The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-07-09
A Presidents Powers.
Youths Companion.

IL OnleI JuSClce OIL the united StateS,
is said not to have made known his
selection to the members of his
Cabinet until after the nomination
had been sent to the Senate. The
Cabinet ministers learned of his
choice only after the, formal an
nouncenlent had been made.
In acting thus entirely upon his
W counsel, the President did not
exceed his constitutional powers, nor
do other than has before been done
by Presidents of the United States
in the making of important nomina-
lions.
This occurrence illustrated the
difference between the usage of our
" and almost every other consti-
t%utional country. The personal
power exercised by the President of
the United States is much greater
than any that may be lawfully exer-
cised by the President of the French
Republic or by the Queen of Eng
land.
Neither of those functionaries
would venture to appoint even the
magistrate of an inferior court with
azAont the consent of the minister of
are in a poe; and if the minister's advice
er 1T shall be ~ ease were not needed, u
he ministerial uisis, to be settled only
by the vote of Parliament, would be
involved.
The case of the nomination of the
Chief Justice is only an incident in
the exercise of the American Presi-
dents power. A President devotes
much time to the examination of the
bills passed by Congress. Reports
are sept to him with each bill, re-
cording the deliberations in Congress
with regard to it, and containing,
when practicable, the facts and data
upon which the action of Congress
was taken.
The President then makes his de-
cision upon each bill. Such acts as
he does not approve he "vetoes''-
that is, he returns them to Congress
with his objections and these ,,cts
cannot then become laws except by
a majority of two-thirds of each
House-a majority which is obtained
only in exceptional cases.
With us, then, what is virtually
the final fate of every measure adopt
ed by II House chosen bv universal
suffrage lies in the hands of Il func-
tionary elected at one remove from
the people. In France the President
is chosen by the two Houses of Par
Lament sitting as one body. The
French President has no such powers
as those which we have noted us be-
longing to the President of the
United States. He %promulgates the
laws passed by the Chambers, but
may not veto them. He disposes of
the armed forces of the country, but
only in harmony with the wishes of
ministers, who represent the MAORI
ty in the Chamber of Deputies. He
appoints all the functionaries and
officers, but on the presentation of
the different Cabinet ministers. He
appoints these ministers, it is true;
but they are not responsible to him,
but only to the Chambers.
The President of France is, i'm
fact, chiefly Il figure-hcad, or at the
most'a balance=wheel, for the nation,
performing much the same function
as the monarch of a pureley consti-
%tutional country like England or
Italy. He is elected for seven years,
but he cannot maintain his position
against an overwhelmingly hostile
sentiment in Parliament.
1t would not do, however, to as
sumo, because the President of the
United States possesses so much
greater powers than the President of
the French Republic, that the United /
States is II more despotic country
than France.
Though the personal power of the
French President is small, the au-
thority of the central government
itself is much more extended, and
much more despoticallyl used, than
that of the United States.
Many of the institutions of that
country are mOnarchical in origin
and in spirit. The central govern
ment arrogates to itself powers which
i'm this country are exercised by
states, countries, cities, towns. The
administrative machinery of the
smallest French village is set in
motion by the government at Paris.
Though the personal powers of
the French President are so much
less than those of our own President,
he is paid q much larger salary. He
receives one hundred and twenty
thousand dollars Il year and consider
able allowances, and is given the
palace of the Elysee for u residence.
The President of the United States
has fifty thousand dollars u year,
fewer allowances, and the White
House.
ilalf-a-dozen churches in New
York bear upon their spires or