The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-14

stand in the Assize Court. delayed the at
tack which the BouianRists and royaIlsts
were ready to make upon the government.
Nobody, however. left the Chamber All
sat patient and expectant. awaiting the
coming of the fallen Minister from the
court room. Eventually NJ. Bourgeois en-
tered the Chamber. and. amid intense
SILENCE. took his seat at q consider
able distance from the mlnisterial bench.
The business on hand was speedily
finished, and Armand Despres, Republican
Deputy for the Seine, made the intefpola-
tion, OF which he bad already given notice,
concerning the governmental knowledge or
M. SoInoury's interview with NJ. Cottu.
The testimony gwen by Nine. Cottu. ne
SAID. had shaken the whole Republican
party. 1t indicated that things had been
concealed which should not have hap
pened, or. If they had happened. should
have been brought TO light at once by those
in power. The enemies of the Republican
party had found IN NJ. Cottu's timon
nm excuse for accusing the government or
smothering the investigation or the rama
ma scandal when possible and when not
possible of utilizing it for political pnr-
poses. The necessity Of q frank statement
was apparent TO all. Had or had not the
government instructed n Soinoury IS To
his course with NJ. Cottuf
NJ. Cavaignac. Republican Deputy Tor the
Sarthe. was received with cheers as he en-
tered the Speakers tribune. he dehned
briefly the peculiar position into which the
ROVeTumeDt lau D6en OEOuknt W nooIi
Cottu's testimony and exhorted the Min
listers. as they valued the prosperity OF the
republic. to speak out fearlessly the whole
truth. If the charges made by Madame
Cottu were true. he said. the sooner the
truth was told the better. for the POSSIBLE
atty of such things as those related on Satur-
day IN the Court of AssiZes would betray q
state of affairs too abOminable to be en-
dured.
When NJ. Bourgeois. pale. although self
Possessed, walked to the speakers tn
bune. the hush of expectancy was almost
painful. He began huskIly. but. quickly
clearing ehis throat, shouted: "Ihose
charges are absolutely false. L have been
before the court and have answered every
thing. | now have the right TO hold up my
head. There is nobody to galnsay II"
After the applause and cheers subsidized. III:
Bourgeois repeated much OF the statement
which he had just made In court
RIBoT CAUSES AN UPRoAR.
NJ. Ribot said that NJ. Bourgeois had vim
dioated his own honor. He, himself, would
now vindicate the honor of tia govern
ment. The story told by Madame Cottu,
he said, when not false, was distorted. NJ.
Loubet had told the Premier that NJ.
S%oinoury had been requested by an inter.
mediary to grant an interview TO Madame
Cottu. M. Soinoury had understood that
Madame Cottu wished merely to ask that
Biz tnlkDb 10 niAOWO0 w oOO "
nj. Loubet had authorized NJ. Soin0ury TO
receive her. supposiDg she had no other
business in view than arranging to visit NJ.
Cottu. Recently Madame Cottu had re-
Quested that she be allowed TO have an In
terview with the project of police. Was
this another subterfuge2 Did this woman
wish 10 lay q trap for the prefeot aisod :,
A storm of protestatiOns of shame and
royalists rendered ~inaudible the Premier's
next words. The BOulangist Deputy. Nal
levoye. shaking his fist at NJ. Ribot. shout
ed, lis that French honorf l refuse to
listen to such calumnies against a woman.
Your language Is q disgrace to the French
tribune. Shame yourself" During the ap-
plause and cheers following this outbreak
several other B~oulaDglsts rose. and. point"
ing at the Premier, called upon him to take
back his words.
NJ. Ribot waited patiently until the dis
order passed, and then said he felt satisfied
that the government had been remiss In no
duty. Perhaps, if the government had not
lent itself to so many compromises 1t now
would not have so many N 1t had
devoted itself earnestly and honestly to
the best interests of the republic. which
was now being assailed. The republican
institutions in France. and the men who
would not see the disruption OF the great
state which had been twenty years in ma
turing. ought TO rally In all loyalty TO the
Ministry support.
lie Provost de Lunay, Deputy for the
COtes-Du-Nord, said that despite the gov
ernment's readiness with professions and
declarations. 1t apparently had no desire
TO throw light upon the Panama scandal.
There was an effort to dismiss the matter
with as little exposure and as few convic-
tions as possible. The French people were
witnessing q travesty of justice at q time
when the whole power of the law should be
invoked by the government to punish i'm
partially all who were guilty, whether
high or low. [Cheers.l NJ. Cavanac agreed
with lie Provost de Lunay that the govern
ment was not dealing frankly with the
people. There was something constantly
In progress behind the scenes. The
government had shown weakness. If moth
ing worse. at n time when it ought to have
acted with Impartiality. and energy. Ii
was high time for the Ministry to stop pre-
tending and TO prove it's energy by going to
the bottom of the scandal, clearing 1t ny
and thus ending the spectacle which was
bringing disgrace to the republic. This
spectacle had lasted long enough. and ii
was the governments duty to cease temper
icing and strike at it's roots.
Pourquerby dc BoisseriD. amid repeated
Interruptions from the Right, said that
Mime. Cottu's statement was undoubtedly
part of a plot against the government.
Gustave RIvet. Republican Deputy.
moved that the Chamber, In the determine
zion TO let Justice take its course and bring
of the Ministry.
This motion was accepted by NJ. Ribot
and was passed by O vote of 2J7 to 22S.