Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-13
FORMER PRESIDENT
OF FRANCE IS DEAD
M. CASIMlR PERIER EXPIRES
SUDDENLY
Remarkable Career Recalled, the De-
tails of Which Were of Vital
Interest to European
Countries

| BY Associated Press.
PARIS, March I'm. Casimir Perier,
| former president of France, died sud
denly at II o'clock last night of en-
bolism of the heart The news was not
published until this morning.
The former president had not been
well for two or three days, but no
great Importance was attached to his
Illness He dined with his family on
Sunday and was in good spirits At
o'clock last night an abrupt prostra-
ton occurred and the patient was
given morphine injections, whereupon
he slept until 10 o'clock, when he was
terribly weak.
Another severe attack of prostration
followed, from which he did not re-
cover. The cabinet met at noon and
decided on a national funeral, but the
family regretfully declined the honor
in accordance with wish M. Caslm1r
Perier had expressed.
The senate and chamber of deputies
will adjourn as sign of mourning.
Jean Paul Perier Casimir Perier was
the son and grandson of statesmen. His
father was minister of the interior in
1871 and his grandfather was leader OF
the opposition when Louis Philippe
assembled the throne and afterwards
was premier.
Had Brilliant Career
The former president was born No
vember rs, 1S47. After a brilliant ca
reer as a student of literature and his
tory he joined the militia of the Aube
during the Franco-PruSsian war and
when they were summoned to Paris
Casimir Perier behaved with such gall
lantry. that he was mentioned in an
order of the day and later was deco
rated with the cross of the Legion OF
| Honor.
When his father entered the first
republican cabinet of M. Theirs, Cast
mir, jr., became his assistant in the
ministry of the interior. In 1874 he
was elected to the chamber of deputies
and reelected in 1878.
After the crisis of May, 1877, he was
one of the S63 deputies who refused to
pass a vote of confidence in the Broglie
ministry. He became der-secretary
of state at the ministry of public in
struction and retained that post until
the Faure cabinet went out of office In
1879 In 1883 M. Casimir Perier was
appointed under-secretary of state at
the ministry of war and in 1880 was
elected vice president of the chamber
and president of the budget commit
tee.
Elected President
In the summer of 1894 he was elected
president of the republic, Immediately
after the assassination of President
Carnot. He was not popular, owing to
his opposition to the agencies which
threatened the national security. He
was openly insulted in every possible
manner.
Eventually the government prose-
cuted M. Girault Richard, who had
published libels upon the president,
for which he was sentenced to six
months imprisonment. This aroused a
storm of popular disapproval. M
Richard was elected a deputy and the
Socialists demanded that he be given
to the chamber" that is to say, re-
leased.
The government refused the demand
and by 300 votes to 219 was supported
by the chamber, after it had been in
timated that the president would con-
slider an adverse vote as personal To
himself.
Serious differences arose between M
Casimir Perier and his supporters and
eventually, January IS, 1895, he re-
signed, having held the presidency
about six months and a half.
1t was asserted that his action was
condemned by the whole of Europe
During the Zola trial it developed that
the real reason for Casimir Perier' S
resignation was the fact that his cabi-
net concealed material facts of policy
from him, so that he nearly found
himself i'm a serious quarrel with Ger
many, owing to his ignorance of the
Dreyfus scandals,
1t was even said that private docu-
ments upon the Dreyfus affair from
the German ambassador in Paris to his
emperor had been abstracted and
photographed while upon the way to
Berlin, and 1t was added that in order
to disassociate himself from such acts
and to prevent the possibility of war
Casimir Perier retired from the presi~
dency and from political life.