The times., 1899-09-10
MADAeAscAR's IRON RULER.
Traits of General GaIIieni. Who
Humbied RanavaIona III.
(From the New York Sun \

men Of France has Just returned 10 his ma
tive land for rest and reeuperation after
some years of very arduous and responsible
service. He is General Gallieni who went
TO Madagascar in the fall of 1896 10 take
charge OF that country after the great ISL
and had been betrayed by the cowardice
and incapacity of the Hovas into the hands
OF the French with scarcely drop Of blood
shed by the natives for their queen and in
dependenc. When Gailieni reached the eapi-
tai he was proclaimed as resident general.
but II was not long before he signed himself
Governor General of Madagascar, and from
that day to this he has ruled the island with
a rod OF iron. There is no doubt who is the
ruler. from end 10 end, of the fourth largest
island in the world. 1t is Gallieni. France
has simply ratified his policy and his deeds.
He has been the terror of all who raised
their feeble hands or voices in opposition to
the new regime.
The character of the man is indicated by
his official intercourse and meeting with
the Queen of Madagascar. He had arrived
| N the country just about year after the
| French army entered the capital. After
that time things had gone at skies and sew
ems and an insurrectionary spirit and then
revolt had made great headway among the
Hovas. On February 26, 1891 he sent word
to the Queen that the resident general de-
sired to see her at a certain hour on the
following day at his Office He believed
that the men who were fomenting rebel
lion were making tool Of the sovereign,
| and he had a most important announce
ment to make to her.
Ranavalona III returned answer that the
Queen of Madagascar gave audiences only
at the palace, where she would receive the
| resident general. In an hour she received
peremptory order from General GaIlieni
to appear at his Office at the appointed
time and when the time came she was
there. AS she entered the room Gallieni
] arose.
Madame" he said. as I am the repre-
sentative here of the power and dignity of
| the French republic, whose colony NADIA
gascar is, 1t is fitting that you remain
| standing to hear the message l have for
you"
General Gallieni then resumed his seat,
and the Queen, for the first time in her life
| standing on an official occasion, listened
to the fateful words that abolished forever
the throne of Madagascar. The resident
| general told her of his proofs that she was
| in secret alliance with the traitors who
were plotting to overthrow the power OF
| France, and for this she was from that
hour deposed from the throne and would be
| exiled from the island.
| The poor Queen bore the ordeal brayely,
| showing then, as she had shown before.
that she had courage and stamina, quail
| ties that were lacking in her pusillanimous
| counselors, who had boasted so loudly of
their prowess and invincibility before the
French army came, only to flee from the
| capital as fast as their legs could carry
them when the crucial moment came. leav-
| ing the Queen TO the mercy of the victors.
She simply asked General Galleni that she
might be permitted to live on the island Of
Reunion, and he granted her request. The
next day she went to her future nome.
In the proclamation which General Gal
lieni issued to the people on the evening
OF his interview with the Queen he told
them of her downfall Royalty has be-
come useless in Imerina," he said. For
FIVE months you have seen me at work
have shown you the meaning of the words:
| Madagascar a French colony They sig
Nifty that henceforth France is the sole
sovereign in Madagascar. and that she does
not intend to share this sovereignty with
anyone. France is the sole mistress in this
island To the Malagasy who labor in
peace and are faithful and obedient sub
jects of France shall never cease to give
proofs of my good will. To the others, TO
the rebels, the mutinous, of whatever rank,
l shall untiringly mete out the seyerest
chastisement, and our soldiers will hunt
them down to their lairs. | have done.
Heed my words. You know that what
say that will do
He has kept his word in all respects to
the letter His name has been terror
to all who sought, by refuge in the forests
or in other ways, 10 escape allegiance to
France He has ruled the Hoyas justly,
but with a rod of iron. Some OF his acts
have made him extremely popular among
the other tribes. He abolished slavery, and
declared that henceforth slaves were the
equals of their former masters. ''You Bet
siIeos." he said to the people of this tribe
when he visited their country and 40 600 of
them gathered to hear his words. have |
seen that if France is strong she is gem
erous and kind to her subjects. Scarcely !
year ago your people furnished numer /
Gus slaves TO the Hoyas, Sakalavas. and !
other tribes. These slaves have been freed !
and returned to their families, who thought !
them lost forever. Everywhere on my I
journey | have been surrounded by them |
pressing round me to express their grati- |
tude."
There is no doubt that Gallieni has done |
wonders, and, as a whole. the people OF /
Madagascar adore him, even the Hovas |
though he has treated many of their lead |
ers with much severity. His soldiers have /
been among his missionaries. He sent !
them out among the people whose homes /
were ruined in the revolt and made them
help rebuild their houses and teach French |
to the natives. His taxation system weighs
equally upon all, and this has made him I
more popular tnan anything else, IOr the /
former tax extortions bore heavily upon /
the people. He has established numerous |
schools, and the French language is the /
first thing they must teach. Early and late /
he insists that the people must learn |
French. you are always Betsileos," he |
said on one occasion, but you are also |
French and you must learn the French Ian |
guage and dress in clothes of French ma |
terials of worldwide renown for their quail /
ity" And with all his laws and his severe /
interference in everything that in the (
slightest opposes the policy and purposes of |
France. he lets the people elect their -rvn
chiefs and they have a large measure of /
self government. and are free TO exercise |
their own religion.
France and her glory and the good of the |
natives are the inspiration of Gallieni's /
acts, and there are some determinations
against which the representatives of foreign |
nations have complained. But the governor
general is a most faithful promoter of his
country's interests. and there are few ad-
ministrators of colonies in any part of the
world who have the genius for that busi-
ness which GalIieni has shown in his gov
ernment of Madagascar
A COUNT IN TRAMP'S GUISE.