Page:The Constitutions and Other Select Documents Illustrative of the History of France, 1789-1907, Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged.pdf/260

230 The Council of the Five Hundred is required to propose the candidates within the first five days and the Council of Ancients shall complete the election within the last five days.

The new member is elected only for the term of office which remained to the one whom he replaces.

Nevertheless, if this time does not exceed six months, the one who is elected remains in office until the end of the fifth year following.

141. Each member of the Directory presides over it in his turn for three months only.

The president has the signature and the keeping of the seal.

The laws and the acts of the legislative body are addressed to the Directory in the person of its president.

142. The Executive Directory cannot deliberate if there are not at least three members present.

143. It chooses for itself outside of its own body a secretary who countersigns the despatches and records the transactions in a register, where each member has the right to cause to be inscribed his opinion with his motives.

two years which immediately follow the expiration of these without the presence of its secretary; in this case the transactions are recorded in a special register by one of the members of the Directory.

144. The Directory provides, according to the laws, for the external and internal security of the Republic.

It can issue proclamations in conformity with the laws and for their execution.

It disposes of the armed force, without the Directory collectively or any of its members being able in any case to command them during the time of their functions or during the two years which immediately follow the expiration of these same functions.

145. If the Directory is informed that some conspiracy is being plotted against the external or internal security of the state, it can issue warrants of apprehension and arrest against those who are presumed to be authors or the accomplices thereof; it can question them: but it is required under the penalties provided for the crime of arbitrary imprisonment to send them into the presence of the police officer within the