Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-10
JULES FERRY'S POOR SHOT.
The Opportunist Leader Did Not
Effect a Capture.
THE EXTREME LEFT AND RIGHT
For Once the Conservatives and Rad
icais Find Themselves on Com
mon Ground-The Fight Over
Religion and Instruction.
An Echo OF Gambctta.

TCopwioht 1889 bp James Gordon Benneu.l
Pans, June 9-TNew York Herald Cable
Special TO THE BEE. -"Between two
stools one comes to the ground" Is the vul-
gar proverb which is applicable to Jules
Ferry and the opportunist party at this mo-
ment. Ferry sought in his speech in the
chamber Thursday to satisfy both the ex-
treme left and right and offended both more
deeply than ever, De Nun and Clemenceau
being as one in rejecting the ovcrtures he
made to the respective parties.
The opportunist leader, it will be remem-
bered, concluded his speech by an appeal for
religious peace; but, as we have pointed out,
in the previous article, there was fragrant
contradiction between this appeal and the
subject matter of the first portion of his dis
course. "The opportunists," he declared at
the outset, neither regretted nor wished to
retract any part of their past policy, so far
as the education laws and religious questions
were concerned"
Now this policy was based upon the idea
conveyed in the words of Gambetta: "le
clericalism ec'est rennemie," and had for its
outcome. "Article ~ the dissolution of re-
ligious orders, laicisation of schools and hos.
pitfalls and the expurgation Of magistrates and
functionaries accused of clericalism, often on
the sole ground that they went to church
Sundays, or that their wives were asslduous
in the practice of religious duties, or that
they placed their children in schools con-
Quoted by Catholics. All this was recalled
by Comte De Nun in eloquent and forclble
language, and from it the inference is drawn
that the conservatives could not possibly
place any reliance upon Ferry's words in re-
spect to his desires for religious peace; more
particularly as the opportunists, far from
regretting the past, declared their intention
of continuing to enforce the education laws,
and the laicisation of schools and hospitals.
While the conservatives on the one hand
rejected Ferry's advances, the radicals, on
the other, protested in strong terms against
the language and attitude of the opportunist
party. According to Clemencea tho ex-
treme left is averse to making any con-
cessions in favor of religious peace, and his
followers are prepared to go to the bitter
end rather than retract one step in the line
of march they had marked out for them
selves Clemenceau dlameterically opposed
the measure and declared Cancellation out OF
question in any case.
Ferry's advances have been unfortunate
for himself and his party. He has neither
inspired the right with confidence in his pro-
fessions, nor modified the anti-religious pas
sions of the extreme left. This failure is, in
great measure, due to the fact that the po
sition of the opportunists Is both false and
equivocal; instead of taking a definite, open
stand, they have cringed to both moderates
and radicals, with the usual result, that they
have offended both The opportunists have
delivered themselves up, bound hand and
foot, into the power of the radicals, who
as usual, will reap the old rewards.