The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-25
THIS NAN NAY YET
SUCCEED cOhD[S
Character Of N. MlIlesand. Who
Is Likely to Be Premier
of France

the eyes of all France are upoa
Alexandra Millerand, who is max
Ing determined and by no means
hopeless effort to wrest the premier
ship from Emile Combes. nj. Combes
has made one or two errors Of policy
and many grievances are harbored
against him by the politicians of diff
fereht stripes that make up his work
Ing majority. Advantage is being
taken of this state of things for aIl-it
is worth by recently formed coalition
of which M. Millerand is the organizing
and directing spirits
AS is pretty well known by this time.
M. Combes and his ministry were only
put up by the late M Waldeck- Rous-
seau as temporary substitutes for him
self and his friend, and for the purpose
OF testing public opinion on the anti
clerical association act, and the for
mer premier held himself in readiness
to return, with all his colleagues, at the
first emergency. But contrary to ex-
pectation. the Combs ministry has
stuck tenaciously to office and man
euvered so cleverly that at present it
holds the record of longevity in French
political history.
associates are getting impatient at
their long enforced inaction. and mona
more so than Millerand, whose recent
attack on the ministry, under the pre-
text of an Interpolation on the work
mems old age pension scheme, together
with the subsequent accusation by in
nuendo of blackmail against Nj. Edgar
Combes nearly brought about the gov
ernments resignation. The attack, it is
safe to prophecy will be renewed be-
FORE long on some other question, and
In the uncertain and intricate game Of
French political intrigue, a eatch-vots
viii be snatched at to secure a govern
ment minority; and the ministry, with
That beautiful lack of logic which
characterizes public life in France, will
resign and retire In dignified protest.
That is the opportunity NJ. Miilerand
IoreSees, and the ministry he then ex-.
poets to be asked to form, Is already
constituted. He will be contentof with
nothing less than the premiership.
making room for his old friend Michel
Lagrave (the late French commits
sioner at st. Louis, who has come out
of the Carthusian inquiry with a.. very
artificial halo Of martyrdom) in the
ministry OF commerce; Delcasse, who ia
fixture, whatever else may change.
VIII remain at the foreign office, and
Georges Leagues, Waldeck- Rousseau's
minister of public instruction, will be
made minister of the interior. Lock-
roy, Camille Pelletan's merciless
critic, will go back to the marine, and
Doumer. it is understood, has made it
condition of his support that he shall
have the colonies. with an especial eye
on Indo- China which, with the Japa-
nese war raging in the neighborhood,
is giving the French good deal Of UNI
easfness. Chaumie, who has already
made more than one concession to the
Moderates, will stick to his present
portfolio of public instruction and
beaux- ARTS.
Millerand, like Waldeck- Rosseau.
like President Loubet himself, is a
lawyer, indeed the bar furnishes no
mean proportion Of the public men or
France Commencing as. a militant
Socialist, he first attracted attention by
series Of very energetic articles in
the labor press, notably in the Petite
Republique which at that time was
controlled by Jaures. His chance cams
when Waldeck -Rosseau made his ad-
venturous experiment of power with
the queerest coalition ministry France
has ever seen. Gen. de Gallifet. an
aristocratic favorite of the empire, al
ways remembered. rightly or wrongly,
as the suppressor of the Commune.
as the minister of war, and Millerand.
the Socialistic, journalistic free lance
at the ministry of commerce.
Millerand's assumption of Offices
pecially in such cOmpany-raised a
storm of discussion in his party. It
the Socialists that their candidates
mission lay in opposition, and after
many attempts at settlement the mat
ter was brought to a head by Miller
and's acceptance of the title of baron
at the hands of the Austrian govern
ment Cat the time of the exposition
of 1900, a period of forced interna-
all the sections of the Socialist party.
his action in taking a portfolio in a
government already qualified as reac-
tionary, was stigmatized as be-
travail OF his principles. and he was
called upon for an explanation before
their congress assembled. He gave
his explanation, but did not resign
and fury on both sides he was SOL
EMMY expelled from the Socialist
party.
It was to be expected, but he did not
nlind-and that was to be- expected,
too. The evolution of the politician
was only taking it's usual course from
the extreme left he was slowly gravf-
from thence he might as surely. drift
to the center.
Like Jaures. Millerand's ideas are
developing toward compromise; he can
admit arrangement, for he has learned
by this time to acknowledge ex-
pediency. Young still, ambitious and
determined. declaring himself to be
poor, and thus laying stress On the ne
cessity for such declaration. M.
Millefand-Baron MilIerand, If you will
has become factor in French com
binations and his audacious attempt to
dethrone NJ Combes shows that he
does not intend to be ignored.
Very powerfully built, with fine
constitution. good health, end square
chin, he gives you the impression of
born fighter, man of strength and
tenacity, two qualities which in
Frenchmen do not always go together:
allied TO these he has a supple mind.
to call it by no other name. and a
genius for adaptive fnesse that will
carry him far. He has been accused
lately Of veering toward the Clericais,
and his old comrades, the Socialists,
are bitter at his action in defending the
congregations before the law courts.
but MiIlerand remains 1npassfye: he
has other things than socialism in his
mind.
Gifted with a persuasive forensic tai
ent in special pleading and the faculty
OF making his friends work for hiaL
though he appears to be discredlted