6. THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT. I. Constitutional Strictly speaking, the political regime of France cannot be defined as a constitution but as three separate laws, called constitutional or organic, voted in 1875 and amended by two other laws, one in 1879 and the other in 1884. Strange as it may seem, these laws which make up the political mechanism of the third republic were prepared and accepted by an assembly in which monarchists consti tuted the majority. In fact, of the 750 mem bers composing the National Assembly elected by universal suffrage in February 1871, about 420 were monarchists, the peasants having voted for the monarchists who favored peace rather than for the republicans who wanted war. However, in spite of their majority, the monarchists were powerless to restore royalty in France, and that for two reasons: (1) the views held by French citizens were so mani festly hostile that M. Thiers, minister to King Louis-Philippe and a strong Orleanist, chosen as °chief of the executive power') and pro visional president of the new government by the monarchists, who counted on using him to bring about a restoration, openly declared him self for the Republic, thereby causing his downfall in 1875, when he was replaced by Marshal MacMahon; (2) the monarchists were divided into two rival factions, each of which supported a different candidate for the throne, the Legitimists being the partisans of the Count of Chambord, a descendant of King Charles X, dethroned in 1830, and the Orleanists, adherents of the Count of Paris, a descendant of King Louis-Philippe, dethroned in 1848. At one time harmony or fusion, as it was then called, seemed about to be realized be tween the two parties, as the Count of Paris had acknowledged the anterior and superior claims of the Count of Chambord, who, on his side, had legitimatized the dynasty of Orleans by accepting as successor the Count of Paris. But the Count of Chambord forfeited every thing by obstinately rejecting the tricolored flag, symbol of the new revolutionary France.
and favoring the white flag, symbol of the France of the old regime and of the divinely authorized monarchy. Therefore, Orleanists and Legitimists resumed their former positions and resigned themselves to a parliamentary re public which put them temporarily on terms of agreement by eliminating the two rival claim ants. According to an amendment to the law on the organization of executive power, known as the Wallon amendment it was decided in the name of the new government, to confer upon the chief of the executive power the title of President of the Republic, and in memory of this amendment, M. Wallon was jocosely called °Father of the ,Constitution.' These circumstances explain the absence of a declaration of rights and a co-ordinated con stitution, such as exists in the United States of America and existed in France from the constitution of '91 to that of 1848.
The following are the three constitutional laws: 1. The Law of 24 Feb. 1875, relating to the organization of the Senate. It regulates the number of senators, the conditions of eligi bility, the mode of election and renewal and the power of the assembly.
2. The Law of 25 Feb. 1875, concerning the organization of public power. It defines the exercise of legislative power, the mode of dissolving the Chamber, the ministerial respon sibility, the method of amendment, and fixes the seat of government and of the Chamber of Versailles.
3. The Law of 16 July 1875, treating of the relations of public power. It deals with the meetings of the Chambers, their preroga tives and the connection of the executive power with the Chambers.
The laws of amendment are as follows: 1. The Law of June 1879, suppressing the constitutional residence at Versailles and trans ferring it to Paris.
2. The Law of 14 Aug. 1884, excluding from the presidency members of ancient dy nasties and forbidding the republican form of government to be called into question and sup pressing irremovable senators and public prayers.