The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-22

lighter than that Of his predecessor 4
was even more onerous by reason Of thu
privileges which the communes still on.
joyed In theory and which for q few
years they had enjoyed in practice. II
was In obedience to an effective popular
demand thar louis Philippe. iminedi-
ately after his accession in 1880. prom.
Used "a reform Of municipal institu.
tons based upon an elective system
The appointment of municipal council.
lors was restored to the voters, who
were of course a much less numerous
body than now, comprising only consid.
cradle taxpayers. The maycss were
still appointed by the Crown. The re-
public Of 1s4S decreed universal suffrage
and empowered all communes Of Less
| than 5000 to elect their own mayors.
| The Second Empire revoked the con-
| cession. reassumed the power Of ap-
pointing all mayors and reduced the
powers Of the councils. II was under
the Third Republic that for the FIRST
time local self government was efYec-
lively established in modern France
Paris. as the capital and the seat OF
the central Government. constitutes an
exception to the general rule, Just %
Washington does with us.
The rule Is that every commune cal
elect. by universal suffrage, It's own
councillors. while the councillors, by a
secret ballot, choose the Mayor from
their own number. Each commune
manages Its own affairs Of police. Of
hygiene. Of local Improvements. Sub
1ect to the approval OF the project of
the department II makes its own bud
get. It IL thus necessarily a school OF
political instruction.
The department" stands upon an
entirely different footing from the COM
mune and IL in fact an Illustration Of
the rule Of French Capitalization" to
which the commune Is so conspicuous
an exception. The departments them
selves. instead OF being necessary az
gregations. arising from the growth Of
population and the advancement Of
civilization. are creatures OF legislation.
and instead OF an immemorial antiquity
date back only to tho same year which
saw the effort on the part Of the Con-
ktituent Assembly to reanimate the
commune. The old provinces Of France
have become merely geographical and
In no sense political expressions, even
though II be by the name Of his prov
ince that a Frenchman commonly de-
scribes his Country" There Is a
historical II not an ethnic homogene-
BUSINESS about the Inhabitants Of a
province which may or may not be
lacking to those Of a department. The
powers OF the provinces. so long as
they were administrative entities"
varied greatly. as indeed did in medi-
@val times those of the communes, and
the EFFORTS OF even such Ministers as
Turgot and Necker to simplify and
unity the administration Of the proyin-
ces entirely failed. On the other hand.
there Is procrustean unity in the
administration of the departments.
The variety OF provincial customs was
one OF the motives which led the Ma
tional Assembly, with it's passion for
uniformity. to substitute the depart
ment for the province. Indeed. the
nrst proposal was to divide France
geometrically into eighty departments
containing each 324 square leagues.
But the procrustean protector was in
duced. largely by the arguments Of
Mirabeau. to respect the boundaries OF
the old provinces which were to be
suodivided, and at the conclusion of
his work complained in rather a melan-
choiy tone that the map Of the country
was not "chessboard." II was rather
"a jig saw puzzle" In all eighty-three
departments were created, each SUBJ
divided into districts and aRain into
cantons. The departmental system was
originally an example. like the com.
munal. OF decentralization, all the de-
partmental officers. council, directory
ana procurator general being elective.
But before long the chief officer was
commissary appointed from Paris
and under the Consulate the head of
each department was project an
pointed by the First Consul, as he has
ever since continued to be chosen
by the central authority He Ia
still the most important official in
his department. although by the law
OF 1871. which is still the basis Of de.
partmental administration. the powers
OF the municipal and general councils
were much enlarged. The general
councillors, who are elected for six
years, and serve without nav. consti.
tute to some extent a departmental
legislature. though under certain
checks. Like all other officials chosen
ny popular vote, they are elected nv
universal suffrage. although II was lust
perore the revolution Of lS4s that
Guizot declared that there was no
future for universal suffrage. A time
VIII never come when It will be possibIe
10 call upon all human creatures 10
exercise political rights"
the chapters on National sovsn-
eighty and THE State" are equally
elementary with those on the commune,
ana the departments. but they contain
less or novelty for the American reader
The chapter on THE Constitution" ia
mainly interesting on account of the
history which II gives OF the formation
OF that instrument, or rather Of the
three laws OF 1875 under which France
mas enjoyed a more stable government
imam she had had before since the OUT
break OF the French Revolution. or
especial interest Is the history of the
executive power since. in 1871, the As
sembly declared, by simple resolution.
that m. Theirs Is appointed chief N
the executive power. Of the French
republic. He will exercise his func-
lions under the authority Of the Ma
tional Assembly. with the assistance OF
the Ministers whom he will choose and
over whom he will preside" During
the same year II conferred upon him
the title OF President, although he re-
NAMED a member Of the Assembly, to
which II declared him responsible. So