No. 220.
Mr. Washburne to Mr. Fish.
Paris, November 9, 1873. (Received November 26.)
Sir: I closed my No. 879 at noon on the 7th instant, in which I gave an account of the action of the Assembly on the proposition of Chan gamier. It was then everywhere believed that the government would have matters all its own way, and that the “commission” to which the proposition was to be sent would consider it favorably and report it back immediately with a recommendation that it should pass. It would be well to explain a little touching the constitution of this “commission,” or, as we should call it in congressional practice and parlance, a special committee.” It is not appointed by the president of the Assembly, but is elected by the different “bureaux,” as they are called, of the body. There are fifteen of these bureaux, consisting of fifty members each, and they are drawn as we draw jurymen in our country. When the bureaux were drawn on the second day of the Assembly, it was claimed that the fusionists or government party were in a majority in nine out of the fifteen. Each of these fifteen bureaux had to elect, by ballot, one member of the commission to be charged with the examination of the Chan gamier proposition.
It seems everywhere to have been taken for granted that the commission to be thus elected would have a majority in favor of the proposition, pure and simple. It was on Friday last that this commission was to be elected by the bureaux. Each bureau held its meeting, presided over by its president, and regular discussions were had in all of them, in which the ablest members of the Assembly participated. When the vote was taken, it appeared to the astonishment of everybody and to the utter discomfiture of the government that the “fusionists” had elected only seven members, while the opposition had elected five. In three bureaux, where the opposition had sure majorities, they adjourned the election till the following day, yesterday, in order that they might remain to some extent masters of the situation, and prevent any possibility of a snap judgment. These three elections were accordingly held yesterday, and the Count de Reimdal, Señor Jay, and Laboulazé three strong men of the opposition, were elected, thus making a majority of one in the commission against the government. This sudden and unlooked-for check of the fusionists was a complete surprise, and created profound astonishment in all parties.
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I have, &c.