The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-11-30
General .Voyron's Report Causes
Sensation in the French
Chamber of Deputies.
HARD ON THE MISSIONARIES.
Accuses Some of Them of Showing
Soldiers Where to Find Things
Worth Stealing and of
Buying the Loot.
BY ]. CORNELY.

oEElIAb BY CABLE 10 II NEW YORK
Paris. Nov. 2s.-Copyright. 1so2-)-This
week has been almost completely taken up
with an incident which would make US for
get serious matters. If 1t were not. perhaps.
destined its IL to become a serious matter.
This ID the Voyron report, written by Gem
eral Voyron. who was In command Of tho
French contingent In the International K
dit on against the CHINESE Boxers nearly
three years ago.
Last year it became rumored in French
political C rcles that missionaries had played
a singular ro-e in the scenes Of pillage
which followed the victory of the allied
forces over the Chinese, and which. for that
matter-let US say 1t without pride-are
Classic. for they have been the accompani-
ment Of every European expedition In Chi
na, and memoir 8 of them justify to q GER
tain degree the hatred and distrust which
the Chinese feel for Europeans. whom they
term 1.-THE Dsvils Of the West"
CHARGES AGAINST MISSIONARIES.
IT was told hat the missionaries had led
the o.d!eis Of their respective nations to
pieces containing articles worth stealing
and had then PURCHASED the booty. paying
for it by means OF checks drawn in the
usual fashion by the missionaries in China
on their establishments in Europe.
As at that time the Government was draft
Ing the bill dealing with the religious orders
with which the missionaries are connected.
and as the debate was growing heated. 1t
Was natural that efforts should be made to
eiucidate this a1air. with the object Of dis
covering weapons in favor Of the bill and
against the missionaries.
keQ.e,tS were made. therefore. for the
publ. atom Of The Voyron repor which sup
possibly confirmed the reports unfavorable
to the missionaries. But Waideck-Rous-
seau. a statesman, wal IN power. He re-
piled from the tribune to the people who
49, ty~r ~ cha NfASrrNr "a
port
General voyron has written 'Confdentiar
on this report. l cannot, therefore,, publish
1t, and wat Is more, / Will not"
Peop.e were perIorce satisfied with this
reply.
NOT A WALDECK-ROUSSEAU.
However, Wa.deck-Rousseau retired. n
the question Of the missionaries came up
again before the Budget Committee. which
had to discuss the annuities granted TO the
MISSIONS in the far East The reporter OF
this committee. NJ. Dubief. asked Camille
to communicate the Voyron report
to the committee, and Camille Pelletan did
not inlrench himself. as Waloeck-Rousseau
had done, behind the word confidential
written by General Voy-on on the envelope
OF his report, but communicated It to n.
Thi, ia the scandal which has taken up
the week. 49,
To understand the bearing OF this COM
1t il necessary to remember
that 1t concerns q document no longer fresh,
for the Yo voyron report was published
by a Socialist paper. thanks to some indis-
or other. and 1t contains many de-
tails disagreeable to the missionaries. which
fact probably induced the General to write
the word CONFIDENTIAL" az It certainly led
the anti Clerical Deputies to call Tor Its
official publication.
Everybody seems to be agreed in empha-
sizing, the importance Of this scandal. The
Budget Committee called upon the Minis
ter of Marine to point out the passages
which 1t might publish. and the Minister
replied that they were the passages relat-
Ing TO the missionaries, and that the rest
the report should be secret.
MAY ZEE FORCED TO RETIRE.
That Is not all. All the other member OF
The Combes Cabinet were comprised in the
majority which approved Of W~ald-ck-Rous-
refusal to communicate the Voyron
export. They do not wish to have the ap- |
pearance of performing as Ministers an act
which they objected to a. Deputies: and a |
,emioficiai note appeared In last nights pa |
oers announcing that Mr.. Pe.letan's col
eagues had not been consulted by him on
he subject Of the publication Of the report
md that they had not consented to u I
|
This note Is already being made the most
" by all those to whom Mr.. Pelletan is. !
ID we say. "La bette noire." that II to say
~ all the Reactionaries. to begin with. |
nd then by all the moderate Republicans.
It may b. that they will succeed in |
orcing M. Pelletan to separate from his
colleagues. That would be the beginning
a ministerial break W. Of which no n
ould foresee the finish. for the situation
8 not favorable for the formation Of . new
owing to the activity Of the Ma
who possess more than one con-
cious or unconscious accomplice among |
he Republicans, and especially owing to the
difficulties of every description
vhich make the balancing Of the national
edger for the coming year q matter Of ex-
RENE difficulty.
All the elements of a long drawn-out min
3terial crisis are there. This annoying cpl
ode of the voyron report might prove to
. the cap which would cause them to ex-
lode.