Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-03
ROUVIER'S POLITICAL DODGE.
Instructing Treasury Officials How
to Work the Election.
SOME AMERICAN PERSONALS.
gbe Present Finance Minister of
France Csntrasted With sadi Car
not-The Pullman Family
Calais New Port.
The Dn,y of omoeholders.

tCOplrigh 1859 bu James Gordon Bennat.l
PARis, Juno 2-TNew York Herald Cable
Special to THE BEE. I'M. Rouvier has
addressed to the officials OF the finance de-
partment a circular that has been the cause
of several controversies in the press. The
minister reminded his subordinates that they
must not be satisfied with the more perform
nnce Of their professional duties, but they
are bound above and beyond that to use their
influence in the cause of the government,
and assist the projects by every means in
their power.
These instructions evidently meant that,
during the coming ELECTORAL campaign, treas
urers, general tax collectors, and other OIL
cials OF the finance department are expected
TO do their utmost to procure the return of
candidates favored by the government
However rare may be the elections in
which a certain amount of pressure has not
been exercised upon the voters by the admin
istration, the spectacle Of minister publicly
giving instructions of such formal charac-
ter to his subordinates and partcu-
larly to those whose functions are for
eign to politics is, to say the least,
unusual. The government of the "Sixth of
May" furnished an analogous instance of
scandal in ITS attempt to capture the whole
TepuDllCdH pdIty, ny urging pho SedVo puiOiuio
TO throw themselves, heart and soul, into
the ELECTORAL struggle; Marshal MacMahon
even issued a proclamation calculated to en-
cou.age the tmid among them by guarantee
ing that whatever might be the result Of the
election they would be safe from the ven
geance Of their political opponents. These
efforts were useless to prevent the re-elec-
tion Of 343 republicans. Marshal Mac Mahon
20, to oh off, I'd nd
the functionares who had stood In with him
were vigorously weeded out of government
Offices.
II Is probable that the intervention of the
civil service department at the forthcoming
election would not meet with any bettr sue
cess, and in any case It is to be expected that
IT'S members will endeavor to not expose
themselves to q similar danger.
The opposition has already darkly limited
Of what may happen in case they obtain
majority in October next. The system of
official candidatnres is so opposed to the spirit
of the liberal constitution that what was not
practicable under every former government
was practicable under the empire, and even
worked successfully, for civil servants
were then able to act as ELECTORAL
agents without the risk of being assured of
protection against the consequences of their
action by the government. Now the case is
very different The contest lies between the
diverse republican parties, and the opposi
tion of to-day may become the government
of tomorrow. Government officials, conse-
quently, fight shy of the risk of compro-
missing their career by rasbly taking sides in
the ELECTORAL lists.
LIE Soliel contrasts Rouvier's circular
with that issued by Sadi Carnot, in
August 1885, when he was minister
OF finance. Carnot'S express advice
TO the officials of the department was to the
effect that they should stand completely
aside from ELECTORAL contest and should not,
by their attitude, give any reason to suppose
that the government officials patronized any
one candidate more than another. That, in
O word. they should observe strict neutrality.
These instrucuons were Numerically op..
posed to these now given by Rouvier, and it
Is difficult to see how the officials of the
finance department will be able to satisfy
both the president Of the republic and his
ministry
Mrs. John A. Logan is now on her way
back to America. Since last October she has
been travelling through Germany, Austria,
Italy and France, accompanied by Miss
Florence Pullman and Miss Harriet Pull.
man, daughters of Mr.. George NJ Pullman,
head of the Pullman Palace Car company.
Mr.. and Mrs. Pullman, after stay of five
days this side of the Atlantic, sailed for
America last Wednesday,, taking their
youngest daugter with them. The elder,
Miss Florence, will return with Mrs Logan
three or four weeks hence.
The population Of Calais must be doubled
for the fetes. To-morrow's celebration COM
mences with President Carnot's arrival, at
Din the morning and goes without intcrmis-
sion far into the night. If the weather re-
mans as perfect as it has been to-day, but
only just II shade less scorching, nothing
would be wanting to make the opening of
Calais port one of the events of the season.