The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-05-01
THE FRENCHMEN
VOTE TOMORROW
VICTORY FOR WALDECK-ROUS-
SEAU ADMINISTRATION
HOW THE SIGNS POINT
Broad and Weighty Considera-
tons Commend the Present
Government.


eral elections will be held and the
country will pass judgment on the
Waldeck Rousseau administration.
The decision of the French electorate
is Of corse problematical, but it may
be safely said that the signs point to
brilliant victory for the Waldeck-
Rousseau ministery. The average
French voter is by no means 80 we'll
informed as the avearge American or
Englishman regarding issues of ma
tional politics. But with all his dis
qualifications he has a keen scent for
what promotes the glory and wealth
of France, and the idea that there has
been a safe strong premier directing
affairs for the past three years has
lodged itself firmly in his mind.
Since the time of Gamma Gambetta
France has had no statesman whose
personality has so typifed the Repub-
&iCdu 1uGdl DIS VIC plOoCho = ASAA~ASN'
His ministry has lasted the longest Of
any during the past thirty years. he
gave up most lucrative practice at
the Palace of Justice when President
Loubet appealed to his patriotism,
in June, 1899, at time France was so
distracted by the Dreyfus agitation
that the triumph of the re-axtionarles,
or military dictatorship seemed posi-
BILE. M. Waldeck- Rousseau then sue
ceeded to join hands in the political
principle of which he was the most
indefatigable and the most tactful ad-
yocate. The measure of his success
is perhaps best denoted by the fact
that tomorrow France is asked to
vote, not for or against the monarchy,
the empire or the republic, but for
or against NJ Waldeck- Rousseau.
Broad and weighty considerations
commend the present government to
the electors. In its foreign and do
mestic policies it has been prudent and
productive. Most cabinets of the
third republic, if they have scored at
home, have failed abroad. Not so
the Waldeck Rousseau administration.
In bringing about the visit OF the
Gar and Czarina to Bethany, which
Nj. Loubet is about to return: in eff
fecting the pfpachement with Italy
that resulted inN the Franco-Italian
commercial treaty and the agreement
by which France secured free hand
in Morocco in exchange for hei prom
Use not to thwart Italy's plans as to
Tripoli in the Mitylene incident; and
finally in the extension of the Franco
Russian alliance to Asia-an event OF
stupendous importance-in these four
achievements the government has dis
played the highest order OF states
manship applied to foreign relations,
In domestic affairs the difficulties OF
the Waldeck Rousseau cabinet have
always been serious and at times ap-
parently insuperable. The cyclonic
fury of the Dreyfus controversy has
left traces which two generations Will
scarcely remove. Had a man less
resourceful, less courageous, less ca
pable of impressing parliament, the
army and populace with his patriotism
and his honesty been charged with
responsibility, the horrors OF civil
strife, the commune and revolution
might again have fallen upon Fran ce.
That crisis was passed safely, and out
of the revelations it involved came the
salutary reform which placed the amry
in proper subordination OF the civil
power.
Wish the adoption OF the law of as
soications, checking the aggressions
of the religious orders and contining
them to their proper sphere, a decisive
step was taken forward from the point
of view of economic development
and the guarantee OF republican insti-
tutions. The enemies of the premier
predicted that widespread agitation
would follow an attempt to enforce the
measure, but its provisions have been
carried out in the spirit in which they
were conceived, without passion and
without weakness.
With such q splendid record of
achievements in it's favor there are
certainly good grounds for the expect
alton that the government will be in
dorsed at the polls tomorrow What
ever the verdict of the constituencies
may be, however, there is little pros
poet of any addition to the members of
the popular legislature who will open
ly profess themselves either monarch
lists or imperialists
Mechanical Cotton Picker.
Greenville, Miss, April &c. The