The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-02-10
POINCARE INVESTED
WITH UNUSUAL HONOR

airy Grand Gordon, and Of course re-
ceifed request to do so, and his con
firmation az Collar Knight OF tn
order. Napoleon Ill, in his customary
silent manner, said nothing about /,
TO any one else. and tho result was that
when Francis Joseph appeared in tn
French capital wearing this particu-
lar collar. the existence of which ha,
passed out of remembrance, 1t aroused
extraordinary interest and created
sensation.
PRECEDENT PoIncare will. like his
predecessors at the Elysee, be COM
PEELED to relinquish the collar at the
close of his seven years term of office.
But he VIII remain knight Grand
Cross Of the Order for the remainder
of has days. and this in Itself gives
him high official rank. Indeed. tn.
knights Grand Cross of the Order
relatively few in numbcr-are Of
hcia!ly considered az the highest dig
nltaries OF the republic, coming ,n
.nediately otter the President OF the
republic and the speakers OF the
Senate and of the Chamber of Deputies.
They are entitled to all sorts of mill
tary and Official honors and prero-
gatives, are exempt from the jurisdic-
ton OF the ordinary courts of law and
are amenable only to the Senate, sit
ting az a high court of justice. whilt
on their death. the entire garrison
turns out to render them funeral hon
ors. When I add to this that
Grand Cross OF the Legion OF Honor
when bestowed upon Frenchmcn. car
ries with 1t pension, IL will be seen
that France Indirectly makes suitable
provision both for the honor and for
the maintenance OF her former chief
ma gistrates, who are thus saved fr
relegation to the obscurity OF ordn-
AIRY. everyday citizenship
II President Poincare. who was but
ten years old at the time Of the
Franco German War, did not even have
the lowest grade OF the Legion OF
Honor. namely. the cross OF an ordinary
chevalier. at the time OF his election
last month, although during the past
five and twenty years, he has repeated
~ hold Cabinet office. as Minister OF
Finance, as Minister of Public Instruc-
ton, and as Premier, besides being the
acknowledged leader Of the French
bar, and one of the forty mmorrals,
that is to say. n member OF the Acade-
my OF Franco, it is mainly owing TO
certain rules and regulations govern
ing the bestowal OF the order: rule:
OF which even the bulk OF the French
people are ignorant, and which it ma
be we'll. therefore. to set forth here.
Thus members Of the French Senate
and of the Chamber of Deputies, and,
in consequence thereof, the members
of the Cabinet, are debarred through
out their entire tenure OF seats in
the national legislature from receiving
the Legion OF Honor, or II they hav
1t already, from being accorded any
having a voice more or less direct In
the nominations to the order, they
should be placed beyond the tempta-
tion of being able to nominate them
selves for the distinction.
1t serves to explain why there
should be so very many emil
nent men in France who have no yes
tige q red ribbon in their button
Loubct was elected President of the
Loubet was elected President OF the
republic, he had. like Poncare. not
although he had previously hold Office
as mayor provincial councillor gem
eral, Cabinet minister. Premier and
Speaker OF the Senate. Premier
Combes, ex-Premier Dupuy, ex-
Premier Meline eX-Premier Ribot and
eX-Premier Clemenccau. none OF them
have the decoration Of the Legion of
Honor, any moro than the late ex-
Premier Waldcck- Rousseau and en-
mated, not hundreds, but thousands, to
membership thereof; while those
statesmen who do happen to possess
the cross either won it on the battle
fields of 1870 or else received 1t for
services as government officials prlo.
to obtaining Cabinet rank, or lcgls-
lative eminence
Another rule Of the order strictly
forbids che exhibition Of the insignia
of the order In connection with any
business undertaking whatsoever-that
Is to say, as 4 trade MARYLAND in
fractions of tits regulation expose
the guilty party to expulsion, as does
also fraudulent bankruptcy, and even
any act which, while not punishable
by law, appears to the council OF the
order as dlshonorable.
The council consists of dozen
knights OF high dcgree-men most
eminent In their various calings-
end presided over by the chancellor
The approval by this council OF a
candidates past record is sine qua
non before he can receive the cross
from the President of the republic. no
matter how much the latter may wish
to confer it. nor how insstent the
demands of Cabinet ministers for it,
bestowal upon their nominees.
copyright. 1918, by the Brentwood
Company