The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-19
EMILY CRAwFoRD's REVIEW.
Pen Picture of the New President
More Democratic than Faure.


| gives the impression of remote Latin origin,
and looks to be a solid, practical man who
sees the facts of life just as they are AS
president of the Senate he has had official
and other experience that will be useful to
him as President of the republic but he is
| essentially plain, middle class man, whose
mind was sharpened by his practice at the
| bar in the provincial town of Montelmar,
in the south of France. He is there most
popular, and every one at Montelmar
counts himself a personal friend of Loubet
who, as mayor, county councillor, deputy
and senator, always acted as the servant of
the public Obliging TO his neighbors, he
was as accessible as General Grant or
Lincoln was. and not less unpretending.
NJ Loubets thick-set figure, massive and
somewhat Roman, though homely head, in
dtcates a steady, sturdy character, who can
nail his colors to the mast, but only fights
when there is good occasion. He belonged
under the empire to the Republican party,
then calling itself Liberal. In 1870 he threw
himself into the national defense current
and stood by Gambetta. He was elected
county councillor in 1871, then mayor, and in
1876 was sent to the Chamber of Deputies
where he sat between NM. Henri and Mar
tin, the historian Accepting Thierss lead
Grevy his political heir and TO reconcile
Gambetta with both, he seemed to bide his
time and in no hurry to push forward.
MacMahon's government gave him promi-
nence in dismissng him from the mayoralty
of Montelimar in 1877, thus exasperating the
Drome Republicans. NJ. Loubet, at the legis-
lative elections in 1877, was triumphantly re-
turned. His subsequent candidatures were
not opposed, and in 1885 he was returned by
Drome as senator. In all these years he
was a useful deputy, chiefly working in the
committees and speaking little. lie was
the intimate friend of Senator Carnot and
of Tirard, and in 1883 the latter appointed
him minister of public works, In which ca
pacity he carried out a scheme to convey
the sewage of Paris into the ST. Germaine
forest.
INNOCENT OF PANAMAISM
President Sade Carnot asked Loubet in
1892 to form Cabinet, but it fell under the
weight of the Panama scandal, in which
some members, albeit not Loubet, were i'm
plicated. This administration was marked
by the mission of Admiral Gervaiss squad
ron to Cronstadt and the visit of the court
of Russia to the flagship Magenta. NJ Lou
bet was personally innocent of Panamaism,
but, like NM. Carnot and Brisson, he
thought the sheltering of the accused expe-
dent. He had never since filled other Office
save the presidency of the Senate, to which
he was first elected in 1896. He belonged to
NJ. CarnOts innermost circle, and his wife
was Nine. Carnot's best friend.
The President is thoroughly domestic and
dislikes snowy society. He likes to spend
his time at home and is a great reader. He
is strong in financial questions. For many
he I'm m f3af nd
dined off white oil cloth instead of a
table cloth. His hands. figuratively speak
ing, are clean, but his beard and clothes are
untidy, thus contrasting with the late
President
NJ Loubet for having formerly, when
premier sent Jointly with the foreign sec
retary, NJ. RibOt, Admiral Gervais to Cron-
stadt, is persona grata to Russia For three
years as speaker in the Senate he lived in
the palace of the Petit Luxembourg, in
much the same style as the President lives
in Washington.
He returned to Paris from Versailles this
afternoon by train. He is the first President
who has done so. He ordered an open car
riage and pair to await him at the station
instead of a carriage and four. He was
well received by tremendous crowds. He
arrived by daylight and had an escort of
cuirassers The entire absence of haughti-
ness in his demeanor was favorably re-
marked. M. Loubet paid a visit to Nine.
Faure on his way home and saluted the
corpse of NJ. Faure Loubet is the right
man in the right place.
THE GREAT ISSUE.
The Importance of to-days presidential
election for the welfare Of the French re-
| public and the prestige of France abroad
faI
was whether the law should be paramount
or an irresponsible league-the league of the
French fatherland in the hands of clerical.
monarchical and military agitators. Never
was a more monstrous conspiracy engi-
| neered to pervert a whole nations sense of
+ Justice in order TO perpetrate the greatest
| miscarriage of law of the century and shield
a few felons from the consequences of
crime The more sensible part of France
feels, after NJ. Loubets election, that a
great weight has been taken off their con-
science and hopes that new leaf will be
turned over the worst page of modern
French history.
NJ CIemenceau wrote yesterday that it
was necessary that the new President
| should be a man not connected with the
| Dreyfus affair. lie, therefore, would sup
port NJ. Loubet. Fairness, this, but the Ma
| tionalists do not want fairness. They want
| Dreyfus, guilty or innocent. to remain per-
| petually on DEVILS island 1t was enough
that NJ. Clemenceau supported Loubet. The
Nationalsts declared that the latter should
not be President, or they would make Paris
too hot for honest people TO live in. But
suppose Loubet were elected by q large
majority, would they set their will above
| Congress? Yes, they were quite frank. 1t
was to be expected that De Beaurepaire,
that mailman and story-teller, would rake
UP some falsehood against Loubet. Sure
enough he published this morning Pan
ANA story against Loubet If possible, more
empty than his charges against the Court of
Cassation He showed how little he, him.
self, believed in his own tittle-tattle by ad-
mitting that he doubted not Loubets up
rlghtness, adding in a peculiar, dishonest
way insinuations against NJ. Loubet too
fatuous for contradiction. The Libre Parole
branded him this morning Panama
Drevfusite candidate" having the effrontery
10 remark that he was supported as such
by Reinach Zadac, Kahn, Chief Rabbi of
France. and by Dreyfus himself The Ma
tonalist organs are forced to admit that not
a word or deed of NJ. Loubet can be con-
neeted with Dreyfusism