Evening star., 1909-05-16
Naval Question May Bring Clemen
ceau Rule to Defeat.
POSTAL STRIKE REMARKABLY
Labor Leader Pataud Proud Of Ac-
complishment-No One to Marry
Six Waiting Couples.

ing in elegance and style the EHlsiah'
themselves.
American dominance grows more ant
more marked. Great hotels in the Champ
Elysees have been built and equipped Il
meet the American trade. These estao
lishments are run on the same lines al
those on Broadway.
n Here are to be met American familie:
who move in an orbit. almost exclusive
ly transatlantic, which has nothing
whatever to do with French life or ever
with the French language. After Ger
tain terms of this existence these exotics
return home, doubtless fully posted OF
all matters appertaining to this coun
try.
Attitude of Socialists.
The governmental press discusses will
some bitterness the scornful re1ectior
by the socialist congress at Sain
Etienne of the radical socialist pro
posals for a renewal of the alliance o,
republican defense" 1t takes some
comfort. however, from the fact that tht
united socialists have not actually de
clared war, but, by deciding Tor INT
maintenance of the status quo, have
I left the local federations free to main
tain or withdraw the socialist candidates
against or IN 1dNOT VI TduiSdA SoANA0~sSs
according to circumstances
II On all sides the growing unpopularlty
of the government is admitted, thOugf
opinions differ as to its cause: Inus tnt
Il followers of M. Combes attribute II, II
the words Of the Rappel, to Clemen
ceau's policy Of aggression against thu
Of the bloc" of the left.
/ Others, who realize that the day OF
the Combist bloc" has passed, accuse
i lsr0 hn r0fnrnnQ
the radical socialist party. Thus tne
| senate is warned from one source tna'
If 1T DELAYS the income tax and Old age
pension bills 1t is in danger OF becoming
! :the grave-digger Of the republic
| TO an impartial observer. however, the
first of these reforms appears far from
popular, and the declaration of M. La
ferre the president of the executive COM
mittee of the radical socialist party, IN
L'Action seems to be nearer the mark
1.-The lack which is felt today, as yes
terday, both in parliament and IN the
country is" he remarks, "a government
which really governs. =,
It is certain that the government will
soon have to Withstand dangerous at
tacks on the naval question.
Postal Strike in Paris.
The recent postal strike in Paris stands
out as remarkable incident in the con-
fused struggle of ideas and interests
partly economic and partly political
which for want of better term is
vaguely called the labor movement. II
lis one Of those dramatic events which oc-
cur more frequently in France. and par
ticularly in Paris. than in other countries
Of equal intellectual standing and ma
terial stability, and it has rightly attract,
| ed universal attention.
This sudden. yet complete and cal
culated revolt against the authority OF
the state by large and important Sec
tion of Its servants. carried out with ar
air of studied insOlence and based on Os-
tensible grounds SO inadequate as to be
fippant Is an occurrence which canno,
fail to excite the serious interest of in
ltelligent and thoughtful persons.
| Not only has the public suffered incredi-
BILE inconvenience In the non-delivery OF
correspondence. but 1t is now also expert
encing positive rudeness and tncivility
from the staff of the post office, as vel
as new delays in the service.
/ A renewal of the strike is looked upor
| with apprehension. 1t would appear thai
the goodwill in the working off of ar.
rears. which was promised as the price OF
peace and the capitulation OF the gov
fernment, has quickly evapOrated.
One reason why the postal workers &C.
complish SO little and fail utterly tc
satisfy the public is because the office
| operations are absurdly complicated anG
antiquated. Nothing could be more ridic-
ulous than the formalities required ir
issuing postal orders and post office or.
ders. The staff is overworked as the re-
suit of It's attention to a multitude OF
petty details
Labor Leader Pataud.
NJ. Pataud. the labor leader, has GER
Itainly considerable amount of personal
charm. Medium in height, his sympa-
thetic face Is lighted with a pair Of soft
brown eyes. Beneath the nose, which is
somewhat fiat and full, falls golden
brown mustache, covering we'll formed
mouth. His hair Is still innocent of any
strands Of gray.
In conversation he always smiles as if
he were overflowing with amiab bility He
talks half mockingiy of revolution and
social reform9 of knocking down society
and replacing it with another: of the need
OF some cosmic system of insuring to the
workingman larger measure of life anC
enjoyment.
Pataud has eloquence and persuasion on
his side. When he talks 1t all seems so
easy and delightful.
He is naturally proud of the postal
strike, and more particularly takes credit
to himself for having effected what looks
| like a union between such divergent
classes Of workers as the government
servants and members of the trades
unions.
Pataud was asked how he had managed
" cIcct tHlS. ne ToplloQ Indt tQo IuHC-
tionaries had suddenly discovered that
they were being exploited like other
classes of workers.
And for what? For a miserable pen
sion. And how many enjoy that pension?
An absurdly small minority.
| "And do you mean to assert that a man
must submit to slavery and all kinds of
misery all his life because at sixty he is
| to have a government pension? The
thing is grotesque"
There is this great danger in the situa-
tion. that the only barrier between an
industrial disturbance sufficiently wide
land extended to affect the whole Of the in
dustry of the country is what one might
term the good will of the workers them
selves, or at least their sanity. AS mat
ter of fact, the functiOnaries do not desire
a strike at the present moment. they are
not prepared for 1t: neither do the mas.
of the workingmen.
| When that moment arrives the move
ment will prove irresistible. But 1t is
absurd and gratutous to fix date for
this general upheaval. 1t seems certain
that the present constitution could not
Withstand another assault of the kind
delivered to 1t by the postal workers.
| Six Marriages Held Up.
Since Lent marrying and giving in mar
lriage are going on with redoubled activity
in France. Six brides. with their attend
Partisan town halls the other day to he
united in the bonds of civil wedlock before
proceeding to church for the religious
ceremony, when a member of the party
| pulled out his watch and exclaimed
I.'Monsieur le maire is late!'
| All the other men. following his exam
Pile. consulted their chronometers. cry
H.