The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-02-18
Waldeck- Rousseau Has Declined Portfolio,
and Freycinet As Yet Has Done Nothing
Beyond Giving an Indefinite Promise.
Russia Proposes to Teach the Afghansa a
Needed Lesson in the Art of War.
King Milan Thinks His Friends Are Conspiring
Against Him-Important Points in Vic
toria's Coming Speech-Cable Notes.
N. Meline Experiences Difficulty in His Ell
fort to Form Ministry.

N. Meline Experiences Difficulty in His Ef-
fort to Form a Ministry.
PARIS, Feb I'm. Meline is experience
ing considerable embarrassment in his eff
forts to construct Cabinet. NJ. Waldeck-
Rousseau has refused to accept portfolio,
and NJ. DeFreycinet has only indefinitely
promised to accept the ministry of Foreign
Affairs. M. Rouvier has agreed to take the
ministry Of the Interior, and Senator
Ernest Boulanger is mentioned as Minister
of Finance.
The only positive adhesions which NJ.
-Meline has received are those of M. Rou-
vier, for the Ministry of the Interior; NJ.
Perrier, for the Ministry of Education, and
NJ. Doutresme, for the Ministry Of Public
Works or Commerce. 1t is hoped that
General Billot viii take the war portfolio,
and NJ. Ribot some other, but both Oppor-
tunists and Radicals are refusing to join in
anticipation of short life for the new Cabi-
net.
A Radical manifesto has been finally
agreed to and issued. 1t is mainly devoted
to denunciation of General Boulanger, who,
it says, did not hesitate to oppose his own
programme of revision in order to over
throw the Republican Ministry. The man.
ifestO then says that the Boulangists are
not afraid to paralyZe business and menSoe
the success of the exhibition by placing
their hatred of the Republicans, which is
their highest ambition, above the interests
OF the country.
All Hope Centers in Carnot-Boulanger Can
Win Only by Force.
London Special to Pittsburg Dispatch.
President CarnOt has consulted various
prominent men, but it is not yet known to
whom he will confide the task of whipping
up men to battle with the caprice of dis
satisfied France. Deputy Bourgeois, in re-
ply to telegram, wires me that Meline,
the actual President of the Chamber Of
Deputies, is most apt to be selected for the
task. He is q mild man, and not very
strong-scarcely the timber, one would
think, to bear the strain that Frances
Minister must be prepared to meet. He is
patient, however, has excited no especial
antagonisms during his term of Office. and
may do as well as another to fill the un-
comfortable gap.
The chief hope of the French just now is
in President Carnot. who likes to be Pres-
dent, has sensible ideas about things, means
tn keep on in the Elysee, and has not the
faintest notion of giving over his very COM
Portable berth to General Boulanger or any
one else. He may be relied upon to go on
forming ministries as long as they are
needed. No possible charge can be brought
against him. The Deputies and Senators
are not apt tOwillingly dissolve themselves,
do but wait for general election to come
and pray that it may find the French people
in sufficiently insane mood to elect him
everywhere.
Ministries may fall. but Boulanger has
little chance of climbing to power as long
| as he acts legally. If he takes to doing the
other thing he will have to act very sud
| denly and successfully, for there are French
men quite as able as he who have the army
behind them, and are only waiting for a
| chance to show France what a dead, brave
| general would be like Boulanger's prrl-
dent conduct shows that he is aware of this
| fact.
French political events, like most others
fact, and one which should be soundly pom.
| dered by those inclined to magnify Bou.
| langers share in Floquet's fall, is that il
was not BOulangist nor any enemy of the
| republic who knocked down the Ministry
but a wildly republican Radical, the
Comte D'Ouville Maillefeu, and what is
more comical still, is that the country man.
aged to defeat the government by opposing
the revision of the constitution scheme
| the only leg on which Boulangerism stood
| and which the government In self-defenSe
| had tried to make their own hobby
French matters are going to be very much
mixed, andministries may follow eachothel
as closely as the row of ghostly kings that
so tired Macbeth, but this time the Paris
mob has not things its own way. 1t has nc
arms, it hasn't defenseless government tG
deal with, and, instead of a strong man, i,
has selected a remarkably weak one, with
his hair plastered down ON his temples tc
be its leader, and hence the Paris mob and
| Boulanger will probably have to Gait more
or less patiently and watch CarnOt perform
| for some tune to come.