280 



FRANCE. 



ART. 15. The register of petitions is always com- 

 municated beforehand to the ministers. If the de- 

 ci<ion is taken to refer to a petition to the minister 

 whom it concerns, a copy of it and an extract ot the 

 deliberations are, by order of the president of the 

 Senate, transmitted to that minister and to the Min- 

 ister ot Justice. . , 



ART. 16. At the commencement of each session ^ 



ful exercise of liberty. Some months back society 

 seemed to be menaced by subversive passions, and 

 libertv to have been compromised by excesses com 

 mitted by the public journals and at public meetings. 

 Every one was asking how far the Government would 

 cy of long-suffering, but already the good 

 public reacts against culpable exaggera- 

 tions Impotent attacks have only had the effect of 

 showino- the solidity of the edifice founded by uni- 



report to theEmpcror on the results of. the petition* %^^&Xl* S$ and 

 sent by the Senate to toe different, minis j e ?, durmg ^S^fch exist in th'e minds of the people 



the preceding sTssion, is distributed to all the mem 

 bers of the Senate. 



RELATIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT WITH THE LEGISLA- 

 TIVE BODY. 



\RT 17. The bills presented by the Government 

 arc, with the decrees appointing the Councillors ot 

 State and Government Commissioners, charged to 

 support them in the discussion, communicated and 

 read to the Legislative Body by the ministers desig- 



disquietude which exist in the minds of the people 

 cannot last, and the situation requires more than ever 

 frankness and decision. We must speak without 

 any circumlocution, and declare loudly what is the 

 will of the country. 



France desires liberty, but liberty united with or 

 der. For order I will answer ; aid me, gentlemen 

 to save liberty, and, to attain this object, let us keep 

 at an equal distance from reaction and revolutionary 

 theories. Between those who pretend to preserve 



'"^v "f . '4+aA tneories. .oeiweeii HIUDO VYIH-F piei/ciiu. w ^/ivov,i^ 



nated in the decree of presentation, or are trans Luea ev thing without change, and those who aspire to 



to the president of the Legislative Body, who reads Over ^ hrow 6 eve ry thing, there is a glorious ground to 



them in a public sitting. . ta k e up . When I proposed the senatus consultum 



ART. 18. The amendments on which the Council f g epte mber as the logical sequence of previous 



of State is called to give its opinion, in conformity refo nd of the declaration made in my name by 



with article eight of the senatus comultum of Septem- Minister of State on the 28th of June, I meant 



ber 8, 1869, are transmitted directly by the preside] , j , inaugurate a new era of conciliation and 



of the Legislative Body to the minister presiding over J In seconding me in this path, you have 



.T._ n~,,~;;:i ^Cfo*o tirVin infnrms the minister whose r^e**' ,. _ .f _ ~ j. , 



j . / 



the Council of State, who informs the minister whose 

 department they concern. The Council of State is 

 immediately convoked, and its opinion is addressed 

 to the president of the Legislative Body, and to the 

 competent minister by the minister presiding over 

 the Council of State. . . 



ART. 19. Every bill proposed by a deputy is imme- 

 diately transmitted by the president of the Legislative 

 Body to the minister whose department it concerns, 

 and to the Minister of Justice. 



ART. 20. The minutes of the bills adopted by the 

 Legislative Body are signed by the president and sec- 

 retaries and deposited in the archives. A copy, bear- 



been unwilling to be renegades to the past, disarm 

 power,' or overthrow, the empire. 



The measures which the ministers will submit for 

 your approbation all bear a sincerely liberal charac- 

 ter. It you adopt them, the following improvements 

 will be realized : The mayors will be selected from 

 among the municipal councils, excepting in special 

 cases, for which provision will be made Ipy the pro- 

 posed enactment. At Lyons as well as in the sub- 

 urban communes of Paris, the formation of these 

 councils will be committed to universal suffrage. In 

 Paris itself, where the interests of the city are linked 

 with those of the whole of France, the municipal 



ing the same signatures, is communicated to the Em- ^^ wm ^ elected by the Legislative Bod > ? 



peror by the president. ^w,- TWIv which is already invested with the right of settling 



ART. 21. The president of the Legislative Body extraordinary budget of the capital. Cantonal 

 transmits to the kinister of the Interior an account ^gj^tt ^Instituted, principally with the ob- 

 of every deliberation by which the Legislative Body h communal power, and of directing 

 invalidates an election. Kesignations by deputies J Fresh prerogatives will be granted 

 are also addressed by the president ot the Legislative fcLfaa councils ; even the colonies will parti- 

 body to the Minister of the Interior. $* movement of decentralization ; and. 

 RELATIONS BETWEEN THE SENATE AND THE LEGisLA- i a8t iy, a bill, enlarging the circle in which universal 

 TIVE BODY. suffrage works, will determine the public functions 



ART. 22. The bills introduced by the initiative ot compatible with a seat in the Chamber. To these 



the Legislative Body are transmitted direct by the 

 President to the president of the Senate._ A copy is 



administrative and political reforms will be added 

 legislative measures of more immediate interest for 



sent by the president of the Legislative Body to the tne people, viz., the more rapid development of gra- 

 minister whom the measure concerns. tuitous primary instruction : the decreasing of legal 



ART. 23. When the Senate, by the terms of article expenses ; the removal of the demidecime war-tax, 



m, 4 ~~,.u,.^~f^ cfi, ^a^f OT r,Knr wll ich weighs heavily upon the registration duty in 



matters of succession ; the affording greater .facilities 

 of access to the saving banks, and the placing them 

 within the reach of the inhabitants of rural districts 

 through the aid of treasury agents ;' a more humane 

 regulation of infant labor in manufactories, and an 

 increase of the salaries of subordinate officials. 

 Other important questions, no solution of which is 



five, of the genatus consultum of the 8th of September, 

 1869, decides that the law shall be sent back to the 

 Legislative body for a fresh deliberation, the president 

 of the Senate transmits direct to the president of the 

 Legislative Body the law with indications provided 

 for by the said article. A copy is sent by the presi- 

 dent of the Senate to the minister to whose depart- 

 ment the measure relates. In case the Senate should 



not send it to the Legislative Body for reconsideration, as y e t ready, are being considered. The agricultural 

 *i, A MQ ;,i* ,,;+,, * *v^ . QO ;/u*,f n f , inquiry is concluded, and useful propositions will 



emanate from it so soon as the superior commission 

 shall have given in its report. Another inquiry has ' 

 been commenced in reference to the octrois'.^ A cus- 



the president communicates to the president of the 

 latter assembly the result of the deliberations. 



ART. 24. Our ministers are charged, each in what 

 concerns him, with the execution of the present decree. 



Given at our palace of Compiegne this 8th day of toms bill will be submitted to you, reproducing those 



ovember, 1869. NAPOLEON. general tariffs to which no serious objection has been 



Countersigned, DUVERGIER, Minister of Justice. taken. As regards those tariffs which have evoked 



On the 20th of November, the Emperor loud complaint from certain branches of industry, 



__i _ . T .* i . . -, .. the Government will not bring forward any scheme 



sum by delivering the following speech from of alf thTsouVc^^Tinformation calculated to assist 

 the throne : vour deliberations. The statement of the situation 

 Mettieurs Us SfnaUurs, Messieurs les Deputes : It is of the empire presents satisfactory results. Corn- 

 not easy to establish in France the regular and peace- merce is not at a stand-still, and the indirect reve- 



