The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-09

complish nothing durable.
 Liberty Cannot Die
 Tt is impossible that liberty will die in the country of its birth, whence 1t spread over the world.
 ''The great and imminent danger is that liberty can not be rcconquer- ed without hose convulsions which in truth 1t is your duty to avoid" ."
 The letter contained the plain inc plication that France faced Its big Qest internal crisis since the arn1is- tice.
 1t was written after Petain had decreed the dissolution of the per manent staffs of the Houses Of Parliament. -.,
 Herriot and Jeanneney accused Petrain and his Vichy government of trying to usurp powers never delegated to them by Parliament and protested especially against Petain's personal assumption ot ,owers to which he was not en- titled. .,,.,
 They protested against the elimin- otion by Petain of the French re- public and asserted that ms acVS in eliminating 1t were illegal.
 The advices disclosed that Petain has interned two members of the nopuplar front cabinet of Former Premier Leon Blum. One IS Capt. pierre Vienot, member of the cham her and former under foreign sec retary. The other is M. Blumel, Wno WAS Blums chief of cabinet of heao secretary. Both are held at he Vals Les Bains prison. 1
 Petain was given his powers by oational assembly, former of the two houses of Parliament. Soon afterward Petain called on President Iebr,ln and then announced that he was taking over the presidential mowers, in addition to the prime ministry.
 Historic Document
 What apparently is destined to be A historic document said 1n part:
 we learn in the official journal of your decree that the bureaus or ooth houses of Parliament cease their functions Aug. 3l.
 That act is in contradiction o1 your engagements.
 Tn July 194o, to obtain @ vote of full powers by the national assembly, you promised through Pierre Laval that the cnamperS would not be suppressed.
 Your constitution act Of July il, le4o stipulated that the senate ! and chamber should continue until new assemblies provided by new constitution were ready.
 But by the same act you ao- iourned the chamber and decreed that they could meet again only when you convoked them.
 Your plan ." (Here part o1 A sentence was missing from tne dispatch,) -, Now, not content to have for biddcn any legislative activity, you have suppressed all the prerogatives of trae members of Parliament.
 you have deported the chambers from Vichy to Chatelguyon. (This explains the fact that last week several United Press dispatch es from Vichy arrived with the pare dateline: ".Chatelguyon." The en- tire remainder of the dispatch had seen censored, as was one which read "arrests of parliamentarians 100 words censoredo
 "You now want to terminate thelr existence.
 "You pretend that the chambers should have elected officers every wear but you omit to state that you have prevented their renewal py failing to conoke the parliament.
 "You recognize the legality ol the parliamentary bureaus (tne per manent staffs) by decreeing tnelr removal to Chatelguyon.
 Gan you say that the bureaus lose their reason to be when the assemblies no longer sit? Own Official Replies "Your own keeper of the seals, Barthelemy, replies to you (lm- nlicitvl on page 525 of his treatise nn constitutional rights of 1888: "sBllreaus do not disappear dur- inc the interval between sessions
 1Joseph Barthelemy is Petains minister of justice0 , "There is no doubt that bureaus must exist as long as assempnes exist.
 aOnlv those charged by the as- ] eeYnblies with mandates have tne quality to act for them.
 "But you have faced us with an accomplished fact.
 "We can only accept. "But you must realize that we Republicans will not stay silent arainst this new attack on Repup- lieAn institutions.
 "rhe national assembly at Vichy gave you your full powers. The gov errment of the republic, unoer the authority and signature of Petaln' promulgated in one or more decrees d new constitution of the French etate. Furthermore, it specified that fine constitution be ratified by the nation and applied by the assem- plies 1t created.
 "Whether you like 1t or not, the national assembly gave its mandate to the government of the repuonc' /. That mandate is violated when you 4rv to eliminate the essential ln- stitution of the republic. The man. date Is violated in that not only has the word republic disappeared from the Journal office and the front of public buildings, but everywhere you have abolished the principal of elective representation.
 you have put the brakes on the essential rules of our civil and penal rights. You have substituted unlim- tied dictatorship for guarantees which all civilized nations grant to accused persons. You have reestab- ilshed Iettres de Cachet detters, bearing the kings seal, which arbi- trarily ordered Imprisonment or de" portation under the Bourbon Mon- arehy)
 Misuse of Power