Eecicw of Fcvicirs, J/4//3. 



189 



C( 



M. RAYMOND POINCARE, 



PRESIDENT OF FRANCE. 



rogatives. He possesses the right of 

 addressing both Chambers by means of 

 messages. He can make treaties and 

 jrant pardons. Again, he is supreme 

 ommander of the army and navy, 

 and under his signature appointments 

 to high commands are made. He can 

 make and unmake Governments, and 

 even a President such as M. Loubet was 

 able to prevent so strong a politician as 

 Clemenceau from forming a Govern- 

 ment during his occupation of the 

 Ely see. Nor must we forget that in 

 France, although there are many per- 

 manent officials, they play a much less 

 decisive part in affairs than they do 

 m England. The President, through his 

 power of making and unmaking Minis- 

 ters, has really a ver}- unique position, 

 and one much less vulnerable to attack 

 than that of a constitutional sovereign. 

 We may take it that M. Poincare is 

 ! going to be a President in the fullest 

 meaning of the word, morally supported 



M. RAYMOND POINOARE. 



For the first time it is of interest to 

 Europe and to the world to know some- 

 thing about the French President ; the 

 time has passed — let us hope for ever — 

 when the occupant of the Elysee created 

 no more interest than does the name of 

 a new Swiss President. To-day, at the 

 age of 52, M. Poincare has had placed 

 in his very capable hands for the next 

 seven years the destinies of France, and 

 who can say in these moments of storm 

 and turmoil what may happen in this 

 period ?" He is no figure-head, nor does 

 he aspire to be a dictator — in either case 

 the spirit of the new France would pre- 

 vent it ; but he does mean to use the 

 constitutional powers of President for 

 the furtherance of the honour and glory 

 of France. 



THE POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT. 



And the President possesses power if 

 he has the character to use it. He can 

 prorogue the Chambers, and suspend 

 their sittings — both considerable iire- 



.MAD.VMK POINCARE. 



