Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-20
SOCIALISM AT ITS HEIGHT,
And in France a Time-Serying Min
iStry Is Tottering.
A SCENE OF DRAMATIC INTEREST.
Most Exciting Daily Sessions of the Chamber
Of Deputies,
A NASTERLY PLEA FOR CHRISTIANITY
rBY CABLE TO THE prsPATcH.1


masses, and not the classes, have been the
actors upon the European stage of
events the past week. An alarmist would
find something portentous in all the scenes
of the play in England. The greatest ma
tional industry is crippled by the spread of
the cotton strike, and the augmented array
Of the unemployed in London is more than
ever threatening in its demands.
In ireland, always hungry, the cry for
bread is rising 10 higher and shriller note.
In Germany, the social democracy in ma
tional convention is framing Its creed in
the peremptory language of conscious
power. In Spain rise continued murmur-
ings of popular discomfort, which found
more violent expressions few DAYS ago.
In France, time-serving Ministry, totter-
ing under the attacks of many-sided op-
position, is offering to sacrifice the coun-
try's most illustrious citizen, now bowed
down with years, as the price of its own
official salvation.
A Scene of Great Dramatic Interest
1t is the last scene which possesses the
greatest dramatic interest, and France
again commands attention as the unique
and most fascinating figure among the
worlds actors A week ago few among
French politicians believed that the present
Ministry would survive another seven days
Three great dangers threatened its i'm
mediate destruction, and it seemed more q
question whence would come the coup de
grace than of a possible escape from ALL
One peril has yet not been met. though a
second has been provided for. The sessions
Of the Chamber of Deputies where the bat
tie has been waging for the past four days,
have been among the most exciting in the
history of the republic. The press laws,
which have been the nominal subject of
contention, were scarcely mentioned during
the first two days Instead, the tribune of
the Chamber became the forum of the new
socialistic faith which has swept over the
nation.
The orators of the new religion-for such
1t is to them-must be given the credit of
most persuasive eloquence. But they are
not united; they are divided into at least
four sections, varying in their ideas from |
the miider theories of the Christian social |
lists to the reYolutionists of the Baudin |
type.
Loubet and De Mum the Orators.
The two great speeches of the debate |
were Count De Nuns plea against the |
Punishment of Christianity from the nation, |
and Prime Minister Loubet's mastery de- |
Tense of the Government De Nun is a |
Christian Socialist. Most eloquently did |
he offer the Cabinet the support of his fol- |
lowers if it would abandon its policy of |
crushing out all religion in France The |
danger of the nation, he affirmed, was the |
spread of atheism, fostered by the Govern |
ment among the masses. NJ Loubet dis |
tinctly elected De Nuns offer, declaring |
that the latter mistook religious neutrality |
for religious oppression.
Utmost disorder and excitement pre-
vailed at brief intervals throughout the |
four sessions The fate of the Cabinet
plainly wavered from hour to hour. 1t be-
came apparent, finally, that Loubet's sue
cess would depend upon seizing favorable
moment for putting his fate to the test. He
dared not, however, bring the press bill to
vote in the form in which it was offered bv
the Government Had he done so he would |
assuredly have been defeated. He made up
his mind yesterday TO submit to such modi-
fcRtions of its provisions as the majority of |
the Chamber demanded. Then, seizing q
moment when the sympathies OF the depu-
ties were with him, he moved last evening
to consider the bill by sections and in max
ing the motion gave notice that the result |
of it would be accepted as a vote of conf
dence.
One Victory, but Not IC1incher.
His majority of 100 exceeded his most
sanguine expectations, but he is by no
means safe yet. BY accepting notifications
which be made he abandons the determine
tion to stand or fall by the bill as presented
Furthermore, everybody now recognizes the
fact that in these exciting times In France |
vote of confidence is good for the day only |
There remain the Panama afair-which is
scarcely Cabinet danger-and the Swiss
commercial treaty to put before the mer-
curial chamber. The prosecution of NJ De
Lesseps and his associates is a matter of |
even greater interest than the fate of LOU
bets Cabinet 1t is going to result in the
greatest financial scandal the world has
ever seen. The vague rumors of gigantic
corruption with which the air has been
filed since the grand collapse, four years
ago, will now be exploited on the witness
stand and in parliamentary debate.
Some astounding revelations will proba-.
bly, be made on the floor of the Chamber
next week 1t is currently reported and
believed that no less than 200 members of
the National Legislature have been benei-
Charles, under various pretexts, of the Pan
anna Company. The sum spent in actual
bribing of legislators is said to have been
enormous 1t is stated that two more con-
tractors are to be Included IN the list OF
those to be prosecuted
How the Panama Swindle Was Worked.
One of the most authentic reports of the
class of affairs to be judicially investigated
Is the following. A young man Just
graduated from the Paris polytech mic
school went to Panama with a capital Of
only 500 francs. He obtained q contract
for excavating portion of the canal at so
francs per cubic metre, the total proceeds
being 5000, 900 francs. He sublet the
contract at the rate of francs per metre
The sub-contractor, in turn, got third to
take the Job at francs per metre, and he
finally hired a master of Chinese laborers to
do the work at ~ francs.
1t is such reports OF extravaganza and
vaste-to use mild terms-whch have kept
alive the bitterness of many thousand small
inv nvestors whose savings were swept away
and who still demand legal revenge.
1t would be difficult, however, to find
many who believe that the venerable old
man, De Lesseps, was guilty of personal
fraud That he was most culpable goes
without saying. Success was the. .only thing
that would have justified his methods.
which were the same as those he used in
the construction of the Suez canal That
he will have the sympathy even of his VIC