New-York tribune., 1899-11-16

such an outra eeous attack on equality anu III
dividual freedom. But neither the chieI ol .ne
present Ministry who is a broadminded man,
nor the majority OF Parliament are PREPARE ~
accept such a bill, What they VIII do' hoMese';
is in the first place. to regulate the exlstehSe W
associations which under the mask Of religions
like the Assomptonlsts Of the "Crox, poison
public opinion and vlfy the Republic ana, IL
the second place they will favor the appoln'-
ment TO office In the State OF candidates VINO
have been brought UP In the schools ana COZ,
eges OF the Republic and can be relied upon
not TO betray the Constitution whenever time
OF crisis or Of turmoil comes to pass II,
Many liberal and stalwart Republicans VII, VIII
regret, no doubt, that the Government snoulu
have, after the experiment OF the past years
to resort to such measures, which SAVIOR OF po-
ltical revenge But the responsibility OF 'nls
renewal Of anti-Clerlcalism will rest with the
Clericals themselves, who have broken the
armistice of many years duration between
Church and State who have encouraged eltner
by their completely or their silence, the pohtl-
cal opposition Of the Catholics, and nave SHOWN
once more that they have. like their ancestors
of the first restoration, learned nothing ana
forgotten everything.
WHAT WILL THE CHAMBER DO?
Now what will be the attitude Of the Chamber
toward Ministry which shows itself to have
kept its pledge to defend the Republic, winch
has closed the Dreyfus case as well as possible,
under the circumstances, and, moreover, seems
willing now to go forward and enter new
career OF social reform IL the Republican party
is willing to support it?
Already the Waldeck-R Rousseau Ministry has
| met In the different parts of the country, among
| Republicans Of all shades of opinions. with the
most enthusiastic support. Day after day po-
| litical associations OF the provinces, many Com
| mon Councils of large cities, and over nfty
! "conseils generaux' which voice the feeling OF
| fifty departments have sent addresses or con-
| graduation encouraging the Ministry to keep
| on the policy Of defence against both Cesar
| ism and Clericasm.
| he pag 1faf1 NnFaf6 10 hn y
| Senate, there is no room for doubt. The Senate
| has always been in times Of trouble the best
bulwark Of the Republic. The Chamber. on the
| contrary, Is the unknown quantity. 1t reflects
the heterogeneous political situation Of the coun-
| try as well as the changing, mercurial and Of
ten ncoherent temper Of the people Some fig
ures will show the possibilities OF working
majority for the present Government.
The Chamber is composed Of 5S1 representa-
tives. divided into five parties. each party being
in turn divided into several others. These five
| parties the Moderate Republicans. called
also Progressists. the Radicals, the Socialists,
the Monarchists and the Nationalsts. The Pro-
gressists namely, the party to which belong
! such men as Meline, Ribot and NJ. Waldeck-
| Rousseau himself number in the Chamber
about $50; the Radicals comprising all kinds Of
| radicalism from the mild radcalism Of NJ Leon
| Bourgeois to the rabid radcalism of such men
as Camille Pelletan, number between 200 and
210. The Socialists, as party founded on the
| colectivist platform sharply outlined, are eX-
| actly 46, and Merand. before becoming Min
| lister. was their leader. Then comes the So
|
outspoken Monarchists like Cassagnac or
Beaudry dAsson. and half Of rallies" who are
supposed to have accepted the Constitution, all
| together reckon about 104 Finally the Nation
alists. anti-SemieS and other "cranks" are - in
| number.
no TRUSTWORTHY MAJORITY.
1t is easy to see that none of these different
parties taken alone. affords a majority which
any government can rely upon. Ministry will
ing to live must seek its support either among
the most moderate Of the Conservatives or
among the less rabid Radicals. The former
policy was that of NJ. Mene and he was over
thrown; the latter was that of NJ. Brisson and
! he likewise upset.
The question arises whether the Ministry OF
| Waldeck- Rousseau will find in the Republican
party as il has been remOdelled after the recent
! events three hundred Deputies willing TO carry
out the new policy which the Government has
| outlined. and which, If not satisfactory TO all.
| is at least a compromise which might seem sut-
ficient to the soundest among them. TWO parties
| long ago made up their minds in that respect,
| the so-called Conservative party-Bonapartists,
| Royalists and rallies. united once nlore-wlll
| oppose government which has pardoned Drey-
fus and tried, with caution that many nave
deemed too timid, to re-establish discipline In the
| army and punish all attempts against the repub-
| lie They refuse to acknowledge that they have
dishonored their cause in Identifying 1t with
that of the anti-Semite and Nationalist rabbe.
| They have pledged themselves to Esterhazy
after having ten years ago, cast their lot with
Boulanger And now, headed by the rare
Drained young fool who is the successor OF the
| Kings of France, they claim 10 represent all
conservative principles and to stand by the
Church and by the army Their platform, eX-
! pressed by Denys Cochin. one of the most re-
spectacle among them is now ito overthrow the
Ministry at anV cost" The twenty-five anti
Semites and Nationasts will be with them in
that atternpt but their fate Is sealed already,
and il will take all the liberalism and the cour-
age Of the moderate Republicans to protect
them against the wrath and the reprsals OF the
Republican extremists.
THE PROGREssIST PARTY.
The doubt lies with the Progressist party
which the last two years have broken UP. on
one side is NJ Meline. become the mouNpiece
Of those Republicans and Conservatives who
had during the last crisis. neither the fore
sight the courage to do their full duty
Through stubbornness and vanity they have
stuck to their first attitude. when they claimed
that there was no such thing as a Dreyfus af-
! fair. And now they oppose Waldeck- Rousseau
! because they resent his bold policy Of justice
! and OF energy. and because they lOath tC
accept such aggressive Socialist as Nj. Mil
lerand in Republican Ministry. How numer-
Gus they are further events Will tell But
already there is another camp in that same
party, headed by some younger Ministers, such
as Bauthou, Poincare, Jonrart. and some ole
statesmen, Rouvier. who have sacrificed theil
dislike OF Millerand for the sake of a strong
Republican party. They long ago warned the
Conservatives against their foolish strategy
and have pointed to the reprsals which are now
to visit them. Vi. Jonnart. the former Minister
OF Casimir- Perier. has already expressed him
self on that point; they will try to oppose too
strong anti-clerical campaign. But they will
also support a government which has faced
with so much courage all the responsibility
thrown upon It.
AS to the Radicals and the greater part OF tn
Socialists. the question is not whether they vii
give the Waldeck- Rousseau Ministry their sup
port. but how long they will give II. They ar
the most restless and noisy part of the Republi
can party Many Of them are more noted 70
the enthusiasm OF their Republican feelings thai
for the soberness Of their judgment. They ar
the successors Of the revolutionary Jacobins
and no bill is too strong in their estimation
when II Is intended to check both clercalism AM
A