The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-13
SLINGS OF MALICE.
President CarnOt Again
AsSaiIed.
AN ATTACK WITHOUT SENSE.
Driven to Desperation, the Enemies
of the Republic Seek to Pull
Down Its Chief.
Special TO TIE MORNING CALL

New YoRK, Jan. 12.-Smalley cabled to
the Tribune tonight from Paris: You are
likely TO hear something during the next
few days Of fresh attack on the President
Of the French Republic. II has been said
already that an attempt would be made 70
connect him with Bahut When the sug-
gestion was first offered it was in one or
two of the least reputable of the papers of
Paris. The decent public secuted it as
preposterous. The royalists would have
none Of 1t. Scandal-mongers found it an
Improbable scandal, and it seemed to die
q natural death. Now it crops up again as
one more proof of the desperate straits to
which the enemies of the republic are re-
duced. But who are its enemies? 1t was
IN a reaeti0nary journal that this contempt
ible scandal was started, and Ii was the
journals Of tue gutter which took it up
They were not very formidable, albeit two
of them have pandeTed so skillfully 10 pas
sion for scandal as to TO raise their crula-
ton to enormous figures, one to quarter
of a million.
But to-day the note is different The at
tack comes from another quarter. The
radicals have fastened On it and seem dis
posed to make it their own. Discredited.
discontenIed, defeated, they turn upon the
President They have always been rule
or-Tuln party. To rule they have never at
tanned. They have had representatives in
various Cabinets. Sometimes they have
had Prime Ministers, though never one
thoroughly identified with the extreme sec
tion. They have had Goblet and they have
had De Freycinet. They have had FIoQuet
IS President of the Chamber. in which they
number about ninety. In neither Of those
ministries, nor even 10 the Chamber. have
they had a majority or an efficient control
Of affairs Tney never got hold of the
machine. They were never strong enough
TO compel Carnot 10 offer the presidency OF
the Council to their real chief, Ciemenceau.
Such mischief rs they have been able to DO
they have done by eabals and coalitions in
the Chamber.
The hour has now struck for cabals and
coalitions on the outside. for campaign IN
the streets OF in the sewers 1t Is the radi-
Gals who snatch at the calumny the reac-
tionaries had dropped. They wish TO add
to the Panama crisis, and they summon, as
usual. the worse enemies Of the republic to
their side.
Get rid Of the radicalsp cries radical
organ. You viii soon see whether they
are to be get rid Of"
The echo comes from another. more radi-
cal still: "Maneuver Us out of Office We
will show you what viii come Of that"
And leading royalist sheet remarks glee-
fully, "Carnot cannot long resist the new
assault" The friends of the two victims
Of Tuesday say to all comers that, while
neither Freyciust nor FlOquet Will openly
attack the President, they will do nothing
to restrain those Of their political associates
who may think it their duty to upset Car
not. Such 2 movement will have their
sympathies II not thei. active help.
Those concerned in it begin cautiously.
They print document or two. They give
the hint Paris utters the first word. The
journals Of the provinces profit by the hint,
reprint the documents and to il add few
words OF their own. Paris alone might not
suffice. Csrnot's popularity in the PROVINCES
is immense. He has the confidence of the
people of France. 1t must be undermined
If he is to be oYerthrOWn.
Never, perhaps, did a political intrigue or
personal attack on a great officer of the
state or the chief magistrate Of great re-
public rest on so slight foundation. 1t is
so slight that in ordinary times it would not
support the most casual calumny. But these
are not ordinary times. aud it is believed by
some men that something can be made out
Of the Baihut incident.
Let US look at the Baihut incident again,
then. The story can be retold In half
dozen lines: Charles de Lesseps, whose
testimony is evidently believed by the pros
ecUtion to be true. declared In court on
Tuesday that 10 1856 Baihut, then Minister
of Public Works, asked him for Loco. goo
francs as the price Of his support Of the
bill for the Panama lottery loan. He paid
Baihut $4,000 francs. The rest was
not paid, because the bill was
not passed. De Lesseps made no
mention Of Carnops name. bat in
1886 Freycnet was Prime Minister.
Baihut was Minister OF Works in the Frey
cinet Cabinet, and Caraot was Minister Of
Finance. The bill brought in by Baihut
was backed, to use au English phrase, by
Ssrrien, Minister of the Interior, and by
Carnot, Minister Of Finance. Therefore,
say the authors of the present onslaught
upon the President, the presumption is that
the money paid by De Lesseps to Baihut
was divided by him with Sarrien and Car
not, whether for their owa benefit or for
the secret funds Of their respective depart
ment Is not stated. or evidence 10 support
this charge there is at present none. II is
not known or alleged that Baihut accused
Carnot Of being his aceomplee.
Tie appearance Of Carnofs name on the
back Of the Panama bill Is a Iormality.
he, as Minister Of Finance, would be con-
suited about financial proposition of such
impoTtancs as the Panama loan. 1t may
be assumed that he approved Of it. You are
then asked to assume further that be ap-
proved Bahut's demand to be brbed by
De Lesseps. The sober-minded public win
think 1t time enough to consider that ques-
zion when some evidence is produced. The
present appeal is to those who prefer to act
without evidence, without even a shadow
Of reasonable presumption, against every
probability, and in the presence Of a char
acter Of which honesty is the foundation
stone. We shall soon see what success at
tends campaign OF this sort.
There is better feeling to-day about the
new Ministry. and & more general belief
that no serious attack on it in the Chamber
need be expected at once. The radicals
are more or less demoralized by the paralysis
OF their leader. They do not yet know
whether ElOquet is ready to follow Clenen-
cean's line, 10 attack whenever lie sees
chance, nor whether Clemeneeau Is pre-
pared to see Foquet step into lis shoes, nor
what sort of reception the late president of
the Chamber might meet with II he did.