The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-08-19
HALLS OF STATE.
The Place Where Frenchmen
Make Laws.

Make Laws.
Historic Palace of the Luxembourg,
Who're the Senate Conyenes-Palais
Deputies-Interestin History of the
Buildings.
In France the legislative power is exer-
cised by two assemblies, Senate and a
Chamber of Deputies. Senators are
chosen by an Electoral College composed
for each department of the Deputies, the
Councilors-General, the Counselors of
the ACCOMPLISHMENT and certain delegates
named by the Municipal Counselors Of
the Commune, all of that department
Lie Senators are no longer chosen, they
having been done away with by law
passed in 1884, though a few such are still
living. Ia all there are 297 Senators, and
they are each paid about 81, 500 per annum.
There are 576 deputies, and these are
elected by universal suffrage. Every
ACCOMPLISHMENT is entitled to Deputy,
and where the population in an arron-
basement is more than 100000 it is en-
titled TO another Deputy for every 100. 600
inhabitants, or the fraction thereof.
Deputies are also paid 81 500 per annum,
but the President. or Speaker, receives
an additional Sl4, 400, and lives in palace,
rent Tree, says Henry Haynie, i'll the Chi
| cago Herdtd.
The Senate sits in that beautiful palace
OF Luxembourg, which Marie de Medi-
CTS, when she was regent and in all the
ecLat OF her power, built in 1912. The
Luxembourg forms quite q contrast with
the Palals Bourbon, where the deputies
assemble, and as the one is full of life and
animation, is even tumultOus sometimes,
! so the other holds agitation and noise in
horror and il there Is occasionally a small
storm the accustomed calm soon re-es-
tabllshes itself. Elected by universal
suffrage, the chamber is by it's very
| origin, by the passions which meet there
ana clash so terribly, a sort of arena or,
! II you prefer it, a prolongatlon of the pub
lie square of the forum OF the Romans,
while the Senate is great political salon,
| where one discusses, but never quarrels,
or hardly ever. 1t is not, however, the
caImness OF sleep, it is that OF power.
Marie de MediciS bequeathed the Lux
/ eInbOurg palace to CASTOR of Orleans her
second son; but during his exile Cardinal
| RlcheIIeu laid hands on the Petit-LuN-
embourg, installed himself there and
/ when he left it for the Palais Cardinal, he
gave it TO his niece, the Duchess of
Aiguillon. The two LuXembourgs were
not again united until IT'S, when they
formed the appanage Of the Comte de
! Provence. In the interval the palace Of
/ Mario de Medicis had successfully be-
longed to Mile. de Montpensier ola
| Grande- Madem Oiselle'J then to her sis
ter Elizabeth Of Orleans, and then to the
Regent, who finally coded it to his daugh-
ter, The Duchess de Berry.
The revolution made national property
of the place, and the terror changed it
into prison den. Beauharnais was in
| generated there with his wife, she who
became the Empress Josephine, and Dam
ton and Camille Desmoulins only came
out OF it to go to the guillotine. The Di-
rectory installed itself in the LuXem-
bourg and gave a triumphal tete to
Bonaparte, conqueror of Italy, in the
court of honor. COnsuls succeeded Di-
rectors, and these in turn made way for
the Little Corporal" who wanted the
| palace tor himself alone, and he sur
! rounded himself with q military court
that obeyed his every wish.
With the Senate of the first empire, the
! Luxembourg became a parliamentary
/ palace. The hall of meetings, constructed
in 1903 for 120 Senators celebrating in
secret, was sufficiently large for the
peers of the restoration; but when the
1 charter of 1880 rendered public the session
| Of the chamber OF peers, after successive
additions had increased their number, it
was necessary to enlarge the hall and its
I appurtenances, so Architect Gisors
doubled in depth the main body Of the
hall, and as transformed it now contains
seats for 300.
BECOMES AN AMBULANCE HALL.
T
/ Labor Commission at the luxembourg.
| Then the Senate of the second empire
took possession OF it and remained there
until the 4th of September, 1870. War
| transformed the palace into an ambulance
| hall, and after the burning of the Hotel
de Vile the municipal councillors estab-
/ lished themselves there until October Is,
1879. On the 9th Of November of the
same year the republican Senate held its
| first session there.
Senators and public enter the Luxem-
/ bOurg palace by a monumental gate
| opening on the Rue de Touron. The law
makers mount magnificent marble
stairway which leads to the hall of the
fetes, while the journalists, office-seekers
and public generally cross a court, escape
| losing themselves in numerous small
! halls which lead to committee-roO and
! TO the galleries, and reach Il circular cor
rldor which precedes the session cham
| Der, NH6E6 ptLS UedQ0n Inc SOUNDS OF
| footsteps, and where the bolstered parti-
| tons mut1ie the noise of members.
| The Senate chamber produces a sensa-
| ton of calm and comfort not to be found
| i'll its sister of the Palace Bourbon All
! members have large, movable armchairs,
well upholstered. The ventilation is per-
! feet; the acoustic arrangements enable
orators to make themselves heard with
out straining their voices. The decora-
! ton is rich, and the tribunes are large
and elegant.
The Gallery of the Fetes serves as a
! prOmenOir to the Senators. 1t connects
| with the library, whose cupola was deco
rated by Delacroix. Two or three other
| halls offered retreat and are heated by a
/ furnace which maintains in them an
! even and Agreeable temperature. The
| Gallery ofthe Busts presents more ami
mated appearance, but there, as else
where, one speaks distinctly. 1t is a
! peaceful center, where habits of courtesy
| prevail and where there is little noise.
! The late NJ. LaDoulaye ence said: Take
the most ardent deputy, the one most in
clined to outbreaks, the most headstrong
radical, and transport him to the Senate,
it will at once give him another spirit and
stamp him with entirely different man
ners." believe this is true also OF
! American politicians.
! Deputies hold their sessions in the
Palais Bourbon and the famous
mansion seems predestined to bat
I ties. This is true in the first place
by the role assigned to it, and,
secondly, BY the ground on which it was
built, the old Pre- au CIercs of warlike
memory. The house was inaugurated by
the council of 800, and since then the