Evening star., 1909-05-02

and flowers OF late years
May Day in France it has become
a sort of terror. day OF
wrath with manifesta-
tions of the turbulent. who shout for an
archy and threaten government. Syndi-
Gates have sprung UP under the titles
OF General Labor Federation and Posts
and Telegraph Federation. More re-
Gently there has been added to this army
of malcontents a syndicate of Government
Functionaries.
France has recently been visited by a
series Of social and political plaques
March Is strike of postmcn and tcleg-
raphists was inaugurated by l 30 men
employed in the central office of the Paris
telegraph department. who stopped work
and thus checked the current Of social,
economical and political life in France,
not only to the detriment of France, but
to the world without. After the post and
telegraph strike there followed the strike
of the Government OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
who desire to be considered as bosses of
the jobs given them. exclusive of the
control of the ministry to which they
have been heretofore subject. Finally
there came up the socialist congress at
st. Etienne, whose program included the
discussion of agrarian socialism, prepara-
ton for the electoral campaign of 1910
the modification Of the statutes, and the
plan of action for the 1st of May, when
1t had threatened to annihilate the state
The 1st of May was to be a crisis in the
affairs of socialism in France. and since
M. Augustin Cochin had written in the
Correspondent that crises were the mode
"a crisis in science. a crisis in religion. a
crisis in pariamentism-why not crises
in socialism?
The cable dispatches from Paris on the
9th instant were not altogether rcassur-
ing, and yet they did not indicate more
than the usual alarm.
1t was said in the first dispatch that
six postmen had been summoned to the
Office Of Mr.. Simyan. un-
Postmen der-secretary of posts and
tele2raphs, and ques-
toned about their recent
speeches at meetings of employees advo-
eating anti-patriotic and anti-military
doctrines, attacking government. and par
lament and favoring aff1liation with the
General Federation of Labor. The Temps
understood that the summoned employees
refused to reply and that should the In
quiry to be made by the department of
posts result in dismissals the employees
will renew their recent agitation.
The second cable said in substance that
the federation leaders had organized
a twenty four hour strike for May 1. The
government had taken extraordinary pre-
cautions. Heavy bodies of troops had been
conveyed to Paris, while warships sta
toned along the coast would insure COM
munication with the Eiffel tower. Paris
was thus secured from the isolation to
which she had been subjected by the anti
patriots March 13.
NJ Francis Charmes. in the Revue des
Deux Mondes for April and 15 defines
clearly the situation. which he declares
to be impossible to exaEXerate and full
Of danger. He thinks that there is some
thing broken-perhaps irrenediably bro
ken in the political and social edifice in
France. A long cracking sound has been
heard. The most deaf. those who do not
wish to hear. are the only ones who hear
nothing. Where are We gOing?' lie
asks. Where will be the power tomor-
row-where. indeed, is it today?''
The postal strike Is the more significant
In that its apparent causes are more in
significant. Two causes have been given
the irritation created by a new rule of
ment.' a system by virtue of which
functionaries of the posts were divided
into three categories-thOse of the first
advancement were chosen every three
years. those OF the second choice for
advancement every three years and three
months and the others every three years
and six months. That offended. it ap-
pears. the democratic principlev that all
men are equal and should be submitted to
the same regime, whether they are in
telligent or not laborious or not, or,
finally, useful or not.
):
1T is necessary to be just says NJ.
Charmes, land we would not be just to-
ward the postmen II we
Official neglected to say that in
the application of the
ra"oiA'Asn' system the best treated
were far from being always the most
meritorious. Favoritism today Is the
open sore, the shame, the cancer Of our
administration in France from the high
est to the lowest. The postmen were
profoundly convinced that they were
often the victims of these detestable po-
litical customs, which are not uncOm-
mon, perhaps, to all governments, but to
which the actual government has con-
cluded to submit until the end
When the postmen submitted their
grievances 1t was replied that the "tierce-
ment' had been established by circular,
but this circular had been suppressed by
another. of which they did not know pre-
cisely the date.
Under such circumstances and the fact
that NJ. Simyan is not only unsympa-
thetic, but brutal, 1t Is not strange that
there was a strike, and that there were
disorders and misdemeanors were COM
mitted.
When the matter was taken up in the
chamber NJ. Clemenceau was i'll. NJ
Barthou, minister of public works and
posts. replied to the Interpolation. NJ.
Charles Dumont complained that all the
workmen. delegations or functionaries
which had met the minister had the i'm
preston that they had not been met in
spirit of equality"
IAN equality of that nature cried NJ.
Barthou, would be the expression of
simple anarchy, and for my part l will
not lend myself to such policy. 1t is not
possible that for such insignificant sriefs,
difficult to define, the public service may
he Interrupted and functionaries revolt.
And against whom? Against the sub
secretary? Against the government?
No. above us. they revolt against you,
against the entire nation whose life is
whose service is suspended,
and against which there are suspended
over our heads danger of every nature"
II the strike of the postmcn was due
to the accidental causes assigned it, it
would still be a subject of
General grave disquietude. Tn
fortunately it is symp-
Oonuitlon' tom of general condi-
tion, the result of a long-practiced policy.
and the postmen have felt it when they
denounced the msdeedS of favortism
and the odious prosecutions which some
NrN t..l, r1rppD