The sun., 1908-12-27
CONSPIRACY, sAYMONARCHIsTs.
Attack on Fallieres Described as PolIti-
cal BlufT-Republican Views
Special Cabls Despatch 10 THE sun.

taotc DfspdtcH 10 lhk JUN
PARIS. Dec 26.-The entire French
press devotes large share OF its space
to-day to a discussion of the attempted
assault upon President Fallieres yester-
day. The comments as whole are
Oh strictly party lines. The Republican
papers consider that Mathis. the assail-
ant. is not responsible mentally for his
action, which IL not directly instigated
by the reaotionary and Royalist orgniza-
tions was due to the violent propaganda
they have been conducting.
The Gduiois. the organ of the aristo-
cratic Royalists. heads its comment
-Opportune Aggression" and without
a word Of regret for the insulted chief
Of the state summarizes the affair thus:
Suddenly a man springs up and under
the pretext of stroking the Presidents
beard knocks his hat to the ground
The GonIois. quoting the judicial maxim
that the man who benefits is the guilty
man, asks who benefits by making q
cafe waiter pull the Presidents beard
and declares it is not the opponents OF
the republic. since the incident is rather
likely to provoke feeling against them
among moderate minded persons. 1t
points out that it is the eve OF the Sena-
torial elections and says that a diversion
is needed to silence the rumors in con-
nection with the death Of Advocate
Astresse. Hence the sole beneflciaries
are the Government and NJ. Fallieres.
The Mdtin says that the attack upon
the President has been made the subject
of an investigation by authorized repre-
sentatives of the French Monarchist
party. The act according to this
journal. met with extreme disapproba-
ton among the Bonapartists. Count
de Girardin. special secretary Of Prince
Napoleon. declared that the act was the
futile demonstration Of man whose
mind was unbalanced
The Marquis de Rosambo. Deputy
and principal leader Of the Monsrchist
party, without approving OF the attack
said that the aggressor deceived himself
if he believed that he would be able to
reach the republic by attacking NJ. Fal-
lieres, though he probably acted hon
estly upon this conviction.
With the exception Of the Monarchist-
Nationalist journals the press finds the
act of the Presidents assailant merely
grotesque. The Republican papers think
that the occurrence should put an end
to the agitation aiming to create q reac-
tionary minority.
The lesser reactionary organs vary
between veiled appreciation and repudi-
alton Of the act on the ground that the
incident was a police maneuvre to dis
tract public opinion and discredit their
party.
Moderate papers, like the Petit Pdrisien.
think that the time has come TO teach
fanatic adherents Of the idea OF monarch
ical restoration that they cannot count
on unlimited federation. They should
be treated not as oonspirators but as
childish agitstors.
The police are inquiring where Mathis
obtained his money as they have learned
he spent considerable, buying many
Jewels. He apparently worked steadily
until the spring Of 1907, when he read
the advertisement Of young widow
who announced that she possessed $500, 900
and was seeking C husband.
He was introduced to the wealthy lady
by a female Intermediary, and the t~o
women succeeded in getting his savings
of $500 and 81 900 he had just inherited.
He had the women arrested and they were
both sentenced to prison. The young
widow with ithe fortune proved to be a
dressmaker. After this occurrence he oc-
cupied himself with reactionary politics.
He is considered in his native village as
being mentally unbalanced, with mono
mania for wishing to be prominent.