The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-31
The Political situation In France.

Although the Waldeck- Rousseau Cabi-
it last week, the majority on which it rests
is neither homogeneous nor trustworthy,
and may collapse at any hour. What post
PONIES the downfall Of the present Premier
is the doubt whether his opponents, among
whom NJ. NELrNE Is the chief, could con
struct a durable Ministry without dissolv-
ing the Chamber Of Deputies, and plunging
the country into the political excitement
attending a general election. An appeal to
the voters would be unwelcome at this
time, not only tO the Parisians, but to all
Frenchmpn who are interested In the Expo
sition. the opening " which Ia now not dis
tant. Aware of this fact President LorBET
has probably allowed it to he known that he
will not request the Sanatc's nss mt to a
dissolution until the Exposition Is over.
There ia still another reason for leaving
the present Minister'S in Office. The Paris
ians thoroughly understand that, should
the Prince Of Wales refuse to recognize the
Exposition on the ground that his royal
mother has been brutally insulted In GER
tain Paris newspapers, the number OF
English people who would visit the French
capital during the summer would be sig
nallv reduced and the Exposition might
prove a failure from n %pecuniary point Of
view. n there Is any French politician who
has shown that he possesses the gilt OF
conciliating British public opinion, it is
NJ. DELCAssE, the present head Of the
French Foreign ONCE. He even man
aged to explain away the bestowal Of a
decoration upon the man who caricatured
Queen VICTORIA. and, after that proof Of
adroitness, he can be- relied upon, no doubt,
to persuade the Prince to perform the
| official part assigned to England's repre-
sentative in connection with the Worlds
Fair. Then again, there ia a widespread
belief that N. DELcAssE is the one Minis
ter who could induce the Gar and Emperor
WILLIAM to visit Paris this summer. The
commercial value Of such a visit is recog-
| nized, and a diplomatist whoi h viewed with
favor both in Berlin and 81 Petersburg ought
not to be removed from the Foreign Office
at this time.
When the autumn comes, however, and
the hotel keepers and shopkeepers Of Paris
shall have made their harvest, the Wal
deck.Roussesu Cabinet will fall It will
then have lasted more than a year, a dura-
| ton which seemed incredible at the time OF
its construction. There have been many
homogeneous Ministries under the Third
| Republic, but the acme OF i%ncongruity was
reached when two Socialists became COL
leagues OF the Marquis DE GALLTFFKT, who
was the most ruthless opponent Of the
| Paris Commune. Not only. moreover, has
tho presence Of Socialists and OF advanced
Radicals been productive OF discord within
| the Cabinet, but u. WALDBCK- ROUSSEAU has
found 1t impossible to satisfy the demands
Of the extreme left wing Of his supporters
without alternating tho great body of
Moderates, who, outside Of Paris, Marseilles
and a few other large cities, constitute the
majority Of the genuine Republican cleo
tors. Especially by two of the recent
measures aimed against the Catholic
Church has the Premier estranged many Of
the men who have been stanch upbolders
" the present Parliamentary regime, but
who are convinced shat the fight against
clrricalism has been carried far enough.
One of these measures is the Education
bill, which, IA We pointed out not long ago,
aims to annihilate the schools managed by
the teaching religious orders: this result
II proposes to attain by ~forbidding the
bestowal Of any Government Office UPON a
citizen unable to produce a certificate Of
graduation from the State educational insti.
tutions. The second proceeding, which to
many sincere friends Of the present Repub-
lie seems i'll advised, is the attempt to pun
ish certain members OF the French Episco-
pate for their u~nfsvorable comments ON the