New-York tribune., 1901-03-10
PARIS.
SUCCESSES OF THE MINISTRY OVER THE
OPPOSITION.
LOSS TO FRENCH COMMERCE THROUGH
sTRIKES-A POPULAR NEW OPERA.

Copyright: 1901: BY The New-York Tribune)
IBY TO THE TRIBUNEl
Paris March 9.-The Chamber Of Deputies, by
a series Of night sessions. is striving hard 10
make up for the time lost in futile discussions
and in delays owing to influenza There have
been violent attacks upon the Cabinet, which,
however have been repulsed at every point; the
waldeck- Rousseau -Millerand Ministry is now
stronger than ever before. The government has
so skilfully conducted the debates on the dis
Qualification of Deroulede and Habert that Ma
tionaIsm is now practically killed. Derouledes
erotesque efforts TO advertise himself by his
opera bouffe telegrams and antics in regard 10
his Impending duel with NJ. Buffet. the rep
resentative of the Duke Of Orleans. show that
his greatest ambition is TO keep himself well in
view. Politically he is a drowning man, and
the waters Of Oblivion are already closing over
his head. The Ministry has also scored vic
tory on the Associations bill, and Clause No. II
was adopted by 50S votes against Al. This
clause bears directly upoa foreign stock COM
panies doing business in France, and provides
that associations composed mainly of foreign
ers. those having foreign directors or their
chief Offices in a foreign country, and those
whose proceedings may be of a nature likely to
influence IN a misleading manner normal condi-
tons OF the money market the price Of mer-
chandise, TO be a 10 the internal or
external security Of the State may be dissolved
by a Presidential decree given at a Cabinet coun-
ell The Ministry has also trimnphed over the op-
position orators in regard TO the strikes. 1t ap-
pears that in 1900 there We're Ss4 strikes in
France whereas the average for the previous
ten years was only 42l. The opposition tried
20 hold the Ministry responsible for this. but NJ.
MiIerand convinced the Chamber that il was
a mistake make the Ministry responsible for
he ont Of q
nomic situation.
Meanwhile, the indications are that the pres
ent strike of dock laborers at MarseiIles will
cause irreparable loss 10 France, because COM
merce is already being diverted from that port
10 Genoa. Barcelona and Trieste. After Paris
Marseilles is the most important port Of France
and the receipts at its custom house average in
ordinary times $4,000 day; but for the last
few days these receipts have fallen TO only $3.50
and will soon, if the strikes continue. be only
500 day Statistics show that between Feb
ruary 2s and March of last year 100000
kiogrammes Of grain brought into Mar
selles; since the present strike the imports Of
grain have been zero, and there is another zero
for fruit, Of which the amount last year
IlS3.9Io kilos Rice is also marked zero. instead
of 1,6s65S5 kios; silk stock stood last year at
100000 kilos. but since the strike entry has
been made in the customs house accounts, while
almonds and nuts which last year set
down at 332,517 kilos. are now represented by
zero This portends the ruin Of Marseilles as a
commercial city, and the Italian and Spanish
ports and Trieste gaining what Marseilles
loses
Hercules is first favorite the Paris stage
this season; he presented in entirely new
and diverse aspects at the Theatre Francais in
"Akestis," at the Opera in "Astarte" and on
Thursday evening Les Travaux d'Hercule" en
opera bouffe in three acts by De Caillavet and
Robert de Flers. with music by Claude Ter
rasse, was produced at the Theatre des Bouffes
Parisiens. The son Of Jupiter is this time por-
trayed as a bombAstic fraud, a sort Of mytho-
logical Falstaff. who gets a reputation for ex-
ploits that somebody else has performed, that
somebody being Augeas. After La Belle
Helene" and "Orphee aux Enters" which so
brilliantly opened the gates OF irreverence
toward Grecian antiquity, il seems as If nothing
remained 10 be CLEANED in the same field
Nevertheless, the authors os Les Travaux
Hercule" have succeeded in writing a viva
cious, amusing farce, which was enthusiastically
applauGed. The labors of Hercules are accom-
phshed with striking originality and modernism