New-York tribune., 1909-05-24
THE OUTLOOK IN FRANCE.

Hope rather than expectation has been real
lied in the ignomnous collapse of the latest
conspiracy against the French Republic, a con-
spiracy which peculiarly despicable because
it invariably spoke with a lie upon its lips and
lnasqueraded as q movement in behalf of hu-
manity and popular rights But apprehension
follows close upon whatever qualification IS felt
at the governments victory. The enemy is
scotched not killed. It would be vain to imagine
that the collapse, the ridiculous fzzling out, of
this gigantic universal" strike, which was to
paralyze the hated bourgeois government and
subvert the republic itself, marks the end Of the
conflict with socialism. It does not even mark
the end of the effort to destroy the republic
through the "syndcatism" of the General Con
federation of Labor. That will be renewed at
the first opportunity which presents itself, with
all the criminal activities of sabotage and all
the injury and oppression which such doings in
evitably infict upon an innocent and diSinteresr-
ed public. But beyond that loom the disquietinG
and portentous possibilities of next years gen
cral election of a new Chamber Of Deputies. We
need not fear 4 Socialist majority in that body.
France has mind to resolve herself into q ma
tiOnal bedlam But there may be cause for So
licitude over the maintenance of a coherent and
stable republican majority for the steadfast
support Of the government. Such a majority
has been the manstay of the enlightened and
progressive NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. VI NdlutNh-jNOto-
seau, Combes and Clemenceau. 1t ought to be
at least as strong as ever in the next Chamber
0i Deputies. But that II VIII exist at all Is far
from being assured.
This is largely because there has devel-
oped in recent years an entirely new conception
of the status and functions of a Deputy; or
perhaps 1t would be more accurate to say that
the Deputy has assumed or has been made TO
assume All entirely new attitude toward his con-
stituency. a few years ago a Deputy was a
leader OF public opinion and a champion Of
party principles His constituents OF his own
party looked TO him for advice and guidance in
public affairs and for support Of the principles
TO which they were attached and to which he
professed attachment, while his political oppo-
nents expected from him nothing but argu-
mentative antagOnism and perhaps exhortations
Tor their conversion 10 his views He con
spicuously the Deputy of his constituents, COM
missioned by them TO serve the state. But in
the last dozen years, since and largely because
of the republics life or death struggle in the
Dreyfus affair all that has been changed The
Deputy has become not 50 much the representa-
tive of his constituents 20 the government rs
the chief agent Of the government in his con
stituency. He seems TO be sent not by nis con
stiruents To the Chamber, but rather by the GOV
ernment To his constituents, and TO be not The
leader Of thought. but the dispenser of patron
age, or 1aTorS, 10 the supporters OF the govern
menU and Of puniShmenfs 10 its foes.
Inat change began, rs we have said, in the
Dreyfus days, when the government was com
PEELED Il discriminate sharply between those
who were for II and those who were against il.
The sh.bboIeth al elections became nor this or
that principle so much the question whether
the candidate was for or against the govern
/ nj Avowediy ministerial candidates Were
thus selected in al constituencies IN which there
was hope Of eectinS them. and thus the people
came 10 feel very largely that their Deputies
were not uen Of Their own much rs Of the
governments choice. 1t was in this way, it