The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-14
STRIKE MATTER IS STILL MOOTED French Minister Continues
 to Have Trouble PAPERS INDIGNANT At Many Discoveries of Fraud in France-Paris Has a Kind
 Regard For the
 Apaches
PAPERS INDIGNANT

tHC
 Apaches
 Paris, May 13.-(Special) )--When M. Momis took office one of the first things he did was to pardon the employees of the State railroad, discharged for the part they took in the great strike. The private railroad companies, however, re- fused to do so on the score that such step would be against all discipline and bad example. On April IA, H. Monis | laid the cause before the. chamber of dep uties and declared that if the companies did not take the men back he would ask parliament to give him weapons" to make them do so. The socialists were de- 1 lighted at such language, and M. Jaures presented his compliments to the minister. The minister of public works has now ad- dressed a letter of the companies, calnng their attention to the motion voted in the chamber and expressing his conviction that they would respond to the. desire of the national representatives "ins the gen. eral interest and for the sake of public peace" It is an ultimatum the companies l are in no mood to accept. They resent this attempt on the part of the executive to dictate to them the way they are to 1 carry on their business. The two thou sand men in disgrace were members or the labor confederation who had done all the mischief; but there were tens of thou sands of their employees who sought pro- tection against the confederation. To oo- tain the support of NJ. Jaures the minister | was pursuing a demagogic policy, but, pending further legislation the companies have the law on their side.
 l professor at the Commr al college at Calais has played practical joke an the authorities, taking advantage of the nu- merous spy scares which have arisen lately Some children were playing on the beach and they discovered a photographic plate which a man had buried in the sand a little while before. On the plate were traced the words Chariot. a sum of 200 francs will be given to you if you furnish me tomorrow with plans of the western bastion.' This was signed Peter Bau- man. After the signature were the words, Destroy this plate, please" The children gave the plate to their father, who In turn handed it on to the police.
 The police commissary the next day went to the beach with the two children, who recognized the man who buried the | plate easily, as he was accompanied by a black and white dog. He was at once rec ognized as a professor at the college and readily admitted that he buried the plate in the sand, quickly adding that he did It for joke. The police, however, searched his house, but found nothing of an incrim- mating nature. They are now woIder- ing whether or not they have been neatly sold. q
 The French Secuon of the approaching Dresden exhibition will be one of consid- erable importance. It is the first lime | that republican France has consented to take official part in German exhibition and the event is being worthily cornmem- orated by the two nations. On the part of Germany there is frank and open hospi- tality and a desire to do everything for the comfort and convenience of the French. On the part of France there is the determination to make the French section second to none. The turin exhi- bition happens to fall about the same time, but the French section will be in evidence all the same This spirit of en- terprise is all the more notable consider ing that French exhibitors were not satis- fled at their treatment in Brussels. As a form of reapproachment with Germany and Italy 1t is distinctly encouraging
 
 virtuously indignant at the many discov- cries of fraud in France and are offering thanks that such things are unheard of in their own countries. Most of them, and in this respect the English papers are especially bad, try to prove to their read CTS that scandals of this kind are only possible in a country where the morals have grown as lax as in France. In real lity France has always been singularly fra off taI 6otC manent state officials and it's politicians are no worse than those of other coun- tr1es, a fact which is proven by the fact that while in America the word graft" and in England the word "pickngs" nave been invented to describe official stealing the French language contains no such special word. though the French are quicker than anybody to invent new words.
 The recent discoveries of graft here have created an immensely strong public opinion which demands that the official Augean stables be quickly and thoroughly cleaned. and M. Delcasse is already being pointed out as the Hercules who is better fitted than anyone else to perform this task.
 There Is none who has a higher record for spotless honesty and unfinching cour- age and 1t is said that he has forced his Icolleagues to probe the scandal to the bottom. The architect who is said to have made money out of contracts-alas, a very common fault among officials the attache who is accused of selling doc- uments, and the various confederates who are supposed to have dipped into the se- cret funds may, after all, prove to be tho scapegoats for more influential culprits. As to that, time will tell us
 We have been thrilled with stories of the policeman-apache Deep down in the most respectable breast lies a sneal1ing lregard for the Rallies and Arsone Lupin of society The stuffy civilization of Suburbia likes to feel shocked, sometimes, by the violent deeds of the bandit. Paris ians would positively miss their apaches existence with iron laws. The excitement of not knowing when you may be at tached, of feeling that a burly ruffian is waiting for you round the next corner, is good for some constitutions. It stimulates the citizen to live again the days of youth and of heroic impulse.
 | There is something desperately logical in Warze, the policemans arrest of him. self. It was the fitting crown to his career. Lately. by all accounts, he had been playing the role of apache, and playing it with extraordinary impudence He had gone away to Brussels with a young woman, with whom he was on more