New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-26
BoULANGER's CAMPAIGN.
SOME FEATURES OF WHAT THE FRENCH
CALL SERIOUS POLITICS
rur Rrpusn1o I'M DANGER BECAUSE OF IT'S OWN
WEAKNESS CAMPAIGN OF FOSTERS
FORECASTS OF THE REsuLT-ezNERAL
pou1ANGER's PROGRAMME


wr4KNrss-A CAMPAIGN OF FOSTERS
roREcAsrs OF THE RESULT
po1n,ANGERs PROGRAMME
ray CABLE 10 The rxIBuNE.l
<,...rsahf, 1889. By The Neac York Tribune.
p.r;a Ian 25-The election which occurs On
Sunday is supposed to be trial of strength be-
srrser the Republic and General Boulanger We
heard much in London of the electoral excitement
;r Paris and Judge that you have heard much
also. There is excitement There is anxiety.
Something depends on the result of Sundays vete.
Some evidences of public interest are visible
enough Yet New-York politician who judged
by appearances only would be likely 70 think ne
could give the Parisians points. The puone
demonstrations are not impressive There are no
mass-meetings, no torchlght PROFESSIONS, no flags,
no brass bands and the streets are no fuller than
last week The exubersnce of the French mind
displays itself in placsrds and in placards only.
Never before in political history were SO many
hills posted nor of so many colorS Paris is COW
cred with more than all the hues of the rainbow
Nothing is sacred the brush Of the bill-poster-
not public buildings, not statues not churches net
even theatres The Grand Opera itself, which is
perhaps to Parisans of to-day the central building
of the world, is brilliant with red. yellow and
blue. Neither candidate has q color 10 himself
General Bonlanger has no red bandanna, nor can
NJ jacques signify his devotion to the Republic by
flying the National dag Both appeal to the
electors of the Seine in coats of all colors
If you turn to the press, the difference between
New-York and Paris is hardly less marked
The style of election appeals varies in the hun
dred or more daily papers of the French capital.
but none of them give themselves up 10 politics
as an American journal does in similar CRISIS.
The latest Joke of the boulevard is printed IN
bigger type than the latest lampoon on the
.bosale candidate. There are few reports OF
speeches, few letters. no interviews. Yesterdays
receptson at the Academy, when Admiral Juren
de IA Graviere took possession of his fauteulL
is the most conspicuous article in many oil 10
days leading papers. The Debats' devotes
twelve columns to the Academy and about three
10 the election. Feuilletons, theatrical gossip
racing news and social items Eli quite as much
space as usual in most papers There is not
much serious discussion, perhaps because there
are not many serious journals. There is little
sheet published here claiming some connection
with your neighbor The Herald,7 mostly filed
with gossip which tries 10 take itself seriously
II discourses on the election, opposes General
Boulanger, and advocates the introduction OF
shorthorns into France with equal energy Some
of the ablest French papers are neutral; yet
the Republic is in danger. cry Republicans. How
can anybody be neutral2 He who Is not for
us is against US.
Well, the Republic is no doubt in some danger,
but not primarily from General Boulanger, nor
from his possible success in this election. IL is
the weakness of Others which makes General
BoulaEger formidable. All the trumpets he and
his friends are blowing would not shake the walls
of the republican Jericho II the walls were not
ricketY and it the garrison inside were = COED
garrison. Unhappily there is no Republican party
In France There are Republican parties, but
these parties or factions hate each other more than
they hate the common enemy They have two
able leaders, NM. Ferry and Clemenceau, each
with his hands the others throat M. Carnot
has been President a year, and has proved himself
capable CT being respectable fgurehead, nothing
more. NJ Floquet, from whom something was
bopsd as Prime Minister, has done no act by
which the Republic is stronger; nothing to unite
Republicans in support of the Ministry or Of the
Republc The Legislature whose end approaches
is. by common consent an impossible Legislature.
It. contains no stable majority, and inspires neither
confidence nor respect.
France cries aloud to be governed. and there
is nobody to govern her. General Boulanger
offers himself He does not say he will govern
but be promises to turn out the present Ministry,
who cannot govern, TO dissolve the Legislature
and to summon Constituent Assembly TO revise
the Constitution. A Constituent Assembly means
Simply Il RdCOUti OoIlNchuOiAs anu eSH~A~A W.
fusion. That is his programme There is no evil
denoe that he can carry it out He Is not strong
man. lie is an accident 1 never yet have met
ANYBODY who thought General Boulanger had in
him the stuff of a dictator, even of a eonstitu-
tsonaI leader. He has behind him the Bona
partisfs the Oreanists and an unavowed coalition
OF people who call themselves Conservatives, be-
cause they are for destroying existing institutions
His Is the party OF the disappointed. the discon-
tented, the discredited He prettnds tc be Re
publican. and represents nothing bnt hatred to
the Republic lie is thought dangerous, because
be has not yet been laughed into obscurity.
Bonapartists back him as a Bonapsrtist Orlean-
lists tell you he is Orleanist at heart The com
pany of political adventures by whom ne is sur
rounded and supported announce him as the Man
on Horseback, which is indeed his chief title TO
populqr favor. He can keep his seat on tame
charger IL you believe these last, General Bout
LANCER is somehow TO make a clean sweep OF
President, Ministry, Legislature, and the Repub-
lie ITSELF He is TO come into power by some short
coup d'etst anl rascaldom is to hold another
carnival as in 1851 and the following years OF
the Third Empire. No man has yet explained how
this ii 10 be done. There are in France two
known ways Of eiecting revolution The army
can make revolution and the mob OF Paris can
make revolution. The man who wishes, in
Napolconis phrase, TO save society, can save IL
IL Re has the army behind him il he has Paris
with him. General Bouianger has neither. Not
a regiment would follow him, not elector OF
Paris would rise at his call There is no eyi.
dence whatever that the Republic is in danger
from violence or from General Boulanger's leader
shin. be the result of Sundays election what IL
may. II General BouIanger win, it will strengthen
him for the struggle TO be made in his name at
the general election. If beaten, he win not be
beaten out Of The field
Opinions ss TO the result are. as usual, divided
Perhaps none Of them is worth much The whole
Department will poll about 100000 votes OF
these, not more than 100000 are properly Con-
servative, and General Boulsnger must therefore
draw more than another 1000 from the Re
nnhlicar ranIra fo win II ie not clear how he Is