FRANCE: Constitutional Amendment

• Share

Beds. Versailles is a small town. Last week there were not beds enough for some 300 Senators and 500 Deputies who journeyed out from Paris to constitute, in joint session, the National Assembly of France. All provident, the Government of veteran Premier Poincaré despatched from Paris a truckload of beds and bedding, caused them to be distributed to good advantage among the hotels of Versailles. Came dawn. Through the forethought of M. Poincaré, the Senators and Deputies arose refreshed, complacent, found themselves even provided with a special bar outside their meeting hall where viands and vintages of every sort were dispensed at prices far from high. M. Poincaré had not been extravagant in his preparations. He was about to ask the National Assembly to amend the Constitution —a grave step for Frenchmen, whose Constitution had sustained but two amendments since it was promulgated at Versailles in 1875. M. Poincaré would shortly demand that the internal debt of France be irrevocably guaranteed by making constitutional the recently passed legislation (TIME, Aug. 9 et seq.) creating an autonomous sinking fund outside Parliamentary control from which the internal debt will be repaid under the supervision of non-partisan experts. Beside the accomplishment of this great purpose the cost of a few beds, of a little beer and wine, was not consequential.