The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1903-09-11


these qualities-if qualities they be now
adays in any but an autocratic ruler.
But there is bonhomie about the man
which every one Of his predecessors
lacked; that which passed muster as
such with Jules Grevy being more or
less palpable imitation, according to the
degree Of propinquity from which one
had the opportunity of judging. Gam
BETA. who approached very closely,
called the third president of the repub-
lie "Machiavel-Prudhom other
words, spurious good sort"-and he
was not far wrong.
Grevy suffered, moreover, from the
besetting sin of nearly all Frenchmen
springing from the middle classes,
though perhaps not to the same extent
as Thiers-namely, righteousness,
fault from which Loubet is particularly
and remarkably free. Accident-for it
would be idle to call 1t anything else
has also befriended him by mating him
with an open-handed wife, cordial, un-
pretending. and naturally-as distinct
from rtificially-amiable to all, but
especially to her husbands cronies, for
whom she personally prepared her
choicest dishes and whom she enter
tanned jovially in their fiat in the Rue
de Tournon while the official residence
of the president of the senate-the Lux
embourg-was deserted.
Theirs when he became president of
the republic had a very ambiguous po-
litical past to atone for; Emile Loubet
has never served any other regime.
Theirs was the reverse of generous to
his relatives, who, 1t is true, were not
very creditable. Loubet is most solic-
itous about the welfare of his kinsmen,
and particularly affectionate to his
mother. Family affection counts for
much in France, albeit that generally it
is based upon greed, which Is not the
case with Loubet, for old Madame Lou
bet lived in humble circumstances be-
fore her sons political star reached the
ascendant, and to a great extent con-
tinues to live in a similar manner.
The tragic death of M. Sadi Carnot
contributed much to the creation Of an
exaggerated, not to say a false, halo
around him after his demise. His name
was of incalculable benefit to him dur
ing his presidency. He was a civil en-
gineer Of respectable attachments, but
nothing more. An act Of simple and
elementary integrity brought him to
the fore when Grevy was forced to re-
sign the presidency Of the republic. 1t
became known that Carnot had refused
to pass a shady transaction involving
the misrepresentation Of a couple of mil
lions of francs while he was in office.
1t seemed as If the Diogeneses of the
third republic, with all their lanterns
alight, were baf1ed to fnd another hon
est man. and Carnot was elected. There
was another honest man-there were
more than that one-but they had made
themselves disagreeable, not only tn
their colleagues of the chamber and sem
ate, but to the Parisians in general. who
would hear neither OF Jules Ferry nor
of Henri Brisson, mainly on account of
their nonsociable qualities 1t is a sig
nificant fact that, Notwithstanding the
hints against Emile Loubet in connec-
ton with the Panama affair. he wa.
elected to the presidency by a consider.
able majority. OF course NJ. Loubet had
to stand the onslaught of a great nor.
ton Of the Partisan press, including
not only the organs of M. Drumont and
NJ Rochefort, but those inspired by such
men as NJ. Jules Lemaitre and M. PauI
de Cassagnac