It is quite possible that M. de Freycinet's programme may
prove a dead-letter, for the Chamber has already taken the reins into its own hands. On Thursday, M. Rochefort introduced a Bill granting a general amnesty, which the Government had refused, to all persons condemned for political offences, including Arabs from Algeria and the persons just sentenced for offences against the electoral law. He asked a vote of urgency for the discussion. The Government resisted the application, declaring the Bill monstrous, both as regarded the Arabs and the electoral offenders, wbo were not political criminals ; but the Right grew excited with the hope of setting its friends free, the Reactionaries and Radicals coalesced, and the Government was beaten by 251 votes to 248. This does not prove that the amnesty will be granted, for the substantive vote may differ from the initial one, and the Senate will reject the Bill ; but it is a revelation to M. de Freycinet that he stands upon a quicksand. The Radicals will join anybody when they are excited.
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