New-York tribune., 1899-03-05
NJ. EUGENE FALLIERFS.
THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH
SENATE.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

Sir: The man who has been elected against
NJ. Constans TO succeed NJ Loubct President
Of the French Senate illustrates once more the
fact that 10 secure the high offices IN our poll
tics the important thing is not 10 be a man Of
great prominence and strong features. but to
belong to that middle class OF plain. honest and
/ somewhat colorless politicians who arouse no
passionate feelings neither among their friends
nor among their foes and who by their good
temper know how TO conciliate them all. The
President OF the Senate being himself arbter,
rather than the chief of any party. it was only
fair to prefer to NJ. Constans, whose very name
is, in France an apple Of dlscord, the modest
and almost obscure NJ Fallieres. Of whose ex-
istence many people perhaps were yesterday not
aware since he has for seven eight years
almost disappeared from the political stage.
The case Of VI. Fallieres is a very queer one.
believe that ne Is. with NJ. de Freycinet, the
living politician who has the most often been
Minister. and still | do not think that there IS
a man Of his political record who Is less known
among the people AT large. Nevertheless ne Is
one Of the most remarkable figures Of that type
Of politicians To which belongs NJ. Loubet. who
have not at the very front of the field OF bat
tie. but only within the second line. performed
good service to the French Republic. Like Lou
bet like Tirard and ike Dupuy, who came later
FaIliAres has been one Of the foremost among
those so-caIled utilities. to whom the Presidents
Of the Republic or the Prime Minister'S were
nrone 70 appeal when they needed nen to sue
ceed the former Ministers whom either unpopu-
laritv or political scandal had worn out ana
made unavailable.
SERVICE UNDER CARNOT.
vbon Carnot became President Of the republic
the first Prime Minister he thought OF was Fal-
Heres. and he asked him to form CABINET IN
which the latter failed to succeed. Neverths-
Lose no bocame a member OF three Cabinets
under Carnots Presidency. That would he
e,ouqb 70 show what kind OF a man ne Is. But
his whole career shows 1t as We'll. Whhe MS
fret chief Jules Ferry was unable to be chosen
as Prime Minister for fear OF the aninosity OF
his foes Fallieres who belonged to ferry
whole Ministry. and was genuine opportuhlst
was looked upon as an excellent choice' "nlcn
nobodv could fairly resent From lSSo 70 1893
he has been eight times member OF the OoN-
ernment He has been once Prime Minister ana
Minister Of Foreign Affairs 0SS3 twice MINIS
,or % Puhlic Instruction 0ss3 and 1880, twice
Minister Of Justice dss7 and 1S92), and three
times he has occupied the Ministry OF the III
terror, in 1880 1850 and 1857.
It seems that such man cannot be but
ability since he was the lieutenant OF statesmen
like Ferry. De Freycinet and Rouvier. and since
he has been appointed TO many different
offices As a matter - fact Fal!iere is one OF
the most distinguished, modest and useful ser
wants OF the French Republic. Equal To every
task he has been very prominent in no one
He never coveted the duties and responsibilities
Of government. but never did he shrink from
I'm
make serious blunders.
Like Loubet ne belongs TO the generation
which entered public life in the Chamber Of
1876 He. too had been trained to politics in a
provincial city, in which he was first elected
Mayor. prior to being elected Deputy. He. too,
comes from a little southern town. Nerac in the
/ centre OF Gascogne and began to win fame and
glory as member Of the bar OF that rather un-
known locality. When in Paris, the lawyer OF
Nerac soon became Ike the lawyer Of Monteh-
mar a Deputy OF prominence, and when he for
the first time took the floor he proved TO be
practised and even eloquent speaker. or course,
he belonged. ike most Of the Ministers OF the
future republic. to the party OF Ferry and Gam
BETA Ferry. who knew how to choose his Min
istcrs took him into his first Ministry az Secre-
tary of the Interior. and later. in his long Min
istry OF two years. he intrusted to him the Min
istry Of Public Instruction. which he first had
taken for himself
HIS DISTINGUISHING QUALITIES.
What marked Fallieres out for the burden Of
power and what has quickly given to him a
real influence and authority in his party were
both the sorndness Of his judgment and his
reputation as a steadfast and hardworking Dep
MY He was known to spend all his time in
the library ~ the Palais Bourbon and TO take
unite reriously his duty Of legislator and so he
was able 10 take by turns whatever task was
assigned to him. Justice, Interior or Public In
struction.
As Minister his name is not attached TO any
important act or law Still he displayed more
than once under the somewhat cloudy ana dls-
.urbed circumstances Of his frequent MINIS
tries an energy which did not seem very natu-
raj in a man OF his temper. once he had 70
deal with the revolutionary Counsel Municipal
~ Paris and he boldly faced the fury or ulIO
rather dangerous body in vetoing one or us
decisions At another time he had TO resist al
most a revolt OF the Bishops and to support
80 tho Parliament against both the Cleri-
Gals and Anti -Clercals the pohcy OF the oP-
,ortunist marty. which is to keep the priests
,,inding their own business and 10 prevent
,ho,r tresnassing on the political ground This
roucv which is the soundest and the only one
,.o,sil.a under the circumstances is not very
- ., ,,racttse since the two extreme parties
are always tearing one another. NJ. fa''ere7'
-, ia not an Anti-Clcrical-one Of his COUSINS
"a, ,.o, a tishOr-showed that he had decldeu
- bo,., the clergy respect and obey the laws
. che s,ata But 10 many Of the Republicans
uho are somewhat intolerant on religious mt
= no aid not seem energetic enough ana go
- r-os thrown down by both reactionaries' "h"
,.,od hin, too radical. and members OF 'he
&c, Who accused him Of being too moderate.
After his last Ministry he went back 10 the
.,,or. ne has remained for seven years
keeping almost silent and hardly taking @ .ne
~ ,r..r, be was among many other former