French Elections.
The Times, 1824-03-08T00:00:00

Ieta preceding letter I told you.that. the- Frencli'l1tttmtt?v nsaa neither ptrinciple nor plars ,of Mildpet t thai thy-were. exertfing all their sni*iskt to bring int th'l'U~of Dpt~ a -,fty''servile snajoris.y; bat that if .tbe~- dik oaitZsueceeee6!ii tA hi,-proSt, ChT Wou'ld heanseves servilely sOit_ah -.to aoit.vlct bellA tion would return, as lono' ir~ -1hIi s1nJdfit5r thind -bh'e'nt' to leave them ns.it ossesiort of'aIl JiV*aeatafiemn&zprofits f ptowdr' Wiith ~his view the Ministqy bav;~burjedJ.ir .thleRqw-pe of.;Peers.thase $t 'Tteir friends who inight &e1hl il fuvha*ter 'ai;oarrs on those whoit.nbt.o hy. Conlsider' r&,sar'.adrsc O&r whose talents they k,now af'e less diingeroos ;. andl they breve.been ~'isi~ilj5 -lat'inh ~ orthei its'otfeircallitniiiies against thbse whose 14tgrity-tbey coU1l&'s ot7CarIrSIp, -M. 'ulipeae'aribitiosv th'eV eultt n16t satisffe. Their conduct has been. ~,rtic.ularuy remarkable with roL-. pay, Vrornrisi04 to.-.aILU the7parisase ' of 'tie -sncejelt regime the in. akse '..rithe.revpla.tion bad destroyed, anlon i6 eot,_thc p,ositrfoi jPapmr took kdeabtage of these promnises to alarm-the -.eni'asl?eset:to. -stre- inweelsof Government, they atccusta the' former of ascribing to them- designs which they never -enrertainra, a2nd th'e -latter of-fcalunrniselttng their goadf intentions. 't?he Nl1inisters thus placed thetuseLvea on the ground'of the p'reced. in~ Ninistry ; and in order to. throwdiscrtd.it on the poliscyo M. A. de C.aseaubriand, nothing more- 'wis necessary than to produice the .'y-fitings which iN. ae Chiatea-,brianl, Mniiself haa publhsne against ..deCazes. A remarkable fact took place on this subject, which 'aeyexcited some noise. A young writer (. ali)pbished tgi'tth iiistry, a pamphlet remarkable for its-vilec-Ti 1arophlet was itnnrediately seized, nlot. on the gTauncl~of-itsbeinga ibut.ba on acconartt otf 'its beihig the: property of I'dl. de Chateau- -braanda, th;it Millister havinig published it some years ago agdlinst M. de Cares. It mut, hweve, beadmited, tht le preses it linisters base 'stited inther mnnerof reprin'iiehlections, anq auidacity, not ht thynrrw re tire necessary t eueadvtdmjrt.I is ipsiltofaman idea of what pse n rnetadt p preae enlrnewlrcbfGoverntret~rietoe h lcin unless :.n accurate notiOn, be obtaie of the state-of. disoTgan elZto in -which the cmLmtrv exists, Since teTdisperi~l.Goverflmenit, everd thing is establi'shed in France on aniia'ste.*hr'are nc assemblies fordiscu.asionwitlsoutlth auhrt f oenet then nre nio public or private schools t6i whch a paclcnsn iscidrer for ed,scation.except thosqe which the (overniment establishes or autho- xizes : there is no adrministration of which tire Goveroimets d ioes not choose,and may notarbitrarily dismiss, the menihiers; rioroads Or hiigh. 'ways rau be eitlier made~ or rerpairect, except bv~ the will of the Govern. mieot; there are no tribuinals which are indelsen'dIent of'theGoverinment. no crimes or offisnces can be prolecuted without its ordler, or by ft: agents:, no taxes that miay niot'EWarbftrarily assess-id by its collect. ona ; there ran be no force cl,zarved with tire care of thie public peace. ex,~ept whiat it arbitrarily organizes . in fine, it disqoses~ of the-pd.- 'rate fuinctions of the citizens, and an adevocate or a professor oi -algebra mav be iinterrupted in the digecharge of his duties ars easily as a clerk i'n the departmenit of the M1inister of Fitiance. IV'e utusi add to all these prerogatives, that therer is not a siingle functioarar -ho is respoitaible towards the citizens;- and that, howeve-r xreaw mray be the abuises of power of which they are guilty-, no pruSteutiot of them can take place except by thre consent of the Mlinistry.% These facts being known asod admitted, it is easy to sos hios things pass at elections under a Mhinistry who have a great dudl ol audacitv-andi very little conr,cience. The cinality of elector tIe. pends, not on the revenue whichi a citizen possesses, buit on the direci contribution whichi lie pays; and as it is the agenits ot thie Alinistert whio asseis these contributions!, it is they who either make or tin. mnake the electors. The result is, that mien devoted to the Alinistryy are assessed a little mnore heavily the yearc whien the election is te take place, and men whiose opinion cannot be depentded on pay a littlt ),',ss than thlev oughit to pay ; but in ycars in which there'are nc elections, this proceeding is reversed, and the friends of Ministers art relieved, while their antagonists are oppressed. It is a Dotorious f,ac that the assessments Of many of the liberal electors hiave beer reduced, that they might be depr!ved of their electoral righits ; bitt they have the cori,fortAble assurance that