The French Chamber is about to discuss a Bill substituting
election by scrutin de lisle for election par arrondissement. That is to say, the system of single candidatures and single votes is to be abandoned for that of a list of candidates as long as the vacancies in a whole Department, each elector voting a whole list. He cannot concentrate his votes, or vote for only part of the list. The Bill is introduced by M. Bardoux, and on Monday was rejected by the Committee of Initiative, who refused to recommend it to the Chamber. The Bill is, however, so important, and so strongly supported by M. Gambetta, that the Committee were induced to reconsider their decision, and on Wednesday rescinded their former vote by 17 to 3. The event is described as one more proof of M. Gambetta's power,. but the original vote was in itself a little ridiculous. The Com- mittee were not asked to approve the Bill, but to affirm that it was one which the Chamber ought to discuss, one which would not,. in fact, waste its time,—almost a self-evident proposition. We are unable to approve the Bill, but it is strongly desired by a large section of French Liberals, and involves political issues with which only the Chamber, as a whole, is competent to deal. One does not send a Revolution " to be considered upstairs."
Previous page
