Omaha daily bee., 1886-07-29
THE GREAT PERHAPS.
The Views OF French Editors on
General Boulangcr's Plans.

The views of French Editors on
General Boulangcr's Plans.
PARIS, VIA HAvRE, July 2S.-INew York
Herald Cable-Special to the BEE. General
Boulanger and the sensational article in Sun
days Figaro is sdll on every tongue. Opin-
ions are much divided as to whether the gen.
eral is really a public danger or good re-
publican. | interviewed half a dozen of the
leading Paris editors on the subject yesterday
and found that like the rest of the towards,
they took very various views about the gen
cral, NJ. Arthur Meyer, the director of the
monarchlst GaulOis, for instance saw
things all coulter de noir. NJ. Laurent, the
director of the Opportunist and Paris, on
the contrary, saw everything coulter de rose.
General Bouanger," said NJ. Meyer, like all
generals
DREAMS OF MILITARY GLORY.
The role of minister of war is to prepare
for eventual war. The role of the president
and his ministers is to preserve peace. You
need only go back to General Boulangers
debut into public life and reflect on the un-
favorable comments elected in Germany by
his rise to power, to see that Bismarck con-
sidered the views attributed to him
as a threat to the peace of Europe.
Jules Ferry's dream was German alliance.
Bouanger and his friends, unless | am much
mistaken, have very different idea Why
you say" continued Meyer, "'are the royal
lists afraid of Boulanger?' They are not
afraid. The general is creation of cir
cumStances; an artificial growth; an out
come of the public dislike for distractions.
People were tired of crying 'Nive quel que
chosep and they were glad to cry 'Vive quel
que unp For the moment they shout 'Nive
BoulangerH ere long they may shout 'Vivc
lie roiv
GENERAL BoULANGER IS LUCKY
lie was lucky at Chlmpigny, lucky in his
quarrel with NJ. Cambon, the Tunisan resi-
dent; lucky in having Cemencean for a
| friend, lucky in having expelled the princess,
lucky in having fine black horse to prance
about at reviews, lucky even in having had
pistol which missed fire. 1t remains to be
seen whether luck will, in his case, serve in
lieu of genius. Until now the authors of
pronuuclamentos have had their own or
| their ancestors victories to excuse them.
| Are we degcnerated enough to let the glories
| of q race-course replace the glories of the
| battlefield? Who knows? The royalists
should, | think, rejoice to see a dssolving
element like Boulanger introduced into the
republican ranks. Certainly there is
NO NEED TO FEAR ELM.
| Whether the general could execute coup
| d'etat with such success in the face of Gen
| eral Saussier, the governor of Paris. and of
| Paris itself, 1 cannot say. lie comes at a
| psychological moment. 1t has often been
| said that the head of a state cannot make a
coup d'etat with the help of the minister of
war. Perhaps the minister of war has less
need of the head of the state for the same
| purpose. Five hundred men would have
su lliced
TO OVERTHROW THE REPUBLIC
on the day of Lsngson. The defeat became
known hero and Jules Ferry fell. | don't
know more of the general than the public
knows, but am inclined to believe him am
bilious, and know that when he was in
command in Tunis he intrigued to get the
command in Tonqun."
"Do take Boulanger seriOusy?" said Mr..
Edwards, the young edltor-in-chief of Le-
| Matin, who was next interviewed. mo, |
don't. | believe he is n humbug, a circus-rid-
ing general. don't believe he aSpres to a
dictatorship. don't believe any of the wild
schemes attributed to him, least of all that he
has any intention to plunge into war with
Germany. | am surprised that you trouble
| your heads about him on the other side of the
| Atlantic
HE Is RRAVE ENOUGH,
but he is only another General Favre-good
| at ordinary changes, a regulation cut of the
soldiers whlskers and Suppressing or re-
introducing drums into the army. Yet he
| has managed to become better known than
| any minister of war we have had since 1870.
| We dearly love glitter, but don't think that
! Paris would stand a dictatorship now,
though Gambetta might have become director
once if 50 minded. Yes, BOulanger is a
pleasant man, understand though | don't
know him personally. But he has changed
I,i.
onel at Besancon under the Due d'Anmale,
for instance, he was always the first officer to
appear at mass, and passed for something of
a conservative. Now the royalists are
POSITIVELY AFRAID OF HIM.
He is their bogy. For my own part, L take
| him to be mere sens ltion."
Mr.. Charles Laurent the director of lie
Paris, and long the intimate friend of Gam
beta. spoke differently OF the general. II
have been rather hard on him myself" said
he, lat times, especially in commenting on
that Lausser affair the other day, but be-
lieve he is a good republican, little too juve-
nile, perhaps, a little too ostentatiOus, but in
capable of the thing imputed to him.
THERE is NO DANGER OFF WAR,
no danger of coup d'etat, 1t is only natur-
al that the royallsts should attack him. How
could they praise him after he had expelled
|
in his character. lie may be TOO demonstra-
lively republican, but at all events he is
thorough"
A prominent republican journalist whom
l saw soon after took n much gloomer view,
First begging me not TO mention his name he
said, My sincere conviction is that we are
fast moving toward dictatorship. We shall
have to thank the faults of the republic for
it, when it does come, and come ii must.
could not say such a thing in my own paper,
for am republican; but repeat
THE ISSUE Is INEVITABLE
in some form other may be as dictator, may
be as president BOulanger is the man.
The other night at the opening OF the circle
militaire, l was standing in the crowd
among a number of workingmen, when
overheard one make the significant remark (:
"Tiens VOLTA un souyerain CONNIE il nous
en- faudrait un." The sovereign referred 10
was BOulanger. Why should not one OF the
princes have a chance? you ask. The