they wvill have to pay miore than the dliffererice in the six following years whichi precede the next elections. This first meanis of influence, great though it be, would, however. be insufficient to secu-re a majority ito the Ministry. I t is strength. ened by others. The agents of Government inspiie the ciz:izens wvitlh fears retspecting their personal safiety-respecting thecir property-re- specting the saffety and property of' their reistions aitsd chiildren. The Chamber of Depiities was scarcely db-suis'ed, when eachi of the MI. nisters addressed to hiis numrerous'sat naltern depIendents a procamam. tion, enjoining them, under pain of dismissal, not only to vote fot the Mlinisterial candidates, but to make the citizeng tote in the same -sayk. Thesae proclam-ations, or as thecy are called here,. these circii. lam~, thave induced nearly all the numerous agents of authioritv' tc emuploy promises or men~aces toward the citizens invested withi d3ec. toe-a rio'lrts. The 'keeper cof the Seals, tlie minister of jstisce who oughit te he an example Of imspartiality, antd to rMnain nieutral inl politics: conitest.s, was the first to enter- the lists. In his circular to tist Royal Procureurs. he tells themi-first, that the dtiuration at their functions depends on the stability of the AMinistry-that tin Government confers employmnents only that those wlio receive tlierr may.serVe anti suippor-t it-that whloever accepts an em ploymrent ron. tracts an obligtraion to exert his cfflbrts, isis talents, ant i his influlenci zor it-that if a public functionary refuses to tire G overnmenit th( services which it expects at his hand, lie betrays his faith, and breakt hecomrpact of which his place was the object or the conditiott-.anc that lie titus makes an irrevocable abdlication of Iiis employmrent After havingz laid thorvyi this priticiple, the Minister of Jlustice' asuds "Reca the5se truthts to y-our substitutes, to the officers of' thi judicial police (whichi crinprelsends ti great part of the judges), ant to the ministeria ofiicers of y-our :jtirisdiction.; in a word, to al 'those of whom the law has niade you the superizotetident (surve'illant Arind guide-tell them that I expect f-romn themi a faithful, active' and efficient co.operation--.contdenn till elivision of votes, th .e stires effeer of which seoulti be to offe~r chances of success to tile op;,osi tian." In virtue of this or(ter. in whtich the Goverannyent declares that ,confers judicial functionis o.nly, that thec magistrates mnay sccond its Political views, alli tue functionaries, fromi the highest to thec lowe's ranks, have been, obliged to act on the elections, under pails of is- nilsa.L fromn office. The Presidtent of the Royal Courtt of (Icenolbleli for instance, writing t(i inferior rsagistra-tes tells thiem that theTe an two sort-s of public functiornaries who mav be useful-the attorney: and the Nwisu.si,'rs) executive officers of dite couirt; that their conl. r.exion with their clients gives a great influence; anti thlat if ttn3 among cliem refuses to attend to the invitation miade them to stippor the Mtinisterial candidtate, thiey should be told that they run hf sEu-sck off teh roil. In line, mienaces are exterdeed to elector! who hold nothing of the Gov'erniment, andi they are tlsreatcetre with heiae deprived Of tite protectioni of aw if'timey do not vote lbs tile candidate of tile 11Ministry'. This fact would he incretlible, if i did not appear in a document, tire auithenticity of' whirls cannot Itt called in questioti. Thee following is the mianner in whicis sthe Kinig's Proctieresr at Pontoisue expresses himiself :-. Cau .,c it to be uniter. stood (by thie electorsl, thlat thle direction n-hich Cinvrnment,e ris.. 1ogivec /o 17ablic opinion w-ill htenciforlth tic irrirm7bie ;thaIt tite ptro. teetion of Governmiient will be seuryed only to those who enter frank. ly into its views : anti thtat an infallible anti julst severity is reservec fror aill those who Opipose its dlesires." Perhaps in E'nglantl yotu 110 not know what is the positioin or staute of a man who has not"1 ac1qUired thle pt-oteCtion of' Govertilnentt." Ir France there is nobody whlo does niot thoroumghly understand whiat ii mueanis: all know thai it is the condition of one against sehoin any individual may, with imPunitY, comurit every kind of esittie. Sucit. for xamle.in lIlCwaathe pudtini othe Protestants in fite Sotith; theywerethretene; thir huseswereset oni fire, or pttitderedl withi impunty-tiep hd no artureulThepotect'ion of t3overnmnL`t. The hrea ofputtng tit f te prtecion of the la-s's, the elector.s who houl notvot in avou of he itisterial candidate, and 01 treatingthemi withi ani inflexible and just severity, protiticed the groseate terror, because, lit the mnoment at' tIttering it, the