The sun., 1897-09-13

President. that caused Sir HENRY MAINE
to make merry over the ostensioIy exalted
Office and real lack of power OF the French
Chief Magistrate. "There Is, ne said, mo
living functionarv who occupies more
pitiable position than a French President.
The old Kings of France reigned and gov.
erned. The constitutional King, according
to NJ. THEIRS. reigns but docs not govern.
The President of the United States gov
erns, but he does not reign. 1t has been
reserved for the President OF the French
Republic neither to reign nor govern"
1t is also true, and perhaps the truth was
impressed upon NJ. FACRE at st. Peters.
burg, that II the French Chief Magistrate
were chosen by the people, and were
thereby assured of his place for seven years,
the allies Of France would feel much more
certain that treaty would be carried out
than they now do. As things are now the
Chamber Of Deputies might refuse to make
the appropriations needed for the fulfil
ment of treaty, yet the President would
be practically powerless in the premises,
being afraid even to use the limited means
OF pressure which tho existing Consttu-
tion gives him. Although he has no veto
bers to reconsider a bill, but up to
the present time no President has
ventured to exercise the right. In theory
he can coerce refractory Chamber Of Dep
uties, provided he has the assent OF the
Senate, by dissolving Parliament and ap.
pealing to the people; but this right also Is
In danger Of extinction through non.user,
not having been exercised since President
IMAGINATION made recourse to IL In 1877.
We should add that when the President,
with the Senates assent, dissolves Parlia.
ment, he can dismiss the existing Ministers
that possess the confidence of the Chamber
Of Deputies, and appoint Ministers dd in.
terim, who can use for election purposes all
the tremendous leverage supplied by the
executive patronage of an intensely central
lied State.
Now, IL President were chosen directly
by the French people, who love to be per.
sonally governed he would have an almost
unshakable hold upon them, at all events
hold far stronger than does mere ap-
pointee of the legislative chambers; and
public opinion probably would not sustain
the Chamber of Deputies in subjecting the
peoples representative to such deadlock
as forced NJ. GREvY to resign. On the con-
trary, public opinion would be likely to ar
ray itself so earnestly on the Presidents
side as to encourage him to use or even
strain all his latent constitutional powers,
and the Senate would, doubtless, be so far
swayed to his support as to authorize an
appeal to the electors.
OF course, it is dangerous in France to
give a President the moral power that re-
suits from an election by the people. The
second French Republic gave 1t, and the
result was tho usurpation practiced by
LOUIS NAPOLEON. Nobody believes how
ever, that NJ. FAURE has in him the stuff
of dictator besides which the French
people at this moment care much more
about riveting the alliance with Russia
than about the form of their government.
II a new Chamber Of Deputies were TO be
chosen tomorrow on the question of con-
stitutional revision, it is probable that the
people would return a majority of Deputies
favorable to the project of making the
President a direct representative of the
voters, as he is in the United States.