Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-25

enterprises not able to be interrupted all
transports, including tramways; all carriers
and all loading and unloading and state
and municipal services.
Senator Rene Berenger.
Indeed, each class of employers that
naturally has a strong interest in Sunday
work has insisted an exception, and as
the mass of these is just the cause of
8 great part of the persistent Sunday la
Dor, the mass of the senate commission
exceptions threatens to swamp the law
This fact is perfectly well seen by the
employees syndicates' officers, who after
having been encouraged by the law as
finally voted by the champer of deputies
now see their hopes threatened by the SEN
ate.
The senators have had the proposition be-
fore them for three years. For three years
they have held ii up. Now that their COM
mission has reported, they have been made
aware of the dissatisfaction its recon-
mendations have caused by way of a hun
dren interviews and editorials in the French
press.
1t is now up to the senate to declare itself
by public discussion and final vote. There
is no doubt that there great forces In
the senate tending to side rather with en-
ployers than with employees. On the other
hand there is a man in the French senate
who is a force in himself, and who will not
willingly let the law of enforced Sunday
rest be killed.
This is Rene Berenger, a man who has
been much misunderstood in his day, who
has had the courage to go counter to a
weakness of the Paris public, and who has
consequently suffered from its resentment
by way of much ridicule and misrepresen-
tation. 1t is curious, therefore, that he
should at last be recognized for what he
has been. ever-the plying, servlceable
friend of his fellow citizens in need
Conserving Paris Morality.
He is no other than the famous SEN
otp
Their Modesty" and The French Com
stock" This is because of the untiring
war he has made on indictments to immor-
ality in the street, pictorial publications
and on the stage.
The rejecting public has, nevertheless,
not quite forgotten that Senator Berenger
is also author of the 'Berenger law" per-
first offenders. Thousands of sorrowing
parents, thousands of tempted clerks,
thousands of wild but not bad youths have
had cause to bless his name.
But when a really great man devotes
himself to technical reforms along the
lines of his conscience rather than to
counting public admiration in more snowy
craftsmanship he often passes upper
ceived.
Thus in 1888 Senator Berenger fought to
the last to preserve the trremovability of
French judges. He is author of law to
prevent promiscuity in prisons. In 1886 he
brought about law that has done much
to reclaim discharged prisoners. and he
one of the founders of the Prison So
ciety.
He was born in 1880, and he was advocate
general at Lyons when the Franco-Prus-
sian war broke out in 1870. He fought
through it and was wounded. He sat In
the Bordeaux assembly that was suspected
of wanting to declare for royalist restora-
ton, yet he consented to aid in the or
ganiza ton of the present republic, OF which
he is one of its last life senator's. For the
past three years he has been stirring up
his brother senators to get ashamed and
vote this Sunday law. About a year ago
he obtained a vote of the senate request
ing its lazy commission to present its re-
mort within six months. When French
clerks and workingmen finally get the
Sunday rest they are demanding 1t will
he thanks to this one senator.
STERLING HELLO.