Ministeriaf jouir. oats arld ltei tribunals of Paris endeavoured to conuipromsise thc leaders of thie oppohition, asuet itaPute(i to thlem, that they hail call. e-d upon the F'retitel army, to tiefend the catise of' tite Spaniish U,be. raha1: ; and at the stuei tinte, several French soldiers were shot retto had e~mbraced the constitutional sidle in Spaiti. Althiough Cite as's- temnof connectiing the opposition wh'it' a conspiracy, real or intagi. nary, is noal new 'in F~reanre, it always piroducmes a very get eff'ect; nor is this a5to'uishing to any one wvho knows the mtuentera of the administration, anmd the infl'uerce whfnds they are able to exercise e.ver the tribuinals. In the departmnents whiere this3 hind of threat war, ittaufficient, other threats were enilplovedl. Th'e Ministry, for example, siads known to the ntanufacttirers of the Ulpper 1Rhine,thtat if they dlid not vote in favoutr of the Gdvernment esndidtutc. it wouild shtit tisl their 'aorlc-_Aops by virtue of a diecree of the Intperial Governmient. Tt threatened else wine-me-rchants of Paris to shut against them the public warehouses, if they voted in flavour of" Stlieapposition candi- date. In short, whereve'rit saw means of aff'ecting the citizen ill his fortune, it threatened soact uipon thiem. But the most energetic mode of annoyance was by attnckiitg the childtren wliose fathe-rs were not sufficiently devotedl to the views of the Mlinisters. In France, a.s I have before said, all the schools belong to (lovern- ment, whicih appoints the Proflessiors, pays thent. deprives thenir, -sod prescribes wvhat they must or must not teach; it is'.Government whichi admits or tejecta pupils at it., Own pleasure; atid no) one cani establi6h a schiool, or eveit give a course of public lectures, without its authiority. In short, parents caunnot seoul their children to ire instructed abroad, because, Co dis- gfiharg-e even private functions they m-ust be able to prove th-at tilev ,vrpedaatd nFrance. Tide faculty which the Alinistry has o1' e.epc-lEn boy'is fromn college, andi of dtepriving them) of eduication, ,es t i.qwminense influenice over parents: it wtould, hiowever, he! tuDolo110tWO -tnthe here how else use it has made of this power baa increasedi it-9 i2fluer,ce. I will thierefore contenit nmytself with r-eL'fr htpsed Su"' li,foze the elettiovs. This event wvas pssb- lished'sn the jdurnals of thlt&-.',lpntry, but thiey did not dare point Ou t its'Oridiir'nOt coneeqMnCelt, tIOr e'Cfl the most remiarkable ctrcuti.i stances conneactd trith ft. in Jsriuar'v list, the, Government had sent tiwa'y fromn the Lyceum of Loauls-.le.Ar)and, about forty schiolars, wcho were rjcpii:',d of Sonme boyish frblies Of 'ItO importance. Ainong thes8e Ivelto wernt' tlius sent waayvwer0fseVerAl Whspaet lived in udistant depaiet he were eien SOf5' e who vwere strangers in France, anti wvho wouldl have bern 'irithOut a- honme if they hail not been sheltered by the parents of their schoolfellows. Ttie itanner in which this tmeasure was execMtWdncatseda great deal of dissatisfetction among the voung itmea who remained ilr the establishment ; aitd their hll-humouir was notzyera-djssiPated, whlen each of the Professors, on the oc- c?sion: bf. the holyday of St. Chrarlemagne, invited all the schidarzs; who were at t1e head of lis class to te titicmber of several hundreds. At the dessert, tIme Provost drank stuc- cessively to the the King, of tire RoyAl Family, of the Dtuke 'f:ftrd6ux. T hese healtirs were answered by the Masters, butirbcAived'uith cold silence by the scholars. In the same manner weeeeeirad the healthas of the President of the tUniversity ard of' tlie,proi'ost of the College. OJisly the health of tCe Sensor Dc Quer, whorfs'ktInow- to have opposed the late severities, wax received with loud acclarnations Iln conseqtleltce of this scandalous affair, aboutn:rnsldred, scholars were expelled; and the bovs especially pitcsiejn-Uprr' we.re ot t,hose who llad observed the muiost profound ,ileavi-4battbdse whose fathers were supposcel to entertain constitu- tiotl tles. The Governnmtemt were so tnxious that their inten- tionsiTib d not' be minisunderstood, that the; sent away front the jyesisyctsdlrldrer who he3l not been present at the dinner, and whto for ; forlnight had been confined to thteir henmes on account of illnkeass ,}eneras't whose son -had been expelled, went to the Pro- v-ost to demand the reasoii of this expulsion: tels Provost answered sh atire had.atei. nseation to give. The General replied,that he had an explanation to ask, and gaxe him a sound box of the ears. Thesefime6ts, which soneeof little importance in themselves, had neverth ess great influence: patents did for their chPdreti what they wculd not have done for themselves. PRRENVCI BLECT)O0S. PA1rsR. M&TtAc 2.