The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-28
PULL" HARD HIT BY
FRANCES WAR CHIEF
Those Who Persist i'm Seeking
FavOrs for Soldiers Will
Be Punished.
COIN SCARCE IN PARIS
Speciai Correspondence to Tnr srS

stitutions. lie has sent Il circular 10
all generals In command saying that
aIl letters Of recommendation addressed
to any military authority by any third
party urging any change in an OIL
Gers or a private's personal position
shall be returned to the sender. ana
that any military person who has been
the object of "A r.commendatory letter
shall be warned. and In case of a Sec
ond letter punished. The Minister
points out that every soldier IL able to
draw attention to his own position by
sending "A demand through his own Off
GERS.
Any one who knows how "pull' works
In France will understand what a revo-
luton this circular must bring about.
A cartoon in "A comic paper hardly ex-
argerated things when II showed a
spick and span solder. whose uniform
showed that his duties kept him In Il
soft berth ia town. saying TO IA battle
worn. weary looking soldier, who had
Just received his first permission from
the trenches. what? Still In the
trenches? Don't you know anybody"
In times OF peace recommendati 1s
get promotions, decorations and spec.d
~cmploynents. In war recommends
lions get, OF tTN 10 ttt. UTotIlOlioTs, ~
Legion II Honor. military medals. war
crosses. easy jobs and contracts for sup
plies. Some 800 letters OF recommends
tion arrive at the Ministry OF wal every
day, and at least 10000 dockets have
been filed since the war began. to re-
cord their senders' names and the r
contents.
One example may be quoted An i'm
portant elector wishes his son to be-
ST.. Fl- 100 all 81. mt D
the military college. The father insists
that the number Of applicants to be
received be increased so that 1t will In
clude his sons name. This Is done.
Years pass and the war breaks out. The
father, still an important eiector. de-
mands that his SON., now an officer AZ
the front. shall be moved to service
in the interior. Such a case IL eXcer-
tional, but II shows what may be done
b. letters Of recommendation.
The Minister'S circular and the press
1t occasioned led to the nov
Minister making his first speech in the
chamber, Of which he Is not "A mem
Der. a worthy emb took the cir
rular as an insult to Parliament, a.
being specially aimed al them. and asked
the Minister for explanations. warning
him solennly that II his circular meant
to diminish the Deputies sacred rights
lac could never accept II.
Gen, Gal.'ul. in civilian dress and
speaking without notes. replied in eight
minutes. II, began by sa! ing that he
was u soldier. always had been "a sol.
aier and had never had anything to
ito VIII politics. Recommendations
were II plague and soldiers should feel
convinced that their own merit was the
only consideration. lie wished TO sim
plify office work. suppress useless red
to. AR.I tan.vE Th. hftN an1nlaNt,s
occupied with these letters could ftnd
better work. He would only be too glad
t. receive letters II suggestions and
complaints which would lead 10 i'm
pgnNrn4vnts.
Il.e member was not satisfied he did
not consider that the Minister had re-
moved the c.uud ~ 'oiIouS acrusi-
ton" that had settled over Parliament.
Gen. Gdlleui stood up in his place and
briefly .cp,i,d that re had no III feel
ing toward Parliament. on which lie
MAS counting TO assist him IA his task,
but he could not he responsible tor
what the press said.
And the cx-Mlnistor Of War, NJ. Mile
rand, listened TO his successor, who IS
Introducing a new life into those
bureaus of which he was accused Of
being the bond slave.
'iDll COINS nave lpHS ulshbINaiSu "
circulation in France, and now silver
CONS and copper coins Sc, IN to be fol-
loving the example OF their more valu-
able brothers. The scarcity or one cent
ana two cent pieces has reached the
point OF bains. not merely a nuisance.
but AN obstacle to business. Hundreds
of passengers lost their time the other
day on the tramways because "A coiduc-
tor Cor. rather. Conductress, for there
49, cal .,,a ta,v|4IuN - ,.fnGal IN
give change tor a 10 cent piece to "A
passenger who had no copper cents.
TramcAr after tramcar was held up 5
the argument proceeded until a police
men was called in to arbiirdte. lie
pointed out that the Project of Police
had requested all tramcar and subway
collectors to give change within reason
ahlc limits.
various causes have been given for
this scarcity OF copper coin. OF course,
IN the first place. II Is suggested tina,
the Germans, In need OF copper. are buy
ing all the small coins ana my steriously
importing them. The police authorities,
however, declare that rance stu pos
sesses It's 5000 tons OF copper coin IN
entirety. Then it Is suggested that the
days" are to blame. the days. that IL,
ON which street collections are made for
some charitable war objects when mil
lions OF cents are dropped into collecting
boxes. But the Bank OF France declares
that such collections are centralized with
It. and the coins returned to circulation
without awaiting the distribution OF the
amount collected.
The truth seems TO he that the dis
appearance of coined money. which IL
general, as We no longer see anything
like the number OF five franc pieces tina
were IN circulation when gold dlsap'
Iaared, is another example OF the axiom
that bad money drives out the good, II
this case, paper money, (which cannot os
called bad as II has France at It's back
IL becoming 10 general that coins are
being boarded. Again, the paymen o.
troops at one cent a day, and now, since
October. at five cents. takes up many
small silver and copper coins There 1,
no doubt, also, that speculation IL a
work. People are corner!ng copper coin,
in hopes Of making 7 to 10 per cent, b,
selling them to those unable to carry or
business without d good supply.
A Biarr!tz telegram states that Mau,
rice Rostand. son of the poet Cor rather
of poets. AZ his mother is one as wei
az his father. has now Joined thu
regiment, having been declared medical,
lit for service. although he has twic,
been "reforme' or rejected as UNIT fol
active service. This news. If confirmed
SA. rob the song makers of Montmartr,
and tho review writers of Paris of on,
Of their fayorite gibes, al Maurice ha.
always been hardly treated by them
A -IA - a d.