Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-02-15
FRENCH GOVERNMENT
May Be REORCAN|zED
Napcleon's System, Still Effec.
tive, Condemned By Politi-
cal Leaders.

nearly all French statesmen as made
Quate for modern France. A strong
movement that has. since the war. de-
veloped into an effective experiment IN
the organization of regional economic
consultative committees" may bring
about a political redivision of the@coun-
try n something like Is administra-
tive and legislative regions"
Inc object is concentration of re-
slonal interests now scattered among
the departments, with a decentraliza-
ton OF administrative measures. 1t
| would bring the French republic into
closer analogy with the government of
the United States by giving the pro-
posed regions independence as to To-
cal regulations and economic problems
such as the sc departments have never
had.
System is Antiauated.
The ma who has directed the move
lie life, Jean Hennessy, deputy for the
department of Charente and a member
of the we'll known Hennessy family of
southwestern France. He introduced
a bill to that end in the chamber in
1918. Ii was still Enacted upon when
the mobilization was ordered, and M.
Hennessy joined his regiment. In the
interval before the government re-
turned from Bordeaux to Paris, he had
earned the French military medal and
the British distinguished service order.
With the reassembling of parliament,
he came back to push his project and
succeeded IN passing a compromise
measure for the organization of eco
nomlc consulting committees in each
Of the 10 military regions of France. A
committee of the chamber has reported
that the results of the experiment are
excellent; they have furnished a force
fui argument in favor of NJ. Hennes-
sys original proposition.
The task of the FrC4ch citizens after
the war will Ie a hard one," said M.
Hennessy to the Associated Press, land
they mustn't be handicapped by a su-
p~erannuated system OF governmental
administration that centraliZes the ad-
illustrative machinery in the capital,
despite the sc departmental divisions,
ana ramp the economic life of the
country. Heretofore everything has
gone to Paris or by way of Paris.
All the big railway lines converged up
on the capital and left the provincial
regions out of touch with each other
and without adequate direct commune
cations with foreign countries.
This Capitalization has prevented
France from adapting herself to the
economic transformation of the epoch.
She failed to profit from her incompar-
able geographical position and she left
a great part of her enormous natural
riches unexpected; her economic in
stallations were too slow in d%eveloping;
her waterways were neither properly
developed nor organized; industrial Or
~ganization was perfected in only isolat-
ed cases and not g~eneralized; several
undred thousand horse power in nat
ural waterfall was neglected; agricul-
ture even did not produce the maxi
mum; there was no cooperation be-
tween scientists and practical business
men: our capital was mostly applied
to the development of other countries
than IL own.
Wants Red Tape Cut.
"The only cure for all that is the cut
ting of the red tape that binds those
regions to the capital and prevents the
free play of local initiatives.
The interests and occupations of
different regions of France are quite
as varied as those of the United States:
their customs are even more varied;
they should have the facilities for look
ing after their own interests-legislat-
ing for themselves n by a ~regrouping
politically into regions that are homo
geneous in their natural resources, oc-
equations and requirements, left free to
pursue their economic development I'M
hindered by the local considerations Of
other regions that have not the same in
terests.
"Of all the great belligerent countries,
france is the only one in which young
or generations will not be ready to re-
pair the losses and replace the social
work OF those that are dead. 1t will take
us at least 20 a to bring our adult
population up to tina. of 1914. This de-
ficit of population, if we are not care
full, will weigh heavily upon our des-
tiny; all the more SO since the war will
result in an Increased activity in the
entire world. 1t will not only transform
the nOlifjcaJ man nf Cnrtirantc h,,f will
have upon the development of countries
which are engaged in 1t, as upon neu-
trial countries, immense consequences. A
new world will emerge from the great
CONFUSION.
The French must no longer revel
in words; they must act The govern
ment and representatives of the state,
no longer capable of supervising the
direction of all the public affairs aris-
ing from modern life, and the parlia-
ment, overloaded with responsibility
and at times subservient to particular
interests. must leave what they are no
longer able to do to regional assem-
blies.
1T is proposed to reorganize the ad-
ministration OF affairs into 18 regions.
Their suggested boundaries have been
only approximately outlined in a map
prepared by M. Vidal de la Blanche, the
celebrated geographer, but they will
piOOdplJ nave 1OI central points the
following cities: Paris, Rouen, Rennes.
Lille. Nancy, Nantes. La Rochelle,
Burgess. Dion, Gordeaux, Limobes,
Clermont-Ferrand. Lyons, Grenoble,
Toulouse. Montpelier. Marseilles and
Ajaccio."
1t is proposed to elect the regional
assemblies by universal suffrage, but in
new groupings Of voters according to
their occupations or professions, so that
all interests will be represented. In add
ton to a general group. the following
professional groups are proposed: Agri-
and laborers, merchants
and clerks, manufacturers and mechan-
les, professional men and office holders.
Each Of these categories would have
representation In the regional assembly
proportionate to its voting strength and
In the professional categories the pro-
portionate representation Of the group
would be divided between employers
and employed.
The voter may register either in the
general group Or In the professional
group Tor which his occupation makes
him eligible.
The regional councils would APP
proach nearer state legislatures than
any bodies heretofore existing in
France. They would absorb a consid-
eTaDle Dart Of the w0rk NJ tho ~ rio