiety for the next
c%eletion, attends with prediction to the
interests of his nominatorS. .....lt we would
give the national representation its true funo-
ton, it must be released from these secondary
matters of local interests. In Governments of
public opinion the public interest centres now
on a foreign question, now on a legislative
question such as to modify the civil or econo-
mic state of the country. 1t is always a great
principle of liberty which rouses US, or, rather,
it is the whole policy of the Government which
is at stake; and it is thus that periodically a
broad current ofideas crossesth the country, excites
the public mind, and carries it into the higher
regions of a great national interest. Uniao
minaI scrNtin badly seconds these movements
of opinion, and cannot make them produce
results useful for the Government. This is
true in general, but especially in a country
where for so years a means has too often been
sought in Constitutional forms of Disgusting
the practice of personal Government. Lastly,
the Representative system has its vices, and
the corruption to which it exposes both oandi-
dates and electors is the greatest. With
what care, if we wish it to last, ought we not
to seek the means of avoiding them? The
duties of a representative of the people, by
the prospect which they open up, by the
lustre of honour and consideration which they
give, greatly excite the ambition of men who
aspire to this title, and we have seen how easy
it is under restricted circumstances to obtain
by wealth or by means of another kind a mis-
sion which ought only to be granted to merit,