The state chronicle., 1892-12-21
A WAR or W0pDS.
a CHRISTS HAS NOW BEEN
REACHED.
in THE INVESTIGATION.
I'm the Lower House the Deb,te ree.
suits I'm Al Quarrel, In-ui,s tsei,,g
Freely Given on all >Ides-.hnl-
leuges For Dueis in Conse-
0ueuep

PARIS, Dec 20 M. Flouqutt. presi
dent Of the chamber of deputies. an
nounced to the house TO iav that he bad
received an application for authority to
prosecute NJ Rouvier, ex minister of
tnance; NJ. jules Roche, ex minister of
commerce; Emanu,l Areue, member for
y fsica; Antonin Proust, member for
Deuex Scvrcs; Baron Jean deSoubevan.
member for Lnudon, ard ,seph Feu
de de Laoue Faucaune'i member for
Orne. This letter. NJ FL uquet said.
was from the y. ocutrer general. 1t stat, d
that the application vas made on the
ground that the examining magistrate
of the Panama canal case had received
many cneck stubs in which appeared the
initials Of deputies and that com mpromis
ing evidence against the individuals in
question had been laid before the parlia-
mentary investigation commission es
pecially as to the part they took in the
lottery issue. The application could nat
be granted without the consent Of the
house, as the deputies Under the law
were exempt from certain legal proceed
ings. The chamber DECIDED that the
standing committees should meet and
consider the application. The sitting
was then adj jrurned.
| In the nate Nj lcRoyer, the pres
dent, stated tint be had received q de
| mand for the prosecution of Senators
Renault, Albert Grevy. Beial, Thevenot
ana Deves for the part they had taken
In the affairs Of the canal company the
matter was referred, as in the lower
chamber, to the standing committee. 10
the senate and the lower chamber special
committs es were elected TO consider ap
plicstions of tie procurrur general and
botn were understood to favor the prose
cution of ex Minister Rouver.
NJ. Rouvier appeared before the stand
ing committee, of which he is a member.
in his own defence He was glad, he
said, Of an opp 'rtunity 0 explain his
position. There was nothing in the docu
ments seized to prove that he had ever
received check from anybody in the
interest Of the Panama canal company
He had served the state in high off &c for
several years and he had always deemed
it his duty TO preserve silence as regards
certain facts. The accusati ms made
against his honor and integrity had
relieved him Of such obligation, and be
would now speak ut IN the chamber
without reserve.
Before the chamber resumed business
this statement had gone abroad anG
caused intense excitement in the lobbics
NJ Rouvier was expected to refute in de
TAIL the Clemence2 ~ charge as TO the cal
at B tron de Rriuach house on the even
luc hufpr. - fat .r'S 1a..h anI
: statement of La Libre Parole that his in
itias we're on the stvb Of one of tn
- There checks The gnl,eries wer
! packed. Deputies who had int, led t.
a absent themselves from the sitting hur
) ried ba 10 the chamber. \ t a d ze
g seats in tie whole house were vacant
The report Of the pecal committee, req
N by Chairman Mil, ran and favored th
granting Of the application for autho.it
d TO prosecute, but in the intense auxiet
70 Of the moment it was hardl. notlc,d 4
waited lmp4titnty for the explanation
II Of the accused members.
q Deputy Arene, charged by Andreul
late prefect Of pol ce, with rtuption i
: connection with the loan Of 1888, was II
4 first one to protest his innocence. Il
n made merely general denial.
?, As NJ. Rouvler ascended the speak {,
y tribune, every deputy leaned forward
=, au attitude of close attention, and
r first words of his defense were delivere
h amid oppressive stiffness. After reminC
le ingt chamber Of bis long public Sc
ie vices, his hitherto xceptiouable r
n cord, and the obligatlC rs to fhci
Q, secrecy which had previously closed h
Il mouth, he made an emphatic general Il
DIal that he had accepted checks frol
the Panama caual company or the
U agents or had bad any dlscredItablc Col
necticn Of any sort with the company's a
IT terprise Present circumstances had rehe
r. ed his tongue Of the gag imposed up
d 1t by ministerial duty and he "
i re4dy to tell the whole truth. When
e came into power, he fouai that II
n -ecret service fund WAS entirely mad
U qlate for the demands OF the republ'
~ AS. in order to govern, well, he and n
!, colee CUES must have The money whiC
as the secret service fund lacked, he hs
r. recourse to his personal friends for su
~ = fcient money to tide over the Temporal
difficulty.
The confusion grew steadily in t
= chamber as the equities became co
II vinced that NJ Rouvier was evading {
al issue. Loud murmurs of protest greet
re his first statement as to the secret servi
y, fund, and when he suggested that 7
Il, suspicious checks were contributions
IL, his personal friends to the support of
ha government there was an outbreak
u howls and derisive laughter.
, e Raising his voice 50 as to be hea
lp, above the uproars, NJ Rouvier shou,e
"a What did, all public men have dor
et Had | not adopted that course, the u
ss now iuterrupting me would not be scat
ell on these benches"
Ize Bedlam broke loose the moment
words were uttered Deputies rose a
DIS shouted back to the speaker, and 9th
shouted for the names Of the frien'
BY NJ. Rouvier made three at empts to
~, heard, but his voice was inaudib
J., After the demonstration had spent its
an he continued:
ne 81 am perfectly readv to go before g
q tribunal. ! have nothing to fear.
eetS' never derived the slightest benefit fr
Jas the Panama canal company. l never
,ng Tended its interest 1 challenge inv
ct tigation
eet This provoked another hostile dem
ma | StratlOn. men Oruer nau Deen FtstO
Gu the report Of the special committee
: OF favor of the prosecution was adopted
Nj. Paul de Roulde then asked W
action the disciplinary council OF
Legion of Honor had decided to t.
- against DR.. Cornelius Herr. ~
man." NJ: de houlde said, ''is not tc
left with the insignia Of the Legion
his possession, although | grant he /
nk- m )st important man to the state, for
and truly holds the reins Of the govtrnmei
ink NJ. deRoulde paused for several m
.,ts lnts ules while the Right cheered this to
nt q and the Left tried to drown the cb
ory, with shouted protests. Then he
Incee ceeded, with perfect coolness, to NAL
AID moe, v;rnl, nt M ersonal attack upon
CIemenceau. s'whose relations to
J. Herr" he said, ''are too well know
Is. ro.d l.t.;l.d IeGcrintiOn - Amid