Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-21
VERY QUIET IN PARIS
Trouble Over the Sunday Law
Does Not MateriaIize.
DAY OF REST OBSERVED
Paris Laborers Kept Police Busy in
Many Quarters.
LABOR EXCHANGES CLOSED
About One Hundred and Fifty Arrests
Made and Several Minor
Casualties Reported.
DAY OF REST OBSERVED
Or EXCHANGES CLOSED

NEW YORK, January 21.-such is the
determination of Paris workmen to rest on
Sunday that they keep the police authors
ties. troops and journalists working at
double pressure. This Is about the sole
practical result achieved by their enthu-
siasm for the new Sabbath rest law.
Thanks to the extensive measures to pre-
vent disorder taken by M. Lepine. project
Of police. the great demonstration in favor
Of a Spartan application Of the law plan
ned to take place yesterday afternoon by
the leaders Of the trades unions was q COM
have marched in procession along the main
boulevards and held a monster meeting on
the Place de la Republique.
M. Clemenceau, however, works on the
principle that foresight is the essence of
government. and. foreseeins trouble in
procession of several thousand men, prob
ably excited by the insidious harangues Of
professional agitators, forbade the demon
stration and placed at M. Lepine's DISPOSE
ton all the troops necessary to enforce
the prohibition. Furthermore, in order to
deprive the leaders of any rallying point,
he ordered the labor exchange to be closed.
This measure exasperated the labor agt-
tators to fury, but it contributed very no
tably to maintain order. In the afternoon
the Place de la Republique, the central
point for the demonstration, was encircled
by infantry. About l o'clock dragons
were ranged at the edge of the pavement
on the north and south sides Of the square.
Cavalry of the Garde Republicaine was
massed near the labor exchange or Bourse
de Travail and all streets leading to this
building were blocked by lines Of police.
Reserve Force in Readiness.
Furthermore, the Chateau dEau bar
oly, Oh u In ID
filled with reserves of troops and squad
rons of cuirassiers. Detachments Of cav
airy and forces Of police were also sta
toned at strategic points along the boule-
wards and intersections of the principal
streets. M. Lepine in person was early
on the scene, supervising the execution Of
the orders he had given.
Dense crowds Of spectators had gathered
on the Place de la Republique and In its
immediate neighborhood by 2 o'clock, SO
it was cleared by cuirassiers, and, to pre-
vent the crowd from reforming, a squad
ron Of dragons was kept ctrcling round
the place as though it were huge circus.
From time to time the monotony was re-
lteved by the passage of policeman with
a prisoner arrested for dilatoriness in NOV
ing on or otherwise, defying authority. The
Presse In the evening said the arrests made
during the day numbered about 15O. The
majority of them, however, were based
upon tecnnlcal DreacneS OF the peace, no
serious disturbance having taken place.
No serious disturbance. in fact, was pos
sible. Indeed, the selection of the Place de
la Republique for sort of rallying point
opinion of the intelligence of the trade
union leaders. There Is probably not in
all Paris spot so admirably adapted for
defense by the police.
1t was absolutely impossible for the
demonstrators to reach the place and from
it NJ. Lepine could, and did. dispatch de-
tachments Of cavalry to dispense any crowd
of undue dimensions that might assemble
in any Of the streets radiating out of the
square.
Incidents Of the Day.
There were, Of course, many incidents of
trivial Importance.
In the Cafe de la Bourse, at the corner
-ef the Boulevard Magenta and the Rue du
Chateau d'Eau, group of agitators, who
had been ousted from the labor exchange
opposite, gathered singing the 'Interna-
tionale'' with truly socialistic independence
as regards rhythm and time. From sing
ing they passed to abusing the police
massed before the cafe and finally to pelt-
ing them with anything that came handy.
At this point the order was given to clear
and close the establishment. The police
carried out the order with will.
In the Rue Beaurepaire a little attempt
to demonstrate resulted merely In the ar
rest of the most demonstrative among the
agitators and the dispersal of the others in
the confusion.
In the Rue de Bondy there is back
door to the labor exchange, and a forlorn
hope attempted to capture 1t. But M. Lee
pines organization was too complete to be
taken by surprise and solid phalanx of
police. backed by cavalry. swept back the
embryo procession into, the main boule-
ward, where other representatives of au-
thority broke it up into small groups and
melted it as the sun melts the morning
mist.
Several casualties are reported. but none
serious. With few exceptions the demon
strators showed prudent dissemination to
do more than profess platonic enthusiasm
for the law according to workmen Sunday
rest and contented themselves in the ma
jority of cases with shouting at the top of
their voice, ''Vive la Loiv
This. in fact, was the most humorous
feature Of the demonstration, for It was
decidedly paradoxical to hear the law voci-
ferously acclaimed by the very people who
were occupied in breaking it.
GENERAL AND PERSONAL