New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1878-10-05
The Elections to the French Senate.

are made causes then to already attract |
great attention, They are at the present |
moment the absorbing topic of French |
political discussion This arises from the |
fact that the seventy-five Senators lone /
fourth of the Senate), who are to be re- |
placed are to be passed upon by electoral |
colleges made up as follows: FIRST, of the |
Deputies of each department: second, of |
the members of the General Councils; |
third, of the members of the district coun- |
ellis, and fourth, of delegates chosen by
each Municipal Council. The members
of the General Councils are now being
chosen, and upon their political character
of the new Senators, and upon the latter
depends the determination of the ques-
ton whether the Senate, now Conserva-
tive, shall remain so, or shall remain so,
or shall become distinctly Republican and
in sympathy with the lower and more
popular Assembly This Is the ''burning
question of French -p0litics, and 80 much
is involved in it that both parties are
making a very earnest struggle.
The Conservatives are fighting for life,
the Republicans to complete the victory
which they have in part gained, and which
it ia very important to them that they
shall complete; but while success would
be very valuable to them, it is by no
means as necessary to them as to the Con-
servatives A great many considerations
enter into the election of the General
Councillor in the departments, besides
those which divide the electors into Re-
! publicans and Conservatives. The Gen
eral Councils have large powers in local
| administration, determining the expendi-
ture of money for roads, bridges, build
ings, and public Improvements, and in
} giving aid to this or that part of the de-
partment. 1t is quite possible that man
| might be chosen to the Council-G General
for his local reputation, his power as q
landholder, or his influence as man OF
wealth and affairs, though he were Con-
servative and his constituents were for the
most part Republicans. The Conserva-
vatives are making every possible effort to
secure strength in this way, and are con-
tent, indeed are anxious, to make the
senatorial question play q subordinate
part. Not so, however, the Republicans.
They are pushing the national phase of
the contest to the greatest prominence.
They challenge direct verdict on their
policy as national party, because they
wish to obtain in the result of the cleo
tions final favorable verdict of the ma
ton on the republic.
say that, while the Republicans may be
defeated now and successful hereafter, a
serious defeat to the Conservatives would
be fatal to their hopes for long time to
come. The Republicans, in gaining, must
acquire firm hold on the Government,
and must be regarded as so clearly ac-
cepted by the people, that they would be
justified in proceeding Immediately to
carry out their legitimate party pro-
gramme. They would have the Senate,
as they now have the Assembly, In 1880
they would have the Executive as we'll
J and, in the meantime, the Ministry would
ke more and more completely in theil
! power. 1t would be strange, indeed, i
they did not undertake, perhaps rashly
> and prematurely, but certainly with en-
) ergy and determination, to apply the
principles of their political faith.
One immediate result would undoubt
edly be modification of the personnel o
the judiciary and the army. To Ameri
J cans this will seem a dangerous use o.
9 power. The judiciary is regarded by us
Y as q body whose independence can not bC
Z too jealously guarded. We have seen to-
5 great evil arise from its being made de
6 pendent on the changes of party majori
= ties not to feel that the French Republi
cans run great risk in plainly avowini
their desire 10 obtain with their supremac
a radical change in the Judiciary. An,
we should probably regard any like ad
: missions regarding the military command
ers with even greater distrust. But "
must not forget that the situation of th
n French Republicans is very singular one
something not unlike that of the Uniol
n party in the North during the war of tn
| rahaI1SAn MT O0nfoWdfnn cnIRI
!, to see which of the two parties shall ad
minister a government, the form of whic
9 is fixed, its principles settled, and its an
thority unquestioned. On the contrary
= they are in effect contending for the exif
. tence of the Republic. Their opponents
more or less openly, are the opponents {
the Republic. They are not agreed Q
: to what they should substitute for th
y Republic. A portion OF them woul
3 prefer the Empire, a portion woul
like to set up Henry " as more or les
|. absolute monarch, a few nurse the hop
n of re-establishing constitutions. NOR
! archy of the Orleanist type. But it is NJ
too much to say that every man who b.
"a lieves in the Republic, from whatevt
! motive, whether as an ideal form of go'
i eminent, as Gambetta does, or as the onl
v workable system, as the late NJ. Thiel
+ did, or as q pis aller, as probably M. d.
faure, of the present Ministry, does,
a now cooperating with the actual Republ
q can party. Il is literally true of that part
at the present moment that who is nj
= with it for the Republic is against the R
!. public itself.
What the Republicans demand, ther
o fore, is a magistracy and body of mil
II tary commanders loyal to the RepubliOa
6 system. 1t would be installing the sui
}, stance of disorganization for the form
3, conservatism to deny that this demand
under the circumstances, q reasonable on
d No form of government can be fairly ~
d ministered, as to its most important d.
partments, by men who do not believe
Il it. who only await an opportunity to owe
IT throw it, and who would sincerely hol
themselves justified in using the powe
entrusted to them to change 1t Fadicall
It may be possible, and even probabl
p that, once having established the Repui
: lie, the present Republican party Of Fran,
G. will divide on minor questions, such
the relations of Church and State, of pui
p lie education, of tariff, of centralized
!. decentrAlized administration.
e. But these questions do not serions
enter into French politics at present. The
ss exert 3 subordinate and incidental inf
30 ence, but they are not controlling, Rr
s. are hardly living or psrtinant issues. 1T