The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-17
Chief of Bureau Relieved o.
Duties and Complete Reor-
ganization Planned.
By Ia MARoUIsE DE FoNrENoY.

By Ia MARQUISE DE FONTI1NOY.
CHORTLy after President Poincaro
y took up his duties as chief mag
istrate of France. / drew atten-
ton to the fact that he had publicly
announced that he did not propose TO
submit to the tyranny of the Protocol
during his term of office. He was
aware that the existence of his pre-
decessors at the Palace of the Elysce
had been rendered not merely miser-
able, but a perfect torture, by that
extraordinary bureau of the Depart
mcnt OF Foreign Affairs, known and
dreaded as thc Protocol. Which insist
ed that they should not do this, and
that they should not do that: that they
should go there, and that they should
not go there; what they should wear,
and what they should not wear; and
which undertook TO govern, by prece-
dent and by rule. devised by the sue
cessive chiefs OF the bureau. every
phase of the Presidents public and
private life
The Protocol. originally intrusted
in the reign OF Napoleon ILL., with tho
mere duties Of drawing up the draft
or protocol of treaties-whence its
name-and with the writing and dis
patch of letters of congratulation and
coincidence sent by the Emperor to
foreign courts, on the occasion. of
births or marriages. has since 1871
usurped the role CT dictator OF
etiquette and Of ceremonial, not only
with regard to the Department of
Foreign Affairs. but lilecwinn towards
the entire French administrative world,
from the President downwards
The blow has at length fallen Ar
mand Mollard. the chief, of the bureau
| has been relieved of his duties and
| sent to represent the republic as min
lister plenipotentiary of the second
class, at LuNcmburg; and. instead of
promoting his chief assistant, Pierre
de Fouquieres, brother of Andre de
FouQuieres. to the vacant office. the
! President has confided the direction of
the bureau. and incidentally it's radi-
cal reorganization. TO William Martin.
who. despite his English name is Il
frenchman. and who was his private
secretary when he was Premier and
Minister of Foreign Affairs. at the
time of his election to the presidency.
Having held office as Minister OF For
eign Affairs, Poincare knows all about
this bureau of the Protocol and about
its absurdities, which, if the truth
We're known. were often discussed by
him with his then private secretary.
William Martin. who holds the rank OF
minister plenipotentiary in the diplo-
matte service: and if he has been APP
pointed it is because Poincare has n
plan for the reorganization of the
/, bureau. which he knows that Martin
/ Will carry out III accordance with his
views and wishes
While this is hard on Pierre de Fou-
Quieres. who Is generally liked. il is
source OF conEratulation to the en-
tire French official world and also IN
the Corps Diplomatique. For Armand
Alollard. heavily built somewhat
slouchy in appearance. suggesting the
small bourgeois or well-to-do peasant
IN appearance. rather than the Gallo
elegance md grace which one would
expect TO ilnd in Frances grand master
OF the ceremonies, got his appointment
because he was said to he the only
person IN France. or out of it, who UNI