New-York tribune., 1886-02-21
TALKS WITH GAMBETTA.
TRAITS, MAXIMs AND HIDDEN PLANS.
WOMEN OF THE COMMUNE GENERAL CHANZY's
NISsIoN To ar pprpDsprpn


terest which Gambetta displayed about all military
matters. remember occasion breakfasting
| with him in 1873 At that time he was chairman
| of the Budget Committee. and as such held tho
| National purse-strings. Ho had just declined to
pass the army estimates unless certain improve
ments were made with reference to the comfort of
the soldier. "Would you believe it," said he,
"until few days ago not one of the military
! barracks throughout France possessed any lava
| tories. The soldiers werc expected to wash them
selves in the horse troughs out in the open yards.
This is all vory we'll in summer, but in the winter
| when the snow is on the ground and the water In
the trough frozen yon can scarcely expect man to
strip to tho waist and wash himself in the Dpon
| air. Consequently our men 90 sometimes for three
months at time without getting good wash.
| You who travel SO much know the sensation you
experience when you have passed forty eight hours
! in a railway train without washing how utterly
! dcmoralized you feel, and then how fresh and tit
You are after good bath. Well, then Imagine how
demorallzed soldiers become after two or three
months absence Of soap and water, and how this
| feeling reacts the whole question Of discipline
! and morale of the troops! After severe fight on
the subject | have Just succeeded IN getting an
order passed for the establishment of lavatories in
all the barracks at the rate of basin to every ten
| men. But those old Oal0tcs de pedu, Marshals NJ
4 anU u, tOgetner WIN General3 l., -. anu huSO-
lutey decline to allow any towels stating that in
their time they had done without any such uon-
sense; so | fear that all my efforts will be of no
avail, since the will not use the basins in
winter, unless they have something with which
to diy themselves Until you can teach the people
here the yaluc Of cold batn and clean shirt we
shall be at disadvantage with Germany, which is
very particular about the personal cleanliness OF
her troops going to the length of teaching
every one Of them to SWIM"
In reply TO my inquiries he gave the following
explanation OF the presence of the female element
in the Commune:
at is a great mistake said he, to think that
tie petrolN1es and other women concerned in the
Commune atrocities were composed of the lowest
dregs of the capital On the contrary. they werc
most of them the wives, sisters and mothers of the
laboring classes who had been driven wild by want
and starvation. Here in France the wife of the
petty trader of the mechanic, of the labOrer, ts
really guardian angel. No matter how small the
wages. how little the income, she always manages
by extraordinary devices to put something away
for n rainy day. Well when the siege began all
trade and all works woIe stopped and during the
long dreary months when the capital was encircled
by the enemy the aboring classes practically lived
on the savings of the housewife Toward the close
Of the siege the distress had become great that
ished from want of sufficient nOurishment Then
the siege came TO end and all looked forward to
beginning work Immediately. But for some
weeks after the capitulation there was period of
commercial and industrial stagnation. No work
was TO be obtained and no money earned. IL was
only then when they had seen their little hoard
vanish their children dead from want aud their
hommcs absolutely starving that the poor dcs-
pcrate women developed into pctr0letses ana female
fures"
| often reflect on what would certainly have hap
pcuod if Gambotta had remained little longer ut
the head of affairs. In January. 1882. had long
conversation with him at the Foreign Office on the
Ouai dOrsny. He was Primo Minister nj the time,
and knowing that WAS Just leaving for Berlin and
that should see Prince Bismarck and other in
nuental people at Court, he spent an hour IN
arguing that his advent to power meant peace and
that the fears concerning his instituing policy Of
revenge were quite i!lusory. All this coQuence
was with n view to my repeating what | heard
from him to the proper people at Berlin. Two little
sentences. however, marred the whole of tho in
tended effect. Tho one was " II is impossible to
deny that popular sentiment just now is very war
like and bent on revenge: the other: Unless we
have our hand forced by popular sentiment
This must bo taken in conjunction with the follow
ing little known facts General Chanzy, Frances
cheftain, had been formerly Gambettas btterest
and NEST powerful rival. not only in bidding for
popularity, but also in tho race for the eventual
Presidency of the Republic. Shortly after Gam
betta became President of the Chamber of Deputies,
and acquired his prcpOnderant though occult nilu-
in tho direction of the affairs Of the State, the
Russian General Skobelcf. known for his anti
German sntments. came to Paris, and notwith-
standing all assertions to the contrary saw Gam
beta frequently not at the latters official residence
bnt at the little dppartement d. Ia Rue dc Ia
Chaussee G1nin. Within few weeks General
Chanzy also made his appearance at the capital and
after several private interviews with Gambetlu one
OF which took place at tho latters official residence
ho suddenly resigned his sem-regal post OF Gov
crnor- General of Algeria, the most magnificent ap-
poiutment OF the French Government and accepted
the comparatively subordinate position of Am
bassador TO Russia During the eighteen months he
remained at st. Petersburg he WAS OccuIio in
drawing up, in conjunction with the Russian
General staff the plan of combined campaign
against Germany. Perhaps this was not expressly
sanctioned by the Car, but ~ any rate it had tho
approval of the late Chancellor, Prince Gortschakof.
There is no doubt that Gambetta had made pri-
vate rangement with Chauzy. according TO which
the latter WAS to have supreme military command
when the former having become President OF tho
Republic. should have begun his popular war
for the recovery of Asace-l loranc. When. in Feb
Tuary $50 the anbctta Ministry FELL and tho great
leaders return to power became improbable, at
any rate until two or three years hal elapsed,
Chanzy threw np his appointment at ST Peters
burg. and after some months Of -lnaCton obtained
the command Of the army corps stationed at
ChalOns.
| was at Berlin at the time of the fall of Gam.
betas Ministry and the feeling of profound relief
displayed there ON the news becoming known con-
stitutcd the highest tribute to the great patriots
movers | remember hearing Prince Bismarck
remark about this time that Gambetta lowered head
and shoulders above any other man III France. The
Crown Prince of Germany was also great admlrer
of his, a'thOugh on friend once aluding IN Ills
Imperial Higlncsss presence 10 my intimacy with
Gambetta he turned mo with mock terceness
and half drew his sword.
Gambetta used to say: " He who talks of war OF
revenge ought to have his face slapped. and he who