New-York tribune., 1909-02-17
THE ERA OF SANITY IN FRANCE.

Mr.. Clemenceau continues to win and, better
still. fully TO deserve the golden opinions of
the friends of orderly and equitable government
in France not only by bis constructive states
manship in progressive legislation, but also by
his administrative discretion and resolution in
dealing with whatever trying emergencies may
arise. Our Paris correspondent on Sunday called
attention to a recent noteworthy example Of his
successful exercise of these latter qualities, in
the cases of three groups of disorderly strikers.
toward whom his policy was by no means uni
form, though its lack Of uniformity was logical
and iudicious and met with the ready approval
of parliament In fact. the discrimination which
Mr.. Clemenceau exercised was so instructive as
to be well worthy of contemplation. perhaps for
emulation. by other governments which have to
deal with similar problems.
There were three distinct groups Of strikers
with which the French government had TO deal.
One consisted OF actual worlkingmen, who
thought that they had, and probably in fact had
real grievances. Doubtless they were i'll adj
vised and mischievously led in resOrting to vio-
lence But doubtless also they acted iii good
faith with no other desire or intention than to
secure abatement Of their grievances. Mr.. Gle
menceau accordingly requested a vote of am
nesty for them, and it is gratifying TO record
that it was granted, and that it is approved by
all save few Of those fanatics whose cardinal
principle IS always 10 disagree with everybody
else
The second group consisted Of students who
insisted upon recasting the history of the world
and in declaring black TO be white and white to
be black and who went on strike with insults
and violence. against the professors who declined
TO approve their fantastic vagaries- These cal
low and shallow "manifestants' were animated
by a desire TO pose, TO gain publicity, and TO
suffer ''martyrdom" which would procure for
them some coddling and hero worship from their
still shallower female friends Mr.. Clemenceau
easily perceived their quality, and decided that
although braying them with pestle in a mortar
would not cause their folly 10 depart from them,
it was none of his business to relieve them Of
any Of the pains Of their self-sought martyr
dom" but that the law should be permitted to
take its inexorable course; in which parliament
agrees with him and all the people say Amen ="
The third set Of strikers, or of would-be
strikers consists of government employees who.
under socialist Indictment. have been trying TO
organize themselves into trade unions affiliated
with the trade unions in private industry and
pledged to cooperate with them in sympathetic
and universal strikes: so that If some miners in
the Nord strike for higher wages all the postal
clerks and school teachers in France shall go on
strike until the increase is granted; or If the
milliners of Paris strike for shorter days of ser
vice all the frainhands on the state railroads
shall stop work and paralyze traffic until the
government intervenes in behalf Of the milliners.
Mr. Clemenceau rightly declined thus to abdl-
cate the functions of government in favor Of a
socialist syndicate. and again parliament sus-
tained him.
The fact is that since the auspicious advent OF
the late Mr. Waldeck- Rousseau at the head of
the government France has been enjoying N era
of sanity in which she is being steadily con-
irmed 1t is not too much. perhaps. to perceive
in It as some do something like a change in the
French national Temperament. Ethnic and So