New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-05
4 FRENCH PLATFORM.
qualities.

| Now that the "revisionist" demands of NJ
| Deroulede have received the ouasi-approval of
so serious and important a statesman as NJ
Meline, it Is not untimey TO recall them to
mind briefly and to consider their actual pur-
port. It is not, of course TO be understood that
NJ. Meline is unreservedly committed TO all or
| indeed to any of them. But, as by far the most
significant leader of the Opposition, he does not
think NJ. Deroulede was really guilty of treason
able conspiracy. and he holds that the Govern
ment would have done better in considering
seriously his plans for constitutional revision
by constitutional means than In summarily
suppressing them and him as criminal Such
view, expressed by Il man of undoubted sagacity
and prObty, is not to be lightly dismissed
There are, or were, dozen planks in VI.
Deroulede's platform Some of them may be
passed by as matters of course. "Re-eStabliSl-
ment of the national sovereignty" and equal
iy of all citizens under universal suffrage" are
of that class. The third calls for election of the
President and Senators by direct popular vote
That is not done in the United States. but the
| desrability of it Is so much discussed that we
cannot regard it as out of the question. The
traditional objection to it in France is of course
the possible opportunity it might afford for an
other man horseback to establish n die
| tatorshp the strength of a plebiscite The
fourth and fifth planks respectively demand
that the President shall he the chief of the
executive power, and that there shall be Vice
President elected the same terms as the
President; both copies of the existing American
system. Then follow provisions that the Coun-
ell of State shall be charged with the examina-
ton of the laws, whatever that may mean: that
the initiative in lawmaking is to be divided be-
| tween the President and the Chamber of Depu-
fipS. which WOuld mako tho formar a looie,o
tive as well as an executive officer in way
unknown to and incompatible with our Con
stitution: that the Senate shall have the right of
veto for only two sessions. provision meant to
destroy the coordinate power of the Senate
and make the Chamber of Deputies supreme a
principle repugnant to American IDEAS and
that the initiative in financial matters shall be
exclusively reserved to the President an ex-
traordinary scheme, calculated to make the
President an autocrat by putting the purse
strings of the nation into his sole hands
The tenth plank would give the President
power to choose his Minister'S and make them
responsible to him alone. That means simply
the adoption Of the American Cabinet system
We have hitherto pointed out the advantages
that might result therefrom, and the illogical
character of the present system, which is
hybrid between those Of Great Britain and the
that the Presidential office in France should he
strengthened and that Ministries should be
more stable and in far as NJ Deroulade's
plan would effect those ends 1t may be re-
garded with favor. The platform concludes
with declaration that there is incompatibility
between the office of n Minister and that of n
Deputy which means that Cabinet Ministers
are TO he chosen from outside of Parliament as
they are here; and with demand for a general
reorganization of the administrative system
throughout France.
The platform thus contains some things that
are good and some that are Of doubtful value
and perhaps actually evil On the whole the
proof OF it would lie in the application of H.
In the hands OF a fanatic like NJ Deroulede and
his Fort Chnbrol" friends, il would doubtless
prove ruinous to France as indeed would any
system of government of which they should get
control In the hands of n wise and upright
statesman like NJ. Meline II might prove highly
Dehencial. AT any rate it Is of good omen to
france that the Opposition is now led by such