. Cf.
A. Cohn, Why M. Fallieres is an Ideal French
President, ibid., July, 1908.]

II. THE MINISTRY

*336. Importance in the Government.*--"There is," says an English writer
of the last generation, "no living functionary who occupies a more
pitiable position than a French President. The old kings of France
reigned and governed. The Constitutional King, according to M. Thiers,
reigns, but does not govern. The President of the United States
governs, but he does not reign. It has been reserved for the President
of the French Republic neither to reign nor yet to govern."[467] The
weakness of the French President's position arises specifically from
two clauses of the constitutional law of February 25, 1875. One of
them stipulates that "every act of the President of the Republic shall
be countersigned by a minister." The other provides that "the
ministers shall be collectively responsible to the chambers for the
general policy of the government, and individually for their personal
acts."[468] Under the operation of these principles the Ministry
becomes the real executive. Like the sovereign of Great Britain, the
President can do no wrong, because the acts that are officially his
are in reality performed by the ministers, who alone (save in the case
of treason) are responsible for them. Chosen by the members of
Parliament, the President belongs normally to the party group which is
at the time in the ascendant, and by it he is kept in tutelage. The
leaders of this group are the ministers, and, in a very large measure,
the President simply approves passively the policies of this body of
men and signs and promulgates the measures which it carries through
the chambers.

[Footnote 467: Henry Maine, Popular Government
(London, 1885), 250.]

[Footnote 468: Arts. 3 and 6. Dodd, Modern
Constitutions, I., 287.]

*337. Organization and Functions.*--Ministerial portfolios are created
by executive decree. Their number has been somewhat variable. In (p. 312)
1875 there were nine. In 1879 there was created a tenth. Between 1881
and 1887 there were eleven. To-day there are twelve, as follows: (1)
Interior; (2) Finance; (3) War; (4) Justice and Public Worship; (5)
Marine; (6) Colonies; (7) Public Instruction; (8) Foreign Affairs; (9)
Commerce; (10) Agriculture; (11) Public Works and Posts, Telegraphs,
and Telephones; and