The New York herald., 1873-12-01

rcctorsp werc always at loggerheadH. their rule
was weak and tyrannous, and they were easily
overthrown, IN l70o. BY General Bonaparte, who
had saved them and the country rom extinction at
the hands OF foreign armies
THE CONSTITUTIONS OF 1799. 1902 AND 1904.
II General Bonapartc had been q republican and
patriot he need only have strengthed the execu
tive by reducing the i've Directors to one and the
constitution OF 1885, thus modified, would have
worked wen. But his sole ambition was to get the
government wholly into his own hands, and to this
END, he established three Consuls, two OF whom
were to be elected for ten years and
one for i've. He himself was to be the First
Consul, and with him were to rest the
initiative OF proposing all laws and the power OF
vetong the measures OF the Legislature; ne was
also to be Commander In Chief OF the armies. TO be
entrusted with the prerogatve OF declaring war
and concluding peace and to be the dispenser
general Of all honors. His consulate was In fact,
revival OF kingship, and OF very arbitrary king
ship, for the Legislature was so ordained as to be
almost powerless. There were three assemblies
instead OF too-viz.. Senate, Legislative Body
and Tribunate. The senators were appointed by
the First Consul the Legislative Body and the Trib
unate by the suffrage OF all taxpayers above the
age OF 25. Bills were first introduced into the
Legislative Body but the members OF this Assembly
were not allowed to speak their duty was simply
to vote. All the talking was done by members
OF the Tripunate, six OF whom were drawn
by lot TO speak for against every bill according
as 1t might suit them) at the bar OF the Lower
House. II Frenchmen had known how to use
political rights they might have controlled the
First Consul even by such roundabout means as
these; but Bonaparte well knew that by means OF
his prefects he could always be sure OF packing the
4 4sca fhio ba
wrong. The solitary member OF the Tribunate
who ever ventured to speak against Consular
edicts or bills was Benjamin Constant, and Bona
parte soon found pretext for getting rid OF him.
In 1902 the First Consul made the Senate appoint
him Consul for lie, and the constitution OF 1899
was promulgated anew, with fresh restrictions
against freedom OF speech; and IN 1904 third
constitution conferred on General B0naparte the
hereditary title Of Emperor abolished the Trib-
innate, and appointed instead an Imperial Council
OF State commissioned to draw up laws and advo
cate them before the Corps Legisatif, who, until
1914, continued to be silent body.
THE CONSTITUTIONS OF 1914, 1916 AND 1892
On the first abdication of Napoleon, in 1914, Louis
XVIII, returning to France granted charter en-
bodying new constitution exactly like that Of
Engand-viz., an hereditary House OF Lords and
House or Commons, elected by freeholders in
counties and taxpayers in boroughs Napoleon,
when he returned from Elba, abrogated this
charter but inserted its main provisions in an i'm
perial constitution, which was intended to be
liberal and to win the popular favor. After Water
loo the Bourbons ressued their charter, but this
time they sought to make the Lower House
thoroughly conservative by excluding from 1t all
members under 40 years OF age and requiring that
members should possess an income OF at
least f4o0 q year. These vexatious clauses,
however, did little good, for Charles KS
House OF Commons soon showed itself
ant-royalist and brought about the revolu-
tion OF 1880, which placed Louis Philippe on the
throne and led to the revised constitution OF 1892
which abolished hereditary peerages and all the
restrictive conditions imposed on parliamentary
candidates. This constitution gave the French
toerable series of cabinets until 1s4s, when the
unlucky Louis Philippe was dethroned by street
insurrecton.
THE CONSTITUTIONS OF 1S4S, 1852 AND 1870.
The constitution OF 1S4S was republican. 1t es-
tablished president, to be elected for four years
by the universal suffrage Of the nation, and q
legislature of $50 members, sitting for the same
space OF time. The coup d'etat Of 1851 paved the
way to the restoration Of the Empire, and the
constitution OF 1852 was the renewal Of that
decreed in 1904 by the First Napoleon. In 1870,
however, the Emperor, at the instance OF M.
Eluue OilfleT. suuHlbtcu u HcW duu ulorc phIld-
mentary constitution to the approval OF the peoples
and 1t was sanctioned, as we know, by peoiscitum
OF 1900 900 votes This was Frances twelfth con-
stitutlon since 1889.
THE COMING CONSTITUTION
viii be a new experiment, for 1t will be modelled
pretty closely on that of America There win be
an upper house. elected for six years by the Coun
ellis General, one-third OF the members to retire
biennially by rotation; and lower house, which
will contain 45o members, eligible by universal
suffrage.
The duration OF the Presidential term is, at this
writing, still matter of doubt; but the probabili-
ties are for i've years. 1t would be blessing lor
France II this thirteenth constitution OF hers could
be the last; but one dares scarcely hope 1t.
ART MATTERS.