in the same way by
the other cantonal assemblies, will form the electoral college of the
department, and take their seats at the chief town of the prefecture.
This time again, the president, who is the responsible leader of
the cantonal flock, takes care to conduct it; his finger on the list
indicates to the electors which names the government prefers; if need
be, he adds a word to the sign he makes, and, probably, the voters will
be as docile as before; and all the more because the composition of the
electoral college only half interests them. This college, unlike the
municipal council, does not touch or hold any of them on their sensitive
side; it is not obliged to tighten or loosen their purse-strings; it
does not vote the "additional centimes"; it does not meddle with their
business; it there only for show, to simulate the absent people, to
present candidates, and thus perform the second electoral scene in the
same way as the first one, but at the chief town of the prefecture and
by new actors. These extras are also led by a head conductor, appointed
by the government, and who is responsible for their behavior, "a
president who has in sole charge the police of their assembled college,"
and must direct their voting. For each vacancy in the council-general of
the department, they are to present two names; certainly, almost without
any help, and with only a discrete hint, they will guess the suitable
names. For they are smarter, more open-minded, than the backward and
rural members of a cantonal assembly; they are better informed and
better "posted," they have visited the prefect and know his opinion, the
opinion of the government, and they vote accordingly. It is certain that
one-half, at least, of the candidates whom they present on the list are
good, and that suffices, since twice the required number of candidates
have to be nominated. And yet, in Napoleon's eye, this is not
sufficient. For the nomination of general councilors,[4123] as well as
that of municipal councilors, he suppresses preliminary candidature, the
last remnant of popular representation or delegation. According to
his theory, he is himself the sole representative and delegate of the
people, invested with full powers, not alone in the State, but again
in the department and commune, the prime and the universal motor of the
entire machine, not merely at the center, but again at the extremities,
dispenser of all public employments, not merely to suggest