The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-23
MUNICIPAL PARIS.
HOW THE CITY OF PARIS Is Gov
EHNED-THE COURTS, POLICE, ETC.
New York Eation.1

| Municipal Paris" might be a suitable title
for large work, as Paris Is province by IT.
self. / have often wondered why this book
has not been written. We live in Paris we
enjoy It's beauty, its splendors, and we hardly
know how it is really administered and gov
erned Paris seems like that princess OF the
fairy tales who was dressed and undressed
every day by invisible hands. The apparent
government of Paris-I mean its project and
It's municipal council-are only, so to speak,
the figure-head of the ship which has had for
It's motto, since the middle ages, "Fluct'tdt,
nee ,aeroit,r." | should like to show you
what there Is behind this visible government,
what there Is In the ship itself.
Every three years the inhabitants OF Paris
elect by universal suffrage municipal council
| lors; there are in all eighty such councillors
Their very title shows them to be distinct
from the administrators. They are only cho-
sen to vote the supplies and to supervise the
employment OF the public money. Their
only check on the administrators Is to vote
more or less money, and this Is only true OF
| the expenses which are called optional, for
| there are many which are OF an obligatory
character. and which can In consequences be
| incurred without their sanction. The sitttngs
| of the municipal council, which takes place
| now In thepalace OF the Luxembourg. are not
| public, but q short account OF the proceedings
| Is sent the newspapers They take place
| every two days. The council Is subdivided
| into many committees; 1t Is always presided
over by the project, Tho represents the CEN
| trail government, the administration.
| 1t is quite clear that city like Paris, which
| has an annual budget of more than 200 900 900
| of francs which has a foreign floating popu-
lation of 100, 900 men, which contains. though
| Ii ia not nominally the political capital OF the
| 1k,,t tut nm initial nf1bpl
| an artistic q scientific capital, cannot be gov
erned la the same way as q little munich
paity. Paris has an imperial character, II
may use q word now so much employed In
England: 1t ought to be governed by the
| Chambers rather than by q council named by
| the ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF Paris. London is really
now administered by Parliament: the vestries
| of the parishes and the government OF the city
have been. to q great extent, superseded by
great boards, which are directly under the
control of Parliament. In France we have never
| considered elective chambers rs capable of
good administration; we have political adj
| ministration and technical administration
| The project OF Paris represents what call a POI
| itlcal administration; he Is appointed by the
Minister of the Interior, who is practically
| chosen by the chambers. In SO far the pre-
| feet depends on the chambers; ne Is political
parsonage he rises and falls with a cabinet;
| but while his origin may be said to be p0ltt-
cal his powers depend only on certain laws
which are not changed by mere caprice
When he Is sitting in his presidential chair he
| represents whole body of administrative
| dispositions he has the executive power, and
all the vagaries OF the municipal councillors
| do not trouble him In the least. He is all the
| more strong that behind him stands what
| have called the technical administration,
| branch which has nothing political 10 its char
acter; it Is entirely independent of politics
| open, for instance a little BOOK,
mere "Annuaire of the, Ministry of
| Public Works." and | find chapter
lodi Df Works
and athe Department of the Seine;" and
| fiM list of as many as thirty-six engin-
GERS of the Points ct Chaussees, all pupils OF
| the Polytechnic School, all having risen In
| the various offices which appertain to our de-
partment OF public works, all having tenure
| Of Office unite independent of the political
parties. At the head OF the list | see the
| famous M. Alphand, the creator Of the new
mann, the author of the great work, LES
Promenades de Paris M. Alphand was
favorite of Napoleon III, who tried to trans
| form Paris completely; but whatever our
| radical municipal councillors may think OF
| him, they cannot touch him as an ad minis
traitor. He could only be removed for incom-
potency or dishonesty, and he is neither
incom petent nor dishonest. Each time that
| question comes before the Council affecting
the works of Paris the project summons M
Alphand; the great engineer explains his
projects his plans, discusses, takes his notes,
and the best thing the councillors can do Is to
open their ears to the speeches OF 50 great an
authority.
The great department of the works of
Paris which Is really entirely In the hands of
thirty-six engineers OF the State, all we'll
trained, incorruptible men, who cannot get
promotion except by merit or seniority, Is
subdivided into six sections First, public
streets public and private lighting, tempo
rary concessions on the public streets, pianta-
lions in line construction OF sewers. This
section has ten engineers. Second, prone
N uIa tAt1OnS-
on the public domain, control OF carriages
This section has eight engineers. Third,
water and sewers, derivation OF springs. ar
teSian wells water-ppes. aqueductS, distri-
button in Paris, canals, drainage, utilization
of the sewage, irrigatiOns This section has
thirteen engineers. Fourth, municipal rail-
ways in and out of Paris. Fifth, creation OF
the Partisan cemetery Of MerY-suT-Oise. Two
engineers. Sixth, parOchial road service Of
the department Of the Seine. All the men
who are placed In these various services rep
resent what | have called the technical ad-
ministration. They do not change when the
| political administration changes. There are,
| in consequence, two conservative elements to
be found In our municipal governments; the
| first Is the character OF the laws, which give
an overruling power to the project In almost
all possible conflicts between him and the
councillors; the second is the natural in
fluence Of the technical administrators, who
are we'll trained men, and who hold their
offices by virtue of their personal ability. /
have only spoken so far OF the project OF the
Seine; but there is another administrator, the
project Of police. In an ordinary township
the mayor has all the powers which In Paris
are divided between the two projects. The
project Of police Is in great capital an i'm
periaI officer; he centraIizes, 50 to speak, the
police Of the whole country. Crime will al
ways try to conceal itself in cities like Lon
don and Paris; tOrcdts tiberes returned con-
victs) are forbidden to live in Paris, but they
| constantly try to get back to 1t. The political
which iUHIGnpnG1hIQ m q try
like France, has its centre in Paris. The pre-
| feet of police is always appointed by the gov
eminent OF the day; he is essentially politi-
cal administrator, but non-electiv-, and dur
ing his tenure of Office he becomes really
sort OF magistrate. In that capacity he is In
daily communication with the public prose-
cutor Of the tribunal OF Paris the procureur
general) and the Minister of Justice. In his
own prefecture, behind his army Of policemen
and gendarmes, he holds power which is
and must be surrounded with mystery. To
give you mere list Of the various services
| OF the prefecture of police would be very long.