Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1912-12-20


VIZ cedes the election of pres
Nv ident in the United States
and thecalm that accompanies
the choice OF a president in France. The
difference may be studied now, for on
January II, 1913, a new head of the
French Republic will be chosen.
The election of a president Of the
French Republic causes no commotion
that can be compared with the excite
ment of a presidential election in the
United States. The event arouses in
terest, OF course, but the normal life
Of the nation is in no way modified.
Up to the present time stranger Wis
iting France would not suspect from
the newspapers or from public talk
that the election was to be held with
in a few weeks. If he stayed here
long enough and visited certain cen
ters he would hear whispers Of plots
Tumors for instance of great Bona
partist demonstration to be made on
election day. But beyond such things
he would observe few signs that a
presidential campaign was in prog
ress.
The excitement Of the choice Of a
president is mostly centered on the
Day of the election itself. Thus on
the morning of January II next crowd
ed trains will carry to Versailles, a
town that teens with souvenirs Of
kingly pomp, the officials of the SEN
ate and chamber, members Of the cab
met, numbers Of deputies and sena-
tors, regiment of newspaper men
and crowds of spectators which will
be large or small according to the
weather. Some forty Baudot trans
mitters, thirty Hughes instruments
and about fifty telephones have been
installed in the old home of royalty
for the occasion. Stately rooms once
the salons of kings and queens re-
sound with thousand imperative
clickings and tappings, and. the whole
palace, usually deserted and melan-
choly, is full of confusion. No doubt
Versailles was chosen as the place for
electing the republics presidents to
emphasize the lesson that the new
order has taken the place Of the old
and that the ceremony should be held
in a solemn and fitting setting, far
from popular uproar. At any rate
law passed ip 1879 DEGREES that the
national assembly shall meet in Yer
sailles in hall of the palace specially
reserved as the congress hall.
"Vote In Common"
The national assembly is, according
to the French constitution, "a meet
ing of the chamber Of deputies and
the senate to deliberate and vote in
common" This national assembly can
only meet for two objects, to elect a
president and to revise the constitu-
ton. When the presidency Of the re-
public becomes vacant by death or
resignation or any other cause the two
houses meet Immediately and form an
assembly to elect a new president. |
When there is no vacancy but the |
seven years of the incumbent are
about to expire, as in the present case
with President Fallieres, the national
assembly must meet at least one
month before the expiration of his
term, and If the assembly is not duly
convoked the two houses must meet,
in their own right, on the fifteenth
day before the presidents mandate
expires.
II the chamber of deputies should
happen to be dissolved at the moment
of the death or resignation of the
president the senate must meet, in its
own right, and the cabinet, which ex-
ercises the executive power in the in
term, must convoke me electoral col
leges to proceed to the election of a
new chamber of deputies.
AS there are 800 senators and al
most 500 deputies, the national as
sembly numbers s97 members, The
president of the senate (now Antonin
Dubost. a possible candidate) pre-
sides. When M. Fallieres was elect
ed on January II, 1906, he received
1879 votes, against 81 given to Paul
Doumer, with total of $50 voters, so
hat he only obtained thirteen votes
more than the absolute majority reQui-
ute for election. I
Luxurious Restaurant
The life Of tho assembly on the day
Il q presidential election only begins
.fter lunch. The president Of the SEN
tie, the president Of the chamber snd
he ministers have many guests, and