GOVERNMENT AND LAW. 



Minister of War. 



Minister of Marine. 



Minister of Colonies. 



Minister of Public Instruction and Worship, 



Minister of Justice. 



Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Posts and 

 Telegraphs. 



Minister of Agriculture. 



Minister of Public Works. 



The Chamber of Deputies is elected for four 

 years, by universal suffrage, and each citizen 

 21 years old, not actually in military service, 

 who can prove a six months' residence in any 

 one town or commune, and not otherwise dis- 

 qualified, has the right of vote. Deputies 

 must be citizens and not under 25 years of age. 

 The manner of election of Deputies has been 

 modified several times since 1871. The scrutin 

 de liste, under which each elector votes for as 

 many Deputies as the entire department has to 

 elect, was introduced in 1871. In 1870 it was 

 replaced by the scrutin d'arrondissement, under 

 which each department is divided into a num- 

 ber of arrondissements, each elector voting for 

 one Deputy only ; in 1885, there was a return 

 to the scrutin de liste, and in 1889 the uni- 

 nominal vote was reintroduced. In 1889 it 

 was enacted that each candidate is bound to 

 make, within the fortnight which precedes the 

 elections, a declaration as to his being a candi- 

 date for a given constituency, and for one con- 

 stituency only all votes which eventually 

 may be given for him in other constituencies 

 being reckoned as void. Multiple elections 

 and elections of persons previously condemned 

 by the law courts are thus rendered impos- 

 sible. The Chamber verifies the powers of 

 its members. In each constituency the votes 

 are cast up and the Deputy proclaimed elected 

 by a commission of Councilors-General ap- 

 pointed by the Prefect of the department. 



The Chamber is now composed of 584 De- 

 puties ; each arrondissement elects one Deputy, 

 and if its population is in excess of 100,000, it 

 is divided into two or more constituencies. 

 There were 10,446,178 inscribed electors in 

 1893, and 7,427,354 voted. 



The Senate is composed of 300 members, 

 elected for nine years from citizens 40 years 

 old, one third retiring every three years. The 

 election of the Senators is indirect, and is 

 made by an electoral body composed (1) of 

 delegates chosen by the Municipal Council of 

 each commune in proportion to the population ; 

 and (2) of the Senators, Deputies, Councilors- 

 General, and District Councilors of the de- 

 partment. Besides the 225 Departmental 

 Senators elected in this way, there were, ac- 

 cording to the law of 1875, 75 Senators elected 

 for life by the united two Chambers ; but by 



the Senate Bill of 1884 it was enacted that 

 vacancies arising among the Life Senatorships 

 would be filled by the election of ordinary 

 nine-years Senators, the department which 

 should have the right to the vacant seat to be 

 determined by lot. The Princes of deposed 

 dynasties are precluded from sitting in either 

 House. 



The Senate and Chamber of Deputies as- 

 semble every year on the second Tuesday in 

 January, unless a previous summons is made 

 by the President of the Republic, and they 

 must remain in session at least five months out 

 of the twelve. The President is bound to 

 convoke them if the demand is made by one 

 half of the number of members composing 

 each Chamber. The President can adjourn 

 the Chambers, but the adjournment cannot 

 exceed the term of a month, nor occur more 

 than twice in the same session. 



Bills may be presented either in the Cham- 

 ber or Senate by the Government, or on the 

 initiative of private members. In the first 

 case they are remitted to the bureaux for ex- 

 amination ; in the second, they are first sub- 

 mitted to a commission of parliamentary ini- 

 tiative. Financial laws must be first presented 

 to and voted by the Chamber of Deputies. 



The President and the Ministers may be 

 impeached by the Chamber of high treason, in 

 which case the Senate acts as a High Court of 

 Justice. The same function is vested in the 

 Senate for all other cases of high treason. 



Senators and Deputies are paid 9,000 francs 

 (360) a year, and the Presidents of the two 

 Chambers receive, in addition, 72,000 francs 

 (2,840) for the expense of entertainment. 

 Members of both Chambers travel free on all 

 railways by means of a small annual pay- 

 ment. The dotation of the President of the 

 Republic is 600,000 francs, with a further al- 

 lowance of 600,000 francs for his expenses. 



France has, besides, a special institution 

 under the name of Conseil d'Etat, which was 

 introduced by Napoleon I., and has been 

 maintained since. It is presided over by the 

 Minister of Justice or (in his absence) by a 

 vice-president, and is composed of Councilors, 

 Masters of Requests (Mailres de Requetes), 

 and Auditors, all appointed by the President 

 of the Republic. Its duty is to give opinion 

 upon such questions, chiefly those connected 

 with administration, as may be submitted to it 

 by the Government. It is judge in the last 

 resort in administrative suits, and it prepares 

 the rules for the public administration. 



Liocal Government. For administrative purposes 

 France is divided into 86 departments, or 87 if the " ter- 

 ritory of Belf ort" (a remnant of the department of Haut- 

 Rhin) be considered as a separate department. Since 

 1881 the three departments of Algeria are also treated. 



