Omaha daily bee., 1888-02-19
A MAD PREMIER.
The Head of the French Cabinet Flies
or the Handle.

On the H0nUIe.
tCopwt0ht 1888 bu James Gordon Bennctt.l
PARIS, Feb. 1s.--lNew York Herald Gable
Special to the BEE. THE parks and
suburbs Of Paris have been wonder and
Joy during the past week, each twig and
bough glistening white and purple bent be-
meath its load Of snow. But to-day the scene
changed. In place Of the soft feathery flakes
came sleet and rain. All the roads, streets
and sidewalks are filed with cafe au lait
like slush. The trees and lamp posts and
projecting balconies go drip, drip, dripping.
Walking had become burden and nuisance
and outdoor Paris had relapsed into moist
misery, the only redeeming features of which
are the delicious revelations Of dainty feet
and lace emerging from beneath fur pelisse
show themselves as the Partisan beauties
leap from the broughams with gazelle-lilxe
bounds in quest of the inevitable shopping.
The vagaries of the weather have had
and his colleagues. They are nervous, irri-
table, excited--ready to take offense at trifles
and fly off at a tangent on the slightest prov
ocation. The premier, to be sure, had
thought better Of his intention to retire from
Office, but few hours later fresh worries in
the chamber set him to fretting and fuming.
This time it was the .proposal of M. Sans
Leroy that committee Of twenty-five
should be appointed to consider whether the
privilege which the Bank of France enjoys
of issuing bank notes should be prolonged or
not, which ruffied the premiers temper.
No sooner had M. Sans Leroy descended
than M. Tirard bounded into the tribune, lit
orally swelling with indignation. "Neverw
he exclaimed, "never has a more utter con-
fusion of authority been seen than now. The
government alone possesses the right of
arranging these contracts. The chamber may
criticise, or, at pinch, reject them; that is
the limit of its power. If it is not content
with that, it must have the constitution
altered"
This vigorous sortie told, M. Leroy slightly
| modified the terms of his motion. A vote
was taken on the question Of urgency and by
large majority the offending proposal was
| rejected.
M. Tirard cooled down, only, however, to
flare up again the next moment when an
other irreverent member, M. de Helisz, got
up amid hubbub Of excitement to intro
duce little bill prohibiting ministers in the
exercise of their functions from standing by
at elections and further forbidding them to
present themselves as candidates during the
six months following their withdrawal from
Office. The shaft was, Of course, aimed at
M. Flourens, who has managed to raise a
perfect hornets nest about his ears by his
stumping exploit in the Hautes Alpes this
week. 1t was SO easy not to go on the stump,
| too.
They say that M. De Freyinet is the NOV
ing spirit in the little intrigue directed
against the minister of foreign affairs.
The Wilson trial exctes very little interest
Everybody is tired to death of Wilson and
the decoration scandals. The revelations of
the trial, in spite of Wilson's reiterated as
sertion that "l never sold a cross" looks bad
for the ex-dauphn of the republic, and it is
| quite certain that he will be condemned.