Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09
into the wicked outside world of the strus


II have always destined you for politfcs1
Camille" he said. Il have been an honesv
man. I cannot leave you great fortune9
You must work, as have always done3
When was younger than you supported
myself as newspaper writer Also l wa
deputy"
give up my rooms in the Latin quarter"
Ag'in the Government ]
That same year he Joined with ClemenE
eeau in founding what became the greaH
radical daily Justice. At this momentl
Clemenceau was attaining the height OF
his power as a "cabinet-smasher," a politd9
ical hammer-wielder Of peculiar force anal
influence. Justice was a well-written, crit-1
ical agitating paper. Its editors gathered
around them a STAFF of brilliant young
writer's. Their policy was to dig up anyj
fault in the government Offices. any lack OH
supervision or energy I'm the public admin-J
istration and In this way II happened that
young Pelletan became by degrees a sore;
of authority on the marine. The old ma
rine" was then in full power. Doubtless IL
was red tape bound. And young Pelletan
hammered at the old admirals.
They are now hammering back at him.
That same year, while always keepingj
his rooms in the Latin quarter, Camillot
Pelletan began to lay his pipes for acquir-3
ing q seat In the chamber of deputies. Hist
father, the senator desired 1t. He calleo
Camille to him and said:
MY son. you are going to be deputy"
young man. enamored of photography and
Latin Quarter beer and beauty.
Il am going to have you entered az N
candidate for the district of AK In thel
south of France. where 1 am favorablya
known, and, as my son, and with the
party,s influence, you will have walk
over"
Don't trobule yourself" replied Camille.
eff 1t really must be / prefer to do my
electioneering among my own friends nos
yours
What do you mean?' i
Was Elected Twice. /
'T'r enter myself for the Latin Quarterrs
said Camille. The old senator laughed when3
he found that his son had really startedi
this Latin Quarter campaign. But hes
laughed less when Camille absolutely re-
fused to go down to AK and make
speeches There was scene betweeni
father and son. At last the son yielded
But before ne started for the south OF
France he addressed a kind of caucus In
his beloved Latin Quarter.
81 sacrificing myself and the Quarter
to filial piety.." he Numbered. Think tep.,
Derby of me. I am giving an example to
the youth of France. For you there re-
mains as noble a task. Vindicate the Latin
Quarter. Show that Its son may not Do
torn from it, / leave my political interests
in your hands,"
And such was the wide friendship of the
young man, such the power of sentiment
and good fellowship in the Latin QUARTER
that while Camille Pelletan's father was
getting him elected deputy for AK MS
Latin Quarter pals got him elected for
their district WELL
The thing is possible in France. The idea
Of a deputy representative in France ls
to represent the voters of the district, NOS
the district itself. The voters have a right
to choose any one they please to represent
them, man from Paris If they fancy him
A Double Triumph.
1t was a triumph for Camille. Also for
hts of lott In hei WA
of thinking they had triumphed over the
south of France. You understand, they
were not all university students. Indeed
few of those who voted for him were ac-
tually students His friends were the whole
population of the easy-going, whooping
Quarter. He knew everybody. Everybody
worked for him-old Adolphe the bootblackj
commissionaire the cafe walters, the hotel
keepers and their staffs the university run.
ners and servants, and all the world OF
Latin Quarter hangers-on.
They all have votes, have they not? Ana
Camille was then, as he has remained ever
since, their sympathetic chum. When re-
Gently he was named minister or the ma
rine in the Combes cabinet, they had to
hunt him up to tell him the good newR
They found MIN in his shirt sleeves. smok.
ing pipe with the janitor Of his Latin
Quarter apartment house. q.
Passing quiet evening, quoi!" he after
ward explained at a banquet.
His getting himself elected deputy for
second district was a triumph for Camille.
The chamber of deputies (house OF repre-,
sentatives both state and federal rolled into
one equvalently) is all-powerful in France
today. 1t makes and unmakes ministers
Cabinet officers The president is only.
its servant. 1t gives orders to the Judiciary
itself
A Desirable District.
Here was a young man of thirty-nve
years elected deputy in two districts in the
same elections! After struggle he alb
AK district III the south of France; and
his wisdom is disclosed by the fact that he
has held it ever since Camille Pelletan
remains today the deputy for AK. 1t is .
good district for politician who wishes
nevertheless to live in the Latin Quarter.
This is what Camille Pelletan succeeded
in doing through all the years between 1881
and the forming of the Combes cabinet in
June 1902.
His position as a deputy paid him So per
day. When he needed more money he wrote
an article. Having made himself kind OF
specialist for writing articles against the
supposed abuses of the French marine in
general and against the 'old school, ad.
mirals in particular. he began to be looked
on as kind of Latin Quarter admiral HIM
self.
This was his only title to be named py
his party, the advanced radicals, to the,
position of minister of the marine, chief
of the whole French navy.
When he accepted the high office. h.
palace of the marine, on the Place de La
Concorde, the most magnificent open
square in Europe.
High Jinks in the Palace.
But I'm not going to be alone" he said.
So he made his old college chum TfssieY
chef du cabinet, with apartments In the
palace and the duty of receiving admirals.
ministers. deputies. senators, members Of
high technical boards and the whole MAJ
rine hierarchy.
Tissier is a good fellow. too. By pro-
fession he is a chemist. And his town 10
Lyons. He Is accused of sitting up late
at night with Minister PelIetan over drinks
with straws in them, of inviting all the rin-
ram of the Latin Quarter to make a cafe
of the ministry through the long after
Moons, while the business of the marine
waits.
The Figaro tells this story of Tissier. The
afternoon of the day when the new chef
du cabinet entered on his duties he called
to one of the grave Inverted nunkeys OF
the ministry:
Come here, your
1t was an aged huisSjer chaine fbaf