Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-21
GLIMPSE FROM PAGE
/. OF FRENCH HISTORY
IN DARK DAYS OF II
Removal Of Capital to Bor-
deux Revives Memory of
Country's Plight After
German Conquest.
Nv GEORGE DUFREsNE

z,.r correspondent OF the international News
puh Service.
PARIS, Sept. IS. = The sitting of the
french capital at Bordeaux during a
nort Of the great European war. and the
transfer of the Belgian capital from Brus-
,e,s to Antwerp, brings vividly to mind
,be days of 1901, when the French capi-
tsI was moved to Bordeaux.
II was to Bordeaux that the seat of
de,egated Administration was removed
.or,v in December, 1870, when the army
=, the Loire was beaten and the Ger
mans recaptured Orleans, from which
thew had been driven out a month be-
fore.
The Provisional Government which
.oized the Administration of France on
the downfall of the Empire at Sedan,
rsmained nominally in Paris throughout
the siege. They were called derisively
by their opponents "The Government Of
the 70 Lawyers" because Of the great
preponderance of lawyers in their ranks.
AT first there was truce Of parties
But that lasted less than a month. The
lacked decision. They continually
changed their minds on the pressing
question whether the municipal elections
should be held or not The extreme Re-
publlcans-the Reds, as they were called
began 70 indulge In noisy demonstra-
tons. and though the Government were
confirmed in their powers by the plebi-
20 trIn fhaf
NAMED exceedingly unsatisfactory and
precarious.
The unsuccessful negotiations for an
armistice weakened them still further,
because the people OF Paris little under
stood the real position. The mob rule
which followed a few months later was
prophesied by acute Observers
A FEEBLE GOVERNMENT.
In the circumstances in which France
unfortunate that councils of both of the
Government and of the military authori-
ties of Paris were subject to the clam
orous pressure of the Paris crowd.
Early in September the Provisional
Government had dispatched n delegation
to Tours with the object of organizing
resistance in the provinces. But they
sent the wrong people. caustic OBJ
server wrote:
The Government here consists of NJ.
CemieuX, a highly respectable person; OF
III. Glais- Eizoin an eccentric who wastes
much OF his colleagues valuable time by
the development of crack-brain notions
and of Admiral Fourichon As delegate
OF Ministry of the Interiar we have NJ
Laurler, and Count Chandordy Is an eX-
celent representative of the Ministry OF
Foreign Affairs. But what are wanted
are generals
But good generals were lacking in
France in that fatal year. However, 81
llttIe later the delegated Government OF
Iours was aroused out of its quiet sur
fouhdlngS-thc Government was installed
IN hall of the Archbishop's Palace
adorned with painted glass windows and
religious omblcms-by the arrival OF Leon
Gambetta from Paris.
GAMBETTA ON THE SCENE.
he had escaped by balloon from the
oesleged city. and the peroratiou of hi'
hrst speech at Tours gave the keynote OF
MS po!icy, IF We cannot make compact
win victory he said, "let us make n
compact with death" Seiaing for him.
sen inc Ministry of WARRIOR there was
no"e at Tours to contest his supremacy
~ nuhS hlmSelf into his mission with
SI tile ardor of which he was capable,
udmoetta was one of those Frenchmeu
Nno realized that Paris was not France.
u n tlat france was far greater than
W. ''il'ai' faris was not aIl-that was
MS constant thcme-aud he kiudled
throughout the provinces, as vet unroy-
Is.u @ nE Tn" war spirit Of fierce and
s~oa,IV resistance. Here is short
p''''''eh "t his glowing rhetoric:
NEW ARMY or 10000.
uambetta's principal helper in This
was p' f''yc'not. aud together they CON
""eu 70 rails" in tho short space Of six
weeks an army Of 10000 men, which, if
I'VE framing had been equal to its ardor.
"'sh' nave succeeded in raising the siege
" rams or at least in nficting acyore
''d" upon the invaders. There was,
,O'e'' at one moment serious tax i'm
"' "erman Headquarters OF RAISING tbo
80 Mhcn the news came on November
So Dll"hhs had been captured Dv the
N Hny OF the Loire. ''''
Meanwhile. Thiars y.os ,,,,,.-,..
Son dug SPOUT foreign intervention M Lon
An - t'i"l sburs, Vienna and FIo-ence
Ia Isn =" VAIN; the only suggestion that Eng
yisia,"u ,"u 10 make was that the pro-
sr",;r,,l prG"%l government should negotiate am
a X,tt'' iCr the purpose of summUning
tNau'hn' Assembly To ascertain whethe7.
VA, p'Tpi' Of France wanted peace or
his bs'' jules Favre was driven 10 renew
a, vsrI,i2 vptll,lui negotiations with Blsrrarck
50 ,T'sallles, and the armistico was
-steeu SEE 10 ON January ..
tdpc ,Ih' indeed refused To acknnUI-
Paris 'Iat ha, 'ne provisional government of
nrD,.l,d mad any right To sign away the
s'S'lhses and fortresscs which Fayre I'm
Wa,,I1 IIlous US phrase, had vowed that France
FOR a , never surrender, and nc clamored
was e,.,a,nce .',''uance of the war. But France
CAM @"aHsted' and recognized maj the
oyorf ,rgst Vas hopeless. ana Gambetta was
met ~, ne When the National Assembly !
cep,oG bordeaux ON February ~ il ac- !
snd at ono" the terms of the armisticc.
rsg,,. .'p Transferring itsclr To Versmiiies
rspublic. S"'''eh' oil the third |