Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-12-14
FRENCH DEPUTIES.
THEIR PALACE, CEREMONIES AND
 IDloSYNcRASIES.

Around the Palace When the Chamber
 Is In sessIou-TwO Salaries
 To Americans, who know that after the excitement of the presidential cleo ton Is over there will be no change of importance for four years, these contin- ual ministerial notifications of the French cabinet appear strange. and their effect is prejudicial to France both as regards her domestic prosperity and her international prestige. Under the di- rectory there were two legislative bodies the Five Hundred" and the ''Ancients. After holding their sessions in various places-more or less convenient-it was decided to give them the Palais Bourbon, which had been built in l7sa. but never occupied They took possession of the building in the year VII of the republic Q79Sl During the preceding year the necessary improvements had been made to render it suitable for the use to which it was then devoted
 From that time. under the different titles of Palace of the Council of the Five Hundred. Palace of the Legisla- tive Corps" and Chamber of Deputies" it has always remained COnsecratei to the service of the peoples represcnta- tiYes.
 From time to time such improvements as economy would permit were made, but it was not until 1897, under Napo- leon I, that the grand staircase, sur mounted by the portal facing the Place de h Concorde, familiar to all visitors to Paris, was constructed Then II was also that the colossal statues Of Justice and Prudence, Sully. Colbert, L'Hopital and D AguesSeau were placed where they now stand. These statues. by the bye which look like marble. arc in reality made of stone and coverel with a coat ing of white glaze,
 Under Napoleon the building WAS at first called the Palace Of the Legisla- tive Corps" and the deputies wore bril- liant uniforms. This caused writer of the time to say. He gave the deputies q brilliant costume. cmb-oijeTcd with gold, and at the saElc time withdrew their right of free speech.
 It was in lSl4 that the name was changed tO that the building bears to- | day, Palace of the Chamber Of Depu- | ties" or, as il is moro generally called now, Chamber of Depatics." But if the legislators of the year of grace 1898 ! do not wear Euld embroidered uniforms there still remains in their ccreuIoniCs u good deal of the pomp and ceremony which usually appertain to mouarchies. The president of the chamber lives in a mansion on the Quai d'Orsay. the grounds of which join these surrounding the chamber of deputies. Before the opening of each sitting he is escorted l &I,a ,11. .1a TN,s De- V,,. | deserved for the use of members of par
 liament and journalists) by q dctach- ment of infantry in command of cap | tain. The drums beat, and the proces- sion is preceded by gorgeously attired usher, who announces. Monsieur le ] President"
 Thus escorted. the president mounts ! his seat, high above the tribune from
 which the members speak. and immedi- ! ately there is Q noise of members sCTam- bling to their seats, like schoolbOys afraid
 of being marked late. This part Of the 1 proceedings is about as undignifed as the entrance Of the president iS imposing After tapping his desk with large paper ! knife, or in case of much noise ringing l a brass bell, the president declares tEC ! sitting open, and a relative silence Is Cs 1 tablished for 8 moment. The forma { business of reading the minutes of :hO i last sitting is gone through. and then the l discussion upon the question of the day begins. When unimportant, everybody
 who is not engaged in letter writing ! talks. When the question before the | house Is of interest, silence is maintained until somebody sets the example of inter
 rupting or perhaps insulting the speaker. Then the scene IS one which has often
 been described by clever writers and art ! ists, but which must be seen to be ap- | preciated. The ushers inside the cham ! Der, who wear evening dress. white ties | and swords, have frequently 10 come be-
 tween excited deputies who. but for their 1 intervention, would often come to blows These ushers form in reality the most
 conservative part of the assembly. for
 they, with few exceptions, grow old in
 the service They are almost as falailiaI | with the rules of the house aS the presi- | dent himself, and they regard newly l elected members very much as an usher | in Q public school regards q new boy. | They know that every deputy drinks | while speaking. and one of the;n Is eSQe- 1 cially told of n order from the buffet | the particular beverage with which g
 speaker Is wont to mOistcn his parched | lips during heated dehate.
 It Is upon these cCCasiOIs that the
 French chamber treats the world tc
 some of thyss surprises which no fellow
 can understand" What is called in
 France le petit jeu des combiRaisons i,
 played. and often government major | ity of today is turned into a minority to-
 morrow.
 l The fact is, that the majority of tho
 deputies are men who would he loath to
 lose their pay of 25 francs per day and
 the honors attached to the post of repre-
 sentative of the people That is why the
 fear of dissolution often induces them tc
 give a ministry d majority rather than
 provoke its overthrow and the crisis con.
 sequent thereon.
 Two ministerial portfolios are espe
 cially coveted-those of the interior and
 finance-for besides the importance oi
 the posts there Is an ancient custom ip
 connection with them. The day after
 the acceptance of the portfolio one of the
 grave, white necktied, sword bearing
 ushers calls upon each minister and
 hands him an envelope containing 6o, ,ooo
 francs for frais de displacement, or moY-
 ing expenses If he retains his portfolio
 but & single day, he never returns the
 S1a, 900, nor is he expected to.-Nev | York Sun.