370 



FLORIDA. 



ratified by the people at a general election. If 

 two thirds of each house propose, and the 

 people at a general election approve, a Con- 

 stitutional Convention may be held. This pro- 

 posed Constitution is to be submitted to the 

 people on the first Tuesday after the first Mon- 

 day in 1886, which is the day of the general 

 election. The following article is to be sub- 

 mitted to a separate vote : 



The Board of County Commissioners of each county 

 in the State, not oftener than once in every two years, 

 upon the application of one fourth of the registered 

 voters of any county, shall call and provide for an 

 election in tne county in which application is made, 

 to decide whether the sale of intoxicating liquors, 

 wines, or beer shall be prohibited therein, the ques- 

 tion to be determined by a majority vote of those 

 voting at the election called under this section, which 

 election shall be conducted in the manner prescribed 

 by law for holding general elections : Provided, That 

 intoxicating liquors, either spirituous, vinous, or malt, 

 shall not be sold in any election district in which a 

 majority vote was cast against the same at the said 

 election. Elections under this section shall be held 

 within sixty days from the time of presenting said 

 application ; but if any such election should thereby 

 take place within sixty days of any State or national 

 election, it shall be held within sixty days after any 

 such State or national election. 



The Legislature shall provide necessary laws to 

 carry out and enforce the provisions of this article. 



Population.T The following table gives some 

 of the results of the census of 1885 : 



The. population in 1880 was 269,493, a gain in 

 five years of 73,058, or about 24 per cent. 



FRANCE. 



FRANCE, a republic in western Europe. The 

 republic was proclaimed Sept. 4, 1870. The 

 Constitution was adopted Feb. 25, 1875, by 

 the National Assembly elected in 1871. The 

 electoral laws were altered in 1884 and 1885. 

 The Chamber of Deputies is elected by univer- 

 sal suffrage under the scrutin d'arrondissement, 

 which was adopted Nov. 11, 1875. Each ar- 

 rondissement is represented by a deputy, and, 

 if its population is in excess of 100,000, by ad- 

 ditional deputies for each 100,000 or part of 

 100,000 beyond that number. The number of 

 electors in 1881 was 10,179,345. The number 

 of deputies is 557. The Senate is composed of 

 300 members, 75 of whom were chosen for life, 

 the Senate electing the successors of deceased 

 members. The Senate bill of 1884 provides 

 that vacancies in the life-senatorships occurring 

 in the future shall be filled with senators elect- 

 ed by the departments for the ordinary term 

 of nine years. The remaining 225 are elected, 

 75 every three years, by the departments and 

 provinces. They are chosen by senatorial 

 electors, elected to represent each of the com- 

 munes and municipalities, together with the 

 members of the Council General and the depu- 

 ties of the department, who possess votes ex 

 offieio. As the life senatorships expire, the 

 other 75 seats will gradually be distributed 

 among the departments proportionately to the 

 population. The act of 1884 disqualified all 

 princes of deposed dynasties from sitting in 

 the Senate. The Chamber of Deputies is elected 

 for four years. The National Assembly meets 

 annually on the second Tuesday in January, 

 and must remain in session five months. The 

 President of the Republic can call an extraor- 

 dinary session, and is compelled to do so if 

 one half of the members of each chamber unite 

 in demanding it. The two chambers possess 

 equal and concurrent powers of legislation; 

 but all financial measures must originate in the 

 Chamber of Deputies. The members of both 

 houses receive pay, senators 15,000, and depu- 

 ties 9,000 francs per annum. The executive 

 head of the republic is the President, who is 

 elected for the term of seven years by a ma- 

 jority of the deputies and senators in joint ses- 

 sion. The President has the disposal of the 

 military forces, makes all appointments, civi 

 and military, and can propose legislation; but 

 all acts must be countersigned by the minis- 

 ters, who are appointed by the President and 

 are responsible to the chambers. The President 

 of the Republic is Francois P. Jules Grevy, born 

 in 1813, President of the Chamber of Deputies 

 from 1876 to 1879 ; elected Jan. 30, 1879. 



Area and Population. In 1866 the area ol 

 France was 209,580 square miles, and the pop- 

 ulation 38,067,064. In 1872, after the cession 

 of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany in tJ 

 treaty of May 10, 1871, the area was 204,17/ 

 square miles, and the population 36,102,921. 

 In 1876 the population had increased to 36,- 

 905,788, and in 1881 to 37,672,048. The pop- 

 ulation present at the time of the census or 



