Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-01

| mower to send it back for further consldera-
tion-a grave act, which will make the leg
| islators think twice before repasslng IT, NJ
fuse your signature
| But no French president has ever uolie
it,' answers President Loubet. He KNOWS
he has the power. he mas aea the ne French
| senate has Just slapped him IN the rae W
| ostentatiously ignoring it. "A frencn e; 81 nf
| eral who is senator, rose up anu saiu ~ "
this BILL which he declared ihsin'
| gerous: bacause the
president of the republic has the power ~
| provoke a new delberation. .,,o,od
| ..Monsieur lie General Billot, answered.
| tho nresident of the senate, i cannot aliom
YOU to pronounce those words. NO app teta
| NAV be made to the chief OF the s'''e
| against the will of the houses! ,.o+o
| Has the French president TINS quasi 80
| noIyer9 AssuredIy, by the CONSTITUTIONS oal
| the senators and deputies are resoit h eu
| scare him from using it. From lne peslh
| ming they together with ms nlii ia 20
ben, he hicks from their number-have 50
| crowded every president OF the plesen t
| French republic that not single one Vi
them has served his term out
Struggles With Ministers.
| III. first of them was Theirs, made presl-
dent in 1871. He had been prime iiiiiiis.e'
| under Louis Philippe, and under the re-
nublic of 1s4S he had been charged Will
| forming a ministry he had not time to CON-
nlete When Louis Napoleon came IN as
4 ..nrince president he at first sustained anu
then combated him, with temporary pan pan
| ishment and longer disgrace as d aiesi,,s
| This leisure time he occupied IN lllisti!i ,
| Vic nineteen volumes of The history oi the
| Consulate and Empire, ana In soholls iis
| a worldwide reputation as heaVy-"elsi az
| historian and publlc,st. III io 'o ors,oeition
entered practical politics as an opposi'ion
! deputy. 49,, way ba made a
| great speech, warning France not W uiiu.
| - a struggle with Germany; ana altef
a. 90 r;tnlati he was elected chief OF the
executive power of the new French Iepu C1;l'
| &c sucb in the absence of constitution,
he became the true moral ui TrauIfort
| france. concluding the treaty OF fTahkIoi.'
| nutting down the Commune ana recon-
| structing the military ana ecohohiic ioi'e'
| of his country - ,arsonaI If
| - one-nan government. He mad peen
| a.aoted in 1871 and in 1873, two months alteI
| the national assembly had oHereo MN g
| solemn vote of thanks Tor 1neli.ths ,nr;tu
| the fatherland," its conservative iiaJoiiay
| naya him a vote of blame, declaring tnat
| be was not giving sufficient attentloh W Tic
| Conservative interests. He resigned.
| u. 80 during the term OF MacManon,
o,aoted in his place, that the present con-
| titntionaI laws were adopted. Fresh from
| the personal government OF me- -.so,, .Iv
makers of the constitution wen. III sronsS
fnr>
80, england The president should nave
| the right to choose his cabinet, put NOT 10
diract its members once they were accepteu
| by the houses. and these mus v a hostile
,ota must be the signal for their reslsna-
| ton. Then the president must choose an
other cabinet-and SO Oh. -
| MacMahon remained in office six years
and then resigned on account OF Struggles
| With his successive ministers. In particular
| the minister of war demanded his signature
for certain disposition OF tne Ciier hin,
seIf refused to give his signature. Inc
minister of war threatened to resign, anu
| as MacMahon had already experience So
much difficulty in collecting caplnels' Nc
himself resigned the presidency.
Grevy's Theory.
crevv was elected and did actually serve
a term of seven years. Elected for an
other term, he was forced to resign on the
demand of his cabinet. the pretext being
scandals touching the alleged sale of deco
rations in which his son-in-law, Wilson, was
involved.
Then came Carnot-assassinated
The next French president was Casfmir-
Perier He remained in office six months
and resigned. His resignation was COM
monty set down to NJ or temper: II rs 10
understood that he would not submit TO his
ministers taking important measures, even
In foreign affairs, without informing MIN
until they needed his signature
Felix Faure was elected In his place. he
died suddenly and mysteriously In lSS9
after having served four years
Then came President Loubet So far ne
has always agreed with those powerful per-
sonages, his ministers He has for prime
minister the very man who, honored with
the same appointment by poor Ola Grevy,
walked up to him and said: "Grevy, you
must resign the presidency! This is SEN
ator and Prime Minister Rouvier. How
would Roosevelt like to have cabinet
member of that stamp hanging about?
Yet it was poor old Grevy who set the
example of a do-nothing French president.
Pope Leo XIII once asked him, as presf-
dent to intervene in dispute between the
episcopacy and the Ferry cabinet. 1t was
one of Crews first opportunities to assert
| himself a little. He refused, and in a
memorable letter to Pope Leo XIII defined
the do-nothing ideal as follows:
shut up in his responsibility, the presi-
dent ought to abstain from all personal
acts In government measures. He can only
offer advice to his cabinet. AS to his rela-
lions with the two houses. he can appear