The Left and Left Centre are whittling away the Municipal
Bill presented by M. Fourtou to the French Assembly till there will be none of it left. Last week, the provision that every voter must be 25 years old was rejected ; and this week, the "largest taxpayers," who were on all important occasions to have voted with the elected Members, and who were to have equalled them in number, have been turned out. On Thursday, M. Bardoux moved that the law of 1837should be renewed, that is,that the larger taxpayers should only be recognised in towns with a municipal revenue of less than £4,000 a year, that they should only vote on loans or special taxes, and that they should not vote by proxy. This motion was accepted by 373 to 325, and would be fatal to the Bill, but that the Government still wish for the power of appointing Mayors. It is believed that this will be rejected, and that the Bill will then be withdrawn. It was M. de Broglie's pet measure, and in spite of the Conservative majority, is so unsuited to French feeling that it has been defeated at every stage.
