Year: 1870

"


ever, it is devoted more to pleasure than TO
politics, although more to politics than to rel-
gion. To-day will be purely political hol-
day. In The great cities and the small, in the
townships and the villages, in every centre OF
life, civic and rural every man who has a
right to vote will go to the polling booth and
vote 'sYes" or "No" on the pIebiscit,tm. Every
man! Well not, perhaps, every man bu. the
no voters will bs so lar ,ely in the minority that
the exception is scarcely worth noting.


To us Americans Sunday devoted to purely
political purposes by whole nation seems to
imply plentiful lack Of the religious principle
To our English, Scottish and Irish cousins on
the other side the fact presents very much the
same aspect Our American Sunday Is one OF
the many blissful peculiarities of which as
free people we have csuse to be proud. Not
from compulsion, bat by common consent,
Sunday with US is the peoples day; and
happily religion is it's dominant characteris-
tic. Our Sunday is part of our Inheritance
from the ancient, noble and God-fearing
people from whom we sprang. But the Sun
day Of America and Great Britain is not the
Sunday of France and the Southern European
nations. Spain selects Sunday for her bull
fights France yields it mp Of late years to
the Jockey Clubs but she has all along, at
least since the great revolution, used 1t for
special political purposes. We cannot say we
should rejoice to see the day when the United
States had divorced Sunday from religion and
given it up to ''fashion courses" and political
elections. Our free yet religious Sunday is
one of our many adornments. 1t has done
more than all other causes combined to con-
vince the world that the tyranny of State
Church is not necessary to preserve in all its
sacredness and in all its entirety what our
forefathers delighted to call ''the Lords
Day."


As we have said, however, it is otherwise
in France The Emperor does not wound the
French conscience by selecting Sunday for the
vote on the Yte6sscftam. France has become
used to this kind Of thing and if we are to
Judge from facts France rather likes it. II
has this additional advantage-it enables
Frenchmen all over the country to go to the





the Emperor does on the vote OF
the peasantry, which it is said amounts
to some six millions. Sunday, being
day of leisure, admirably suited his
purpose. In the cities-especially in the large
cities--no matter what the day, the vote would
be against him. Any day would suit the cities,
and on any day the result would be the same
In the rural districts the polling booths are
more widely apart, and time is necessary to
reach them. On week days it would not be
possible for the peasantry to leave their bust
ness. On Sunday they will flock to the polls
in crowds 1t is calculated that between eight
and nine millions will vote all over. OF these
the peasantry constitute two-thirds and the
peasantry, it is generally admitted, will go for
the Emperor and the ple5iscitum almost to
man. 1t is safe, we think, to conclude that
Sunday is good day for taking the French
vote and that the French vote to-day win be
a fresh victory for Napoleon the Third aud for
the House Of BOnaparte.


We have no reason to regret the certain
victory of the Emperor II is the interest of
all peoples that peace and good government
and order should reign all the world over. 1t
is especially the interest of all peoples that law
and order should prevail inside all the great
civilized nations. Among the civilized nations
1t is French saying that for the
world to be in the enjoyment Of
peace France must be contented. But,
Frenchy as is the saying, it is full Of truth.
France given up to anarchy tomorrow would
be a worldwide calamity. The men who are
opposed to Napolean are impracticable
dreamers. Their triumph would be the
triumph of lawlessness, of wild misrule. We
have no special interest in the Emperor OF his
dynasty. We have as little interest in his
'sred, =" ''radical" and ''irreconciable" enemies.
But we have deep interest in the advance
ment of all that is good, in the progress of the
race, and the advancement we wish and pray
for, the progress we are anxious to encourage,
is identified with the Emperor, and not with
the men who are SO bitterly opposed to him.
If any further reason were needed to induce us
to wish the Emperor success we should find it
in the fact that the Emperor has played his
cards well, and that his enemies have bnngled
at every move. We shall await the news of
to-day's doings in France with some impa-
tience, although we have no doubt as to the
result.


THE WINNIPEG SETTLEMENT 1T is reported
that the troubles in the Winnipeg country are
at an end, that there will be no war and no
United States territory, because the govern
ment has yielded ito every demand of the
insurgents" This is very unusual conduct on
the part Of the government, but it is a wise
course, especially as the demands were only
the reasonable ones that every people may
Justly make-the requirement Of local self


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