The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-08-02
CLEMENCEAU TRIUMPHANT
is SUPREME IN FRANCE

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PARIS, June 29.-At this moment
Clemenceau is in the saddle of gov
eminent, and there is nothing that
indicates any likelihood of an I'M
horsing of him in the early future.
Clemenceau fascinates Frenchmen
just as Roosevelt fascinates Ameri-
cans. They never can guess exactly
what he will do next, but they are
sure it will be something worth
while. l do not know whether the
president of the United States plays
cards. The premier of France is
clever player; and usually he has a
few trump cards up his sleeve-po-
litical trump cards. The question is
always as to how they will be played.
Three days ago Clemenceau's enc
mics we're conducting his funeral in
advance. They thought they had
him this time Had there not been
a big agitation in the south over the
alleged failure of the central govern
ment to prevent the adulteration of
wines? Had not the mayors and
magistrates in the Midi flung up
their offices? Had not the gend-
armes fired upon the mob? Had not
a few soldiers refused to obey the
orders of their colonel and frater-
nized with the "insurgents?" Had
not barricades been erected in the
streets and blood actually been
spilled? Was it not the unbroken
tradition of the Palais Bourbon that
a premier whose subalterns had shed
4f nj OF
go into oblivion?
Up to yesterday morning the foes
of Clemenceau were confident that
soon they would have his scalp. To-
day he walked about with the hair of
dozen of the opposition leaders In
parliament dangling at his waist. In
ten-hour debate, of almost unpre-
cedented violence, during which the
uproar, squeals, hoarse growls, slam
ming of desk-lids and shieking
whistles of his foes made the cham
Der of deputies a bear garden, Gle
menceau turned the tables on them,
uttered a magnificent defense of his
policy in the Midi and his treatment
of Marcelin Albert and won a sweep
ing victory in the Dig vote of conf
dence awarded the ministry. Glenn
enceau got fame years ago as de-
stroyer of governments. He has
shown of late how to maintain them.
There is no telling, of course, how
he will come out with the income tax
bill. The measure Itself it not in
favor with the thrifty citizen who
has his earnings or his profits in Sc
curities. Whenever the project is
mentioned the Paris Bourse has
cold chill. Unlike the British, who
support a rather drastic income tax
system as a corollary of the much
Wanted free trade inherited from
Golden, the French seem to regard
tax on incomes as the invention of
the Evil One working through the So
cialists.
But for the moment the air of
Paris is ringing with cheers for
Clemenceau, the champion of law
and order, against a machinatiOn of
the royalists and the socialists, who
have labored simultaneously, though
not in alliance, to Dreak down the
cabinet.
Yesterday was the proudest day in
the career of Clemenceau. 1t was a
far cry from his mayoralty at Mont
marte at the outbreak of the COM
mune to this triumph in parliament
as the spokesman of the republic.
When the time comes to write his
history the historian will record that
the most brilliant French radical
since Gambetta carried the chamber
with him by wonderful appeal for
the protection of French institutions
against the anti-militarism of the
extreme advocates of an impracti-
cable democratic ideal' Not the
most hide-bound conservative in the
assembly could have stated the case
more cogently for the preservation
of the guarantees of law and order.
His tribute to the French army
was the most effective passage of the
speech. M. Aldy, his opponent, had
assailed the cabinet and the army
for cruelty in the repression of the
cry of the outraged and starving
Midi" 1t gave the premier his op-
portunity. Blame me, blame up of
the ministry, if you think you
and the opposition groups. But
spare the army your reproaches. The
French army never has failed to do
lto llo lQSdlo dIc Tic llODlcSt,
its achievements the proudest. II
Justify every act of the officers and
troops in the Midi. We are glad to
stand or fall with the army" Ter
rife yells of applause followed.
At the height, or what seemed the
climax, of the eulogy of the army,
Jean Jaures, the socialist chief and
anti-millitarist, whispered to M. La
sizes, and the latter shouted: "You
did not talk in that way during the
commune, when Generals Lacomte
and Thomas were shot under your
very eyes at Montmartre. The pre-
mier paused; the chamber was hush
ed. Stretching his long finger to-
ward Lasies, and in a tone of SOL
emnity such as one uses when speak
ing of the dead, Clemenceau replied:
ut is matter of public record, a
matter of history, that l arrived that
day five minutes too late. Had II
been there, I swear to you and to
the chamber on my honor that the
crime committed by the execution of
those two generals never would have
been perpetrated."
That Jaures and Lasies should
have opened the door for this re-
joinder seemed almost inconceivably
stupid as parliamentary tactics. It
was moral certainty that Clemen-
ceau would make the most of the OPP
portunity. He is at his best in the
swift dueling of debate; and his de-
Tense of the conduct of General Pic