New-York tribune., 1902-06-09
TIE NEW FRENcE MINISTRY.

-,, ,r-o,decsr Roussaau Ministry il France
- ian r.nlacea with neatness and dspatch.
Seldom in the many uninsured history Vi 'nN
mira Renuhtie has one cabinet gone out anu
anotber come in with so little delay ana dle1uro
.nee There has been no bandying ABOUT u
the offer of the premiership from this llai "
that. Only one offer of 1t seems TO nave peeN
made before that to NJ. Comhes, ana lhat ohe
was a matter of conventional form more tnah
ANYTHING else N. Combes was seiecteo "eehS
ago. BY those who were best INFORMED, as 'no
most likely of all TO succeed NJ "aioecA-nou'
coon He has done SO, promptly and with no
s.ater,a, difbeulty. Of himself, personally, the
world outside OF France knows eomparaplFely
I,,tIe what is known of him. however, is dis
tinetiv in his favor. and is of good omen tor
bis Ministry and for France. He is siXty-seVen
years old. a successful physician and NE
Iang RenublieaH He has not served III The
Chamber of Deputies but has been SENATOR
from, the charente Inferieure. since 1855. he
has heen q Cabinet Minister but bis admins
tratjon of the portfolio Of Instruction vas less
sansationaI than sound and servieeable, ana dld
not greatly bring him into the public eye out
eide of France He is commonly classed as
Radical Republican but he will doubtless holo
+rue the balance between the two wings OF the
marty. and strive to make conservatives anu
Radicals work together for the good of the
Fatherland.
The remainder of the Cabinet as arranged by
him well indicates such balancing, or perhaps
we might say consolidating, process. II Is
fairly representative of the whole Republican
marty and has evidently been formed with the
nurpose of fusing all parts together rather than
merely of making a conglomerate coalllloh-
There are several pronounced Radicals III It,
and at least four Conservative Republicans, IN
Guiding those holding the important portfolios
of Finance and of Foreign Affairs, Whiie' as
we have said, the Prime Minister himself who
is also Minister of the Interior, is likely to be as
much Conservative as Radical There is also
a strong representation of the Waideck-Rous-
sean Ministry retained in that of NJ Comhes,
sufficient to guarantee the fulhlment of the lat
ter's announced determination TO continue the
no,iev which has been so benefcent and so
successful during the last three years This
latter is, after all, the essential point in the
whole situation.
We may say too that France is happy not
only IN the composition of its new Ministry. but
also in the disintegratien of the opposition to
that Ministry-that is, to Republicanism. At
tention has already been called TO the fact
that in the recent general election there was,
for the first time, 30 reyaiist or fmperlaIlst
party or candidate, at least in name. All such
were merged and disguised in the so-ealled Ma
tionalist' Cave of Adullam. Now that Ma
tionalist party is going to pieces at rattllng
pace and will probably cut no serious figure
in the Chamber. The French "Fatherland
League has forced its honorary president, NJ
Coppee, TO retire, lest it be too much identified
with elericalism, and now Colonel Monteil, one
of its most influential members. has also re-
signed. The royalists and imperialists have
likewise pretty generally cut themselves loose
from the organization, and have come out under
their true coers. There is thus little left Of that
Nationalist party which few months ago was
so loudly boasting of having the whole nation
at its back. The fragments into which it has
been broken will be impotent for harm against
the Republicans There seems, therefore good
reason to anticipate for the new Ministry long
and successful career.