Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-12

he will return to the plough. Nor is his love of homely ways surprising; he
 was born on farm near the little viii
 lage of Marsanne in the department oi
 Drome. Of good peasant stock, M
 Loubet has never blusned for his par
 entage. His attachment to his aged
 mother was well known, and he made { a point of visiting her at Marsanne at < least once or twice year. That gives
 the keynote to M. Loubet's character;
 fidelity and simplicity. The president
 has built himself country chateau at
 Begude-de -Mazenc, not far from his
 native commune, and here he intends
 to retire at the close of his official ca
 reer He will not, however, cut him.
 self entirely adrift from Paris. He
 has taken a comparatively modest ap-
 partment in the immediate neighbor-
 hood of the Luxembourg. It was in the senate. indeed, that M. Loubet passed
 fourteen years of his official life as
 senator and then as president of that august assembly. If the constitution is altered, as is proposed, M. Loubet will return thither as life member.
 M Loubet has become the most pop ular of all French presidents, not ex- cepting Felix Faure, who had a man. ,per all his own of ingratiatipg himself with the Parisians. When he was elected by the national assembly at
 Versailles seven years ago, he was re- ceived with shouts of derision by the Parisians: mud was thrown at his car riage. He had taken the world by sur prise, and the world did not forgive him. He was a dark horse that had arrived unexpectedly at the winning post Then followed the shameful in- cident of Auteuil. in which the presi- dent was struck by well-dressed Ma tionalist rowdy That was the turning point. The insulters had gone too far. Thenceforward the new chief of state was to gain the sympathy of the
 Parisians.
 It is curious fact that there may be two presidents of the republic dur ing the first fortnight of February, 1906 M. Loubet's term will not have expired, and his successor will have been appointed, The case has never arisen before during the 30 odd years of the third republics existence. Thiers who was driven from office by a vote of the Nationalist assembly, had his successor appointed in 24 hours. Mar shal MacMahon, who retired in Janu- ary. 1879, was immediately replaced by NJ. Grevy. The last-named. it is true, was reelected in 1886. but on account of scandal which touched his family, he did not complete his second term. Sadi Carnot. who replaced him, died by the dagger of an assassin one Sum day night. ten years ago. at Lyons. Casimir-P -Perier's mysterious resigna- ton. after six months of office. and N. Felix Faure's equally mysterious death. rendered impossible in both cases this curious constitutional picture of two presidents facing one another like "chiens de faience"
 M. Loubet's forte lies in his marvel ous knowledge of administrative de- tall. He has occupied almost every public office under government from mayor to president. In consequence he can put his finger on any piece of leg Islature at a moments notice. General Horace Porter. the late American am- bassador in Paris. once told me how surprised he was at N. LoubefIs great memory for treaties and special com mercisi covenants. In word. N Lou bet is the ideal president for such a republic as France, where a man of great personal ambitions and of excep- tionai magnetic power Is won't 10 att tempt dangerous experiments in gov ernment Avoiding the display of N. Felix Faure on the one hand. and the 1 of N Greyy on the other who from his parsimonious ways vas always said to have had the soul of !, Toubes has sseersd the happy middle ooarse- His native ahgI- | Isy. shrswdness and common sense | have stood him in sxeslIent stead for 1ke york of the state: and his kfnsii-l lsss and unfzfIfnE Food-nssure have him to the nassea