The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-04-22
CRISIS Is AT HAND
FRENCH CABINET ON THE VERGE
OF DISSOLUTION.
Attest Grapple of the French Senate With
its Enemy, French RadicaIism, in its
Struggle for Existence-HoW the Cabt-
net, Having Ignored q Broad Hint, Is
Row All But Knocked Down, and How
1t Keeps its Pips Under il Long Enough
to Leave a Champion in the Field to
Keep the War Going.

Paris, April 21-In spite Of the protest
of the premier, n. Bourgeois, the senate
| today adopted motion to postpone the
| vote on the Madagascar credits until
cabinet is formed which enjoys the
confidence of both chambers.
Subsequently the belief was expressed
in the lobbies of the palace Of Lufenm-
bourg, where the senate meets, that the
cabinet will resign tomorrow morning.
Pasis, April A.-An official statement
has been issued explaining the attitude
of the cabinet in the face of the crisis
precipitated by the senate's vote to
postpone the credits Of Madagascar.
The note says:
"The cabinet holds that in the face
of the senate's vote, 1t is impossible to
con tinue the direction of affairs. But
1t considers that it ought not to resign
in the absence of the chamber. There
fore, the chamber should be convoked
without delay to enable the ministers
to impart TO them the reason for their
decisions. M. Bourgeois has acQuaint-
ed NJ. Brisson, president OF the cham
Der of deputies, to convoke the chamber
forthwith. NJ Brisson has accordingly
telegraphed to the deputies TO meet on
Thursday at o'clock"
The news Of the resolution OF the
cabinet to convoke the chamber was
circulated early in the evening. The
chamber would not meet in the regular
order of things until May 19.
1t was 10 o'clock when NJ Bousgeois
went TO the Palais Elysee, where he
conferred half an hour with NJ. Faure,
the ministers being assembled mean
while at the foreign office awaiting his
return. Immediately upon his return
the official note was given out.
SEJNATES SHRBWDNESS.
The refusal Of the senate 10 grant
the Madagascar credits 10 the Bour-
geois' cabinet is regarded as a well-de-
vised tactical move against the cabinet
in the conflict between the two branch
es of the government, which involves
the French constitution itself. 1t was
believed that the cabinet would feel
itself driven into a corner and would be
compelled to resign, and 1t was expect
ed this would occur tomorrow. The
cabinets reply in summoning the cham
ber seems the best that could be made
to the senate's move and virtually re-
fers the conflict to the chamber, which
a vote of censure of the cabinet passed
by the senate. If the newly summoned
chamber persists in this attitude, con-
stitutional crisis would be threatened.
COUNTER-MA
It is believed that the cabinet had
been convinced for some time past that
IL must relinquish office but has been
maneuvering for advantage Of position
for its appearance before the country.
The real conflict is between the conser-
vative element in politics, represented
by the senate, and the radical and So
cialistic elements, represented in the
Bourgeois cabinet, which seek consti-
tutional changes looking to the control
of the senate itself and the doing away
with it's obstruction to the radical pro-
gram in France. The present cabinets
income tax measure is a main feature
of that program, uncompromisingly
opposed by the senate. The latter body
has adroitly evaded making an issue
with the cabinet on the income tax
measure and has apparently concluded
that the Withholding of the credits for
the governments Madagascar program,
which has proved unpopular in France,
provides a nominal ground for the con-
fiict more likely to appeal to the peo-
pie. 1t Is believed the government in
tends to provoke a vote Of confidence
by the chamber again Such a vote
would transform the senate's hostility
to the cabinet into a conflict between
the senate and the chamber and would
oblige the senate to find some mode OF
surmounting similar opposition in the
future