Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-01-16
Big SENSATION IN PARIS.
NJ. CAstMIR- -pERiER UNEXPECTEDLY
RESIGNS MS Mon OFFICE.
Notwithstanding Urgent Appeals to forgo
This Course lie Persists In It Much
Pcrpicxity In Paris az to
the Outcome.

Paris, Jan. I5.-1t was announced this
evening that VI. Casimr-rerler president
of the French republic. had resigned Office.
During the evening he conferred with
the president Of the senate and then sum-
moncd NJ. Guerin, minister of Justice; NJ.
I.eyques. minister of public instruction:
NJ Poncarre, minister of finance. and the
prefect OF the Seine.
NJ Leyques had long conversation with
Perler. the result of which is not known.
A second official note was issued at II
O'Clock tonight announcing the resgna-
tion Of the president, and forecasting the
ldeas he Intends to develop in his fare
well address to the chamber OF deputies.
rhe note says that in the eyes of the pres
ident. yesterdays sitting of the chamber
and the vote which overthrew the cabinet
were only secondary incidents of the struG-
gle which is proceeding against the par
llamentary regime and public liberties.
NJ Caslmir- -Perler had hoped the president
OF the republic who IL deprived of means
of action. would have been exempted from
party attacks and the especial confidence
of the Republicans would have accorded
him power and authority. He has also
hoped those who, despite himself had
placed him fin a position where he was
unable to defend himself would have un-
dertaken the defense of the first magis-
trate. Continuing, the note says the pres
dent has requested the ministers to tenn
porarily withdraw their designations Ill
order to facilitate the necessary changes,
Prime Minister Dupuy impaired Pres
ident Caslmir- Perier's decision to the pres
idents of the senate and chamber OF depu-
ties. who will forthwith call urgency sit
tings of those bodies.
The greatest perplexity reigns in all po
litical circles.
During the afternoon 1t had been re-
marked, not without surprise in the lobhies
of the Palas Bourbon, that the crisis was
not following the customary course. but
appeared to be assuming graver aspect
than usual.
When the facts became known, conster-
nation, amounting almost to stupor, seized
everyone. There had been ominous hints
In the press in the recent days that NJ.
Casimir-Perier was growing tired of his
position. yet nobody paid attention to them
The high character experience. firmness
and integrity of the president inspired the
confidence of even the advanced Republic
ans.
The long conference which NJ. Caslmir-
Perier had with NJ. Callemet-Lacour,p pres
ident of the senate. is now explained. He
had already resolved to resign. NJ. Calle-
met-Lacour employed his utmost eloquence
in vain endeavor to persuade the presi-
dent to reconsider his decision and quilted
the palace of the Elysee under a sense of
deep distress All the members of the cab
met from Prime Minister Dupuy down fol-
lowed Callemet-LIacour and exhausted
every argument to induce Casimir- -Perier
not to resign. Dupuy again visited the
palace of the Elysee later in the evening
and was closeted with the president for
forty-five minutes urging every possible
inducement and appealing to every patriot
ic sentiment in order n rat i'm, tn
his determination. All was without avail.
After him came NJ Spuller, whose elo-
quence, it will be remembered, overcame
on a former occasion, NJ. Casimir-Perier' 3
scruples to accepting the position of prime
minister. All the president would con-
cede to these appeals was to delay the
publication of his intentions until to-
night. AS Dupuy and Spuller were leav-
ing the palace of the Elysee together
they met in the corridors the presidents $
mother who is so years old. They begged
her to entreat her son to remain in office
and she promised she would do her ut
most. The interview between mother and
son was very affecting. Nevertheless, at
8 o'clock Casmlr-Perier sent short let
ter to Dupuy, informing him that his
decision was irrevocable, and begging him
to notify the presidents of the senate and
chamber of deputies and TO announce the
fact of the Journal Ofiiciel. Dupuy ac-
cepted the task thus imposed upon him.
Mr.. Carnot, finds himself again confronted
with the transmission of powers involv-
ing difficulties of every description. aris-
ing from the unexpected position OF af-
fairs. He seemed to be completely over
whelmed with the sense of his RESPONSE
bilities, but speedily recovered and with
the energy, GOODNESS and foresight that he
displayed on the occasion of the assassi-
nation OF NJ. Carnot proceeded to take
the measures which the situation de-
manded.
After interviews of the prefect Of the
Seine and the prefect of the police with
NJ. Casimlr-Perer. they received from Du-
puy instructions to be followed during the
crisis. Following is the text of the ar
ticles of the constitution relating to tho
change in the presidency:
Article 1.-The president of the republic
is elected by an absolute majority OF the
suffrages of the senate and chamber of
deputies met in national assembly. He is
appointed for seven years and is eligible
for reelection"
Article provides that in case of va
cation Of the Office through death or any
other cause the national assembly shall
proceed forw1th to elect a president In
the interval the council of ministers is in
vested with executive power. The national
assembly being merely an electoral col
lege. all discussion therein Is prihibited
The report of the resignation of the
president became generally known at II
o'clock, but was universally discredited
and a general movement was made to-
wards the newspaper offices with view to
learning the truth. Very soon the papers
exhibited lantern transparencles of the Of
ficial note. Even then many persons re-
fused to believe that the event was posi-
tive.
Finally they became convinced tina. tho
president had really retired, and assem-
bled in groups discussing the chances of
those who would be named to succeed,