The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-02

three proposals, tsken together. repre-
sent an application o State Socialism on
an immense scale, and considered as
precedents may be thought to threaten
the subversion OF the principle OF indir
vidualism in the economic structure OF
French society. II Is true that in Prus-
STA there exists an old age pension law,
and that the railways are owned by the
State, yet no apprehensions are felt that
the Government will go much further
in a Socialistic direction. The state OF
things in France, however, is very differ
ent. Not only are French legislators
more logical than Germans, but the So
cialists and their Radical allies have abso-
lutte control of legislation. The head OF
the new Ministry of Labor is a Socialist,
and the three projects that we have
named bear witness to an intention on
the part Of the Premier to outbid M.
JAUREs for Socialist support.
1t is also settled that the Government
will introduce a bill providing for the
abolition of the death penalty, basing
its opposition to capital punishment
partly on abstract grounds and partly
IN the experience of Switzerland, where
for some time life Imprisonment has
been substituted, yet where. it is said.
homicides have not increased. Another
report. apparently well founded, is that
the Cabinet, as a whole, has approved
the plan Of General PICQUART, the new
Minister of War, to supersede courts
martial by civil procedure in the ease Of
offences punishable at common law, and
by disciplinary courts in the case Of
attractions Of discipline. The innovation
will no doubt be resisted vehemently by
most Of the military authorities, but it
should commend itself to civilians, who
have not forgotten the shameful mis-
carriage of justice in the two trials Of
DREYFUs by court-martial.
II is, of course, the execution Of the
Separation law which will give the Gle
menceau Cabinet most trouble. The
Premier, though he has been through
out his public life an anti-clerical, is less
mbid in his hatred Of Catholicism than
are the Socialists, or even the Radicals
of the Combes type, and his first move
indicates a wish to secure time in which
to bring about a compromise. Although
on its face the Separation law becomes
operative on December IL, NJ. CLEMEN-
CEAU holds that il is optional with the
Government to allow Catholics to use the
churches after that day, even though
they may have failed TO form the "asso-
Citations c~ultuelles- which the statute
prescribes. The Premier has announced
that after December II Catholics will
still be permitted to have access to re-
ligious edifices for a twelvemonth. the
implication being that il they remain
obdurate the penalty of confscation
will be enforced vigorously at the end
OF the year. 1t would seem that an
accommodation between State and
Church ought to be reached in the inter-
val, but the danger is that the Vatican
will attribute the postponement Of the
crisis to timidity on the part Of the French
Government. Those Cardinals who best
understand the difficulties Of the situa-
ton in France are no longer preponder-
n in the Papsl Council.
There is no doubt that NJ. C~LEMENCEAU
has at last gained a great opportunity,
but it remains to be seen whether he will
throw it away, like GAMBETTA, or whether
he will turn it to memorable account,
like THEIRS, who in his old age created
the Third Republic.