New-York tribune., 1902-10-19


serve as salutary object lesson 10 both capital
lists and TO miners.
Public opinion in France is enthusiastic in re-
gard to the success Of President Roosevelt's act
II mediation between the enormous interests IN
volved. Indeed. President Roosevelt is regarded
here as the strongest international personality
that has come TO the front since the disappear
ance Of Bismarck or Gambetta. The American
Presidents personal prestige is enormously en-
hanced by two recent examples-firsJ, by his
fearless entry into new sphere Of action as
mediator between capital and labor and. second
by the precedent he has given TO European
statecraft by submitting the dispute between
the United States and Mexico TO The Hague
Arbitration Tribunal a Precedent which is 10
form the subject OF an Interpolation in the
Chamber Of Deputies OF NJ. Delcasse Minister
Of Foreign Affairs. by Baron d'Estournelles de
Constant. Deputy of Sarthe. who, with Leon
Bourgeois, president Of the Chamber, is a French
member Of The Hague tribunal
The initiative OF President Roosevelt in being
the first 10 utilize The Hague tribunal is en-
Enthusiastically and unanimously commended At
the National Peace Congress which opened on
Wednesday at Toulouse, under the presidency Of
Frederick Passy. the name OF President Roose-
Welt was there coupled with that Of the En-
peror OF Russia, who created The Hague tri-
National Peace Congress al Toulouse has decid-
ed 10 offer votes Of thanks on behalf Of human
ity to President Roosevelt for the object lesson
II inevitable value which he has presented 10
Europe by opening the road TO peaceful arbitra-
ton
Church and finance were the two reefs upon
which the reactionary and Nationalist oppo-
sition hoped to wreck the Combes Ministry. but
Or Combes with his solid majority of %, has
come out triumphantly from the fierce debate
on religious associations and before his clerical
adversaries fairly realized the extent OF their de-
feat st more drastic law was introduced,
which viii enable the government 70 prevent the
reopening of any new religious establishments.
The Radicals and Socialists are so encouraged
by their victory that they now demand the
annulling Of the Concordat and the separation Of
church and state.
An explanation of the spontaneous adveTsion
Of republican France TO the Church is that the
French country priests have never accepted the
rep 1licsn regime They we're behind the Bou-
langist movement and were the backbone Of
anti-Dreyfussm, and on every occasion they
have been the instruments of Nationalist or
anti-republican intrigue. ~. Combes has now
decided TO follow up his victory by enforcing the
French language in Brittany and forbidding the
priests and schoomasters 10 preach or teach I'm
the Breton language. and has firmly resolved
70 bring benighted, ignorant and priest ridden
Brittany ny 10 the intellectual level with the
best Of France.
The next difficulty FOR the Combes Ministry is
finance. and here again a large ma ajority for NJ.
Rouver's Budget Reform bill and estimates for
1903 is predicted by the leading Partisan bank
ers- NJ. RouyieTs plan to apply the alcohol
tax TO small country distiers who have hither-
10 enjoyed immunity from taxation and his
proposed increase Of the price OF higher grades
OF smoking tobacco. popularity known here as
Maryland tobacco, viii certainly raise a storm
OF opposition but these measures seem indis-
pensable to balance the budget and no other
measures have Yet been discovered short of
the imposition Of new and heavier rates Of direct
taxation. which meet the almost desperate
situation of national finances
The important series Of naval manouvres.
10 test the efficiency Of submarine torpedo
boats for coast defence has been resumed
this week Cherbourg in very rough water
The results by no means confirm the optiuis
tic conclusions reported by the naval au-
thorities on the similar manRuyres which re-
Gently took place in fair weather Yesterday the
ironcad division OF the Northern Squadron
accompanied by the torpedo boat destroyers
Cassini, Fauconneaa and DurandaI. returned to
the roadstead, after terminating the fourth and
lest series Of combined manpuyres with the
submarine hotilla
The following is a resume Of the operations:
ON the first day the squadron weighed anchor
al ; q. m. ana manoeuvred OFF Barf1eur; in the
evening they anchored at SaintvaaI and St La
hougUe, without having sighted the submarines
On the second day the ironclads and destroyers
again weighed anchor al a m. and attempted
to force the passage OF a channel marked by
buoys. The duty OF the submarines TO pre-
vent this operation from being executed. The
squadron, in line formation, protected by the
destroyers, forced the passage at fun speed
Three submarines were sighted, but they were
al too great a distance TO attack with any
chance Of success, and the attacking division
scored complete victory.
This result is cited by the Minister Of Marine
NJ PeHetan. as justifying hts decision TO modify
and defer the plan Of building the proposed fleet
OF submarines. For the first time the French
naval authorities have begun To waver in their
confidence I'm this new experimental method OF
warfare. Yesterdays trials seem 70 show that
the high speed of modern batteshps and
cruisers. especially in heavy weather, will prove
an adequate protection against the dreaded
submarines
Felix Decor, the criminal lawyer. who re-
turned from six weeks trip in the United
states 10 oelend Syndon l oung, the painter,
whose trial for killing a stockbroker at Etretat
recently is likely to supply Partisan novelists
with a fresh harvest of human documents for
psy biological analyses. is following in the foot
steps Of Dickens and Paul Bourget by relating
his impressions OF America and Americans, which
under the title. "AmeriQue Vol DOiseau,"
is being published day by day on the front page
or Figaro" which. since Castor Calmette as
sumed editorial management of IL. has become
the inouthpiece OF the large and increasing num-
ber Of Frenchmen who are convinced that the
United States is the best and surest friend of
France, Of far greater moral. intrinsic and po-