The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-12-03
WHAT IS GOING ON IN EUROPE
A short time ago It was found that NJ.

llrHru mo frenPn Minister oil Finance, hnt
made u mistake If something over lOn.0OJ.OOU
francs in his budget. OF course such an extra
ordinary hlunder took all France by surprise.
and indignation al tho ineiliciency of the Min
ister was loudly expressed. NJ. Loon Say. who
was the predecessor OF NJ Tirard. has now en-
planned. to Il certain extent. how the mistake
occurred There are two classes Of credits in
the budget. The ono Is for ordinary expondi-
lures. such as payment Of interest upon rcites.
the salaries of public functionar,es. and the
care of public buildings. The extraordinary
credits are for the construction II gront PUB
lie works. canals. harbors or railroads. This
latter class is provided for by the surplus Of the
ordinary budget and by tho issue oi Treasury
bonds. As the Ministers have always some
great enterprise on hand and wish to have
plenty of means at their disposal. it ia usual to
ask for many millions more than can
! possibly be needed. As far as tho or.
| binary credits are concerned. this practice
! leads to no i'll effects. for the surplus
sums are merely cancelled But with the
excess Of tho extraordinary credits it is differ
! cnt. and the practice often has bad results
| AS these credits are voted for a particular
| purpose. as. for instance. tho construction of
some public work. it does not matter when
| they are expended only they must be expended
! on that particular work and on no other
! DuTlils tnc last lew years ENORMOUS sums nave
! been voted for public works. These sums havo
| not nearly been expended and they are added
| to yearly. Leon Say. in his budget for 1888.
placed tho balance of receipts over eXpcndi
lures for 1889 at 1913 900. 600 francs. aud pro-
| posed that no further extraordinary credit
! should be voted He also, by u convention with
the Orleans Railroad Company. reduced the
! expenses Of the Treasury. Then VI. Tirard who
is by trade II clockmaker. succeeded NJ Say.
and refusing to accept the Orleans convention.
added largely to the expenditures of the coun-
try. Consequently. the receipts not being equal
to the expenditures. NJ. Tirard had to look else
| where for money to meet his obligations He
went to VI. Htrisson. his colleague and Minister
! OF Public Works. who has always u large sur
plus NJ. Tirard estimated III 100. 900. 900 the
surplus which VI. H6rsson would have at his
disposal. But n certain malicious NJ kihot 20;
up and said that the 1913. 0Oo. 900 OF available
surplus had already been put in the budget,
and that he very much doubted whether there
was another lGo 900 600 II. Tirard was thus
sent back to NJ. Herisson and these worthless
found that the surplus was sixty. not hundred
and sixty odd millions. These bundled odd
millions will. of course be found by issuing
Treasury bonds but according to VI. Say-than
whom no man is more competent to speak
the financial condition of France it lamentable.
France. he says. has lost enormous sums of
money i'm the last five or six years. Capital has
been largely invested in unremunerative en-
terprises. There has been constant aterna-
ton of bad crops of grain and grapes. Flour
and wine have been largely bought in foreign
markets and milliards Of francs have gone out
OF the wealth OF France. At such time wise
financial policy is especially necessary. and the
clockmaker. who seems not to know his arth-
metic is hardly the right man in the right place
No llpAc - l,ri,- Dras I.pt .,f
the French republic. although OF short dura-
ton gave rise to some speculation as to his
successor. NJ Grevy was born in 1913. In
1879 he was elected President for the con-
sttutional term of seven years. so that
he has only served one-half of his term
Should his health hold ont. NJ. GrGvy will
probably be reelected at the expiration
of his term for he is considered thor
oughy safe man. He first took part in active
life 10y doing some fighting in July. 1880. He
was tho author of the famous amendment of
lS4S. which would have abolished tho Office of
President OF the republic. and now that ne has
accepted the post. he has done his best to make
il an honorary and merely titular position.
The great strength Of VI. GrCvy's reputation
lies in his cool. calm. incorruptibie republic
canism. He has never touched pitch and
during the corrupt days Of the Second Empire
he held strictly aloof from politics. His rcpu-
tation is much greater in France than il for
.gn countries. and much greater among poll
ticans than among the people at large. A
we'll known French writer, speaking recently
about the President. calls to mind the friendship
which existed years ago between him and
Alfred de Musset-not the de Mussct of very
early days. with the fair. curly hair. incipicnt
moustachc. and green coat. but Alfred de Nus
Set he was after the journey to Venice and
the quarrel with George Sand. 1t was shortly
before the revolution of 1880 that Grevy came to
Paris from the Jura. Even then he was grave
and solemn in his demeanor. He studied law.
attended the conferences at the AthcnGe. and
was duly called to the bar. Up to this time his
lazincss and need OF long hours Of sleep had
hinderod him from achieving any great sue
r cess: but even then he showed that there was
some thing in him. for find Edmond About
said years ago that Grevy is a gallant and
solemn drinker. but he is the kind of President
the French want" Musset and GrGvy were
both fond OF chess. and they used to spend
, many hours at that game. After the quarrel
5 between the famous poet and George Sand
Grtvy was chosen to demand from her Mus
sets letters. He wrote her regular lawyer
letter, George Sand replied that she WAS away
from home. but would send them back soon
I as she returned. which, as every one knows
q she never did.
l.c Sultllo OF HlcLpT AlcTl chllS UP u most 81
"reminiscences. He was the brother Of Rose
and Anna Ch6ri. and was IA musician of nc
t mean ability having gained the second prize
for musical composition at the lnstitut The
+ real name Of the ChGris was Cizos. and Rose
I was the first to adopt the nom d- hj,.te. She
: married NJ. Lemoinne Montigny. the directo!
: | Of the Gymnase Theatre, and died under,par.
ticularly distressing circumstances in 1861. Hell
little boy was suffering from Group. and she with
! true maternal devotion used extraordinary
t means in nursing him. The child recovered
but few days later the mother died Of the dis
! ease from which she had rescued the child. This
r ! boy grew up to manhood only to meet NOR,
( sad fate. Paying one day with n dog, he was
( severely bitten. and before long died in all the
| agonies OF hydrophobia. The whole history o
!. this family is history Of horrors The father
t | OF Rose and Victor was So elated when h,
5 heard OF Montigny's proposal Of marriage L
= his daughter that lie was attacked with VIC
lent brain fever. and in Il moment of deliruu
= jumped out Of the window and WAS Killed. IL
the old time at the GyInuase the pieces usu