312 



FRANCE. 



The new year opened with a conflict in the 

 ministry. The electoral rescripts of MM. Leon 

 Say, Dufaure, and Wall on, to their officials, 

 were of a very liberal character. Owing to a 

 difference of opinion in the cabinet on this 

 subject, MM. Say and Dufaure handed in their 

 resignations, but a compromise was eventually 

 brought about. The elections for the 225 sen- 

 ators to be chosen by the departments were 

 held on January 30th, after the senatorial elec- 

 tors had been chosen on the 16th. Previous 

 to the election, on January 13th, President 

 MacMahon issued the following proclamation : 



FRENCHMEN: For the first time in five years you 

 are called upon to participate in a general election. 

 Five years ago you desired order and peace, and at 

 the price of the most cruel sacrifices, and after the 

 greatest of trials, you obtained them. 



You still desire order and peace. The senators 

 and deputies you are about to elect must cooperate 

 with the President of the Republic to maintain them. 

 We must apply, with common accord and sincerity, 

 the constitutional laws, the revision whereof I alone, 

 until 1880, have the right to propose. 



After so much agitation, discord, and misfortune, 

 repose is necessary for the country, and I think her 



institutions ought not to be revised before they are 

 honestly tried. But to try tlieni as the salvation of 

 France requires, it is indispensable that the conser- 

 vative and truly liberal policy, which I always in- 

 tended to pursue, should prevail. 



To uphold it I appeal for union among those who 

 place the defense of social order, respect for law, and 

 patriotic devotion, above their recollections, aspira- 

 tions, or party engagements. I invite them to rally 

 around my government. It is necessary that the 

 sacred rights which survive all governmental 

 changes, and the legitimate interests which every 

 administration is bound to protect, should enjoy a 

 full security under a strong and respected govern- 

 ment. 



It is necessary not only to disarm those who might 

 disturb the security now, but to discourage those 

 who threaten its future by the propagation of anti- 

 social and revolutionary doctrines. 



France knows that 1 neither sought nor desired 

 the power I am invested with, but she may rely 

 upon my exercising it without weakness. 



In order to fulfill to the end the mission in- 

 trusted to me, I hope God will aid me, and that the 

 support of the nation will not fail me. 



M. MACMAHON, 



President of the French Republic. 

 Countersigned, 

 BUFFET, V ice-President of the Council. 



As the results of the elections for the electors 

 were unknown, considerable interest was man- 

 ifested when the latter met to vote for sen- 

 ators. The results of the election were as fol- 

 lows: 92 Republicans, 15 Constitutionals, 45 

 Bonapartists, 36 Legitimists, 26 Orleanists, and 

 11 Clericals. Adding these to the life-sena- 

 tors elected in 1875, the Senate stood as fol- 

 lows in the beginning of the year: 148 Repub- 

 licans ; 24 Constitutionals, of whom 12 were 

 considered doubtful ; 26 Orleanists ; 24 Legit- 

 imists, friendly to the Government ; 21 ex- 

 treme Legitimists; 45 Bonapartists; and 11 

 Clericals 299 in all, one life-senator having 

 died shortly after his election. The two most 

 important features of the senatorial contest 

 were the firm establishment of the republic, 

 and the overthrow of the Bonapartists. Im- 

 mediately after the senatorial elections the 

 contest for the Chamber of Deputies began. 

 In Ajaccio Prince Napoleon Jer6me accepted 

 a nomination for deputy against Rouher, the 

 ex-minister of the empire. The Prince Im- 

 perial addressed a letter to the Bonapartists 

 of Ajaccio, directing them, as his father's heir, 

 to vote for Rouher against Prince Napoleon, 

 thus completing the split in the family. The 

 elections took place on February 20th, result- 

 ing in a choice in 406 districts, only making 

 106 second ballots necessary. The second 

 elections took place on March 5th. The total 

 result of the two elections was as follows : 

 Republicans of all shades 270, Radicals 60, 

 Bonapartists 92, Liberal Conservatives 58, 

 Legitimists 36 total 516. The Republicans 

 carried rather more than half their candidates, 

 the Conservatives four-elevenths, and the Bo- 

 napartists three-fifths. The aggregate votes 

 given comprised 685,852 to Republicans, or 

 6,179 to each candidate; 302,523 to Bonapart- 

 ists, or 6,577 to each candidate; 851,145 to 

 Conservatives, or 5,680 to each, candidate. 



