The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-06-01
POLICE SPIES OF FRANCE,
Almost Any Man You Meet May BE 9
Mouchard on Your Track.

Mouchard on Your Track.
After all that has been said about the
vileness of the police system under the
empire, which rendered it almost inn
possible for any one to be safe from
espionage, even in private life, it might
well be supposed that the republic had
done away with this machinery for dis
covering and weaving plots, so much
more suited to the age of Louis NJ.
than to the nineteenth century. 1t re-
mains, however, very much what it
was thirty years ago. These things do
not change in France. Governments
60 and the forms of government, and
these are succeeded by others: but the
good old abuses-they must be thought
good by some people-cling to the ship
with barnacle-lille tenacity. French
official organization is about the most
steadfast thing in the world. although
all French people to whom YOU may
speak on the subject agree that it is
very bad. 1t is almost a. difficult now
as it was under the empire to be GER
tain that man whom YOU may meet,
either in society or out of it, does not
belong to the secret police. All over
the country there are mouchards--a
term expressing something stronger
than spies. | have been inconvenienced
by them myself in the provinces. On one
occasion | made a rather long stay in a
little place where there were two
hotels in fierce rivalry. One day a
brigadier of gendarmerie came over
t,pl
to make inquiries respecting me. He
did not trouble me, but he questioned
various people as to how | passed my
time. about how much | spent a day,
what sort of meals | had, and whether
| appeared to have more money than |
knew what to do with. The fact was
was suspected of being spy in the pay
of a foreign government, As consider
bold front to be the best whenever
there is anything of this kind in the air,
| got myself driven over to the gendar-
merle, which was about eight miles off,
and there had it out with the brave
brigadier soon discovered that an in
former had been at work, and that the
informer was no other than the keeper
of the rival hotel, who for years had
been receiving pay as a member of the
secret police. Situated where he was
he must have been absolutely useless
in that capacity, but at one time he
must have done service to somebody.
1t is especially in Paris, however,
that the secret police is supposed to be
be Indispensable. Every government
wis hos g., Ia, law, wall ;,,f>,,,o1 rs 20
all that goes on in an enemy's camp.
Such information can only be obtained
from those who are willing to play the
part OF a traitor, or whose position en-
ableS them to observe what is going
forward without exciting suspicion.
They are technically termed "indica-
tors and may belong to either sex.
Mhen the Boulangist movement was
convulsing France the government had
a great advantage over its opponents
by handling of the secret fund and the
secret police. Boulanger's footsteps
were dogged everywhere. and somehow
NJ. Constants learned all that he wished
to know concerning the plans and
doings of the conspirators. An impor-
tant point in this system is to make
the indicator feel sure that whatever
happens ne will not be betrayed. The
minister of the interior. or OF Justice.
never asks the names of those by
means of whose espionage certain POI
litical information has been gathered.
The money given for dark services is
paid from hand to hand in cafes or
other non-oiiicial places by commission
aires. and the name of no auxiliary
outside of the ranks of the regular
police ever appears in a book. Is it
impossible for the government to do
without this abominable system, so
opposed to the ideal of democratic
state2 The Cottu-Soinoury scandal has
led to much discussion on this ques-
ton. For it should be borne in mind
that it was one Goliard, who is known
to have been employed as a police in
former, who was the first to sound"
Nine Cottu as to her willingness to do
political service for the government,
and it was he who brought her into
contact with NJ. Soinoury. SO long as
a government traiiics with the con-
sciences of men and offers money in
return for treachery, it is difficult to
trust anybody outside of very re-
stricted circle. boston Transcript.