The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-08-15
TIGER CLEMENCEAU,
SAVIOR OF FRANCE,
FOE TO ALL POLITICS
People Who Had Regarded Him Frebrand, Turned to
Him in 1917 Crisis, Recognizing His Voice as
Voice of Nation

Man" cutting out everything In It e1-
cent the headlines. Clemenccau chang
Cd III. name Of his paper to the Man
Nv Chains" The censor ignored him
for n time and he changed II again ~
the MAN Less Chained.
Everybody read the paper, because IL
wos so brilliantly written. especially inc
two columns Of investivc which Glenn
cnccau signed every day. Besides II
WIS a scandal. Nobody was spared.
,rbn Tiger respected nor wealth nor
power.
Things were at n serious crisls III
E>r,ncc all during the year 1917. Inc
war did not approach an end There
,vns Il serious. shortage Of fuel. ASfi'
cultural affairs were in tanglc. nus.
sia- which owed France vast sums o.
money, had collapsed. TRAITORS were
abroad in the land. While tho fcAi
France fought gloriously. immorta'ls d.
verdun and at Yprcs. the politicians III
tho capital wranglcd the hours ava
Poodle began to say. We must nave
strong government. There must be
unity Who Is the man TO give u 10
us?" Ono after another man they trieo'
sn,cndid men. Ribot, the diplomat, inc
grand old arstocrat. who could talk Ia,
njllarly with king. tho man VINO hao
made the Frnnco-Russian alliance
rajn1cvc. the intellectual. ono OF the
greatest mathcmaticiars i'll EUROPE.
Other statesmen. Ono by ono thcy nao
fallen. Clcmenceau was usually re-
sponsjblc for their fall. He Kept alter
them until they got too unpopular L"
last. lie is said IT, have wrecked SIX
tccn ministries and he certainly remoF-
cd one president.
People began 10 say: mat man
Clcmrnceau. that Tiger. who mas poem
such tirchr;nd, such thorn in the
side Of all the governments, that man
has usually been right in his judgments
He was right about Salonica. VIC
should never have sent Cen. Sarrali
there, He was needed for France
CIcmonccau said so at the time. and nc
Was right.
Always A Patriot.
''Hc was right about Bnso' loo. Hc
probably knew what he was ta'Rlhs
about when h" accused Caillaux al Try
inC 10 persuade Italy To sue for sep
arate peace with Germany. lie was
right when he said there ought TO ne
grncrulissimo Mt the head Of the alll"d
armies. Nobody. not even his worst
enemies, ever accused the Tiger OF be-
ing anything hut q good patriot. why.
he is the biggest and most sing!e-mlnd-
cd patriot in France What If We had
II have Clcnlenccau for prime MN
iStcr"'
Az first the idea WAS laughed AT.
Then II was discussed. but then every
bodv said: 1T can't ba done. The
United Socialists have declared against
him in advance. roincarc may appoint
him, for he is big enough to forget that
ne WAS called a Nero. but without the
vote Of ti,r Unified Socialists tho Chamh-
cr Of DEPUTIES cannot confirm any noml-
nation. Tic Unified Socialists. II
seems. is L party that hangs together
better than. some Of tho Other radical
groups.
Last November th"rc was real crisis
in Franco. M use going int" dctaitS
nov. hrrauSr ii is past. Eut when INC
crisis was 1T It's height Tho people DIS
covered that Clcmrnc"au was not
firchrand after all. II" was tho voice
Of France.
Accepted BY Big Vote.
His opposition had almost always
bcen opposition 70 hypocrisy and irn>"m-
rrtcnce. His fiery invcctivc was fierce
common sense. the common sense OF the
good brave, clcar-viSinn"d French mind.
Here, at last. was Il man. moi pGlltl-
cian The Unified Socialists alone cIunE
Ia their opposition. confident thai 'ncE
could block Clcmcn"cau's appointment.
They had blocked both Ribot and Pain
love in their efforts to form ministries.
! They wore rcrdy 10 keep tlrmcnccau
from office.
Ncvcrl hrlcss. ruincar" sent for Glenn
crccau and asked him 10 become prime
minister Hr accepted hruSquciy, an-
pr.alcd To tho Chamber Of Deputies in Il
s;,"cch ruII ut pat rintisr and intelligent
statements Of facts. ftr WAS accepted
rs a prime minister by every vote in the
house except The unified socialists and
fifteen rXtrrn" RADICALS. ! n" Nole $1,000
AIS 10 e..
Clvmrnccau formed 4 cabinet which
rather aStnniSh"d thr French nj
first. lie appointed two men who were
MT even n".nh"rS Of III" Chamber OF
Deputies. II" include TWO of mis- old
aSsnri;lt..s Of former days who had boon
almost as unpopular as himself; The
newspapers. while speaking moderately
OF ali this. accused t'I"m"nrHau OF being
n dictator lie rules with n. rod Of
iron" they complained. "llc went lot
his minister's mention tho word rrac" in
his presence. He works everybody 10
death.
strangled Treason.
This old man II s"vHr;y-SIE Is tiCnd
for work. He one" said that the reason
ne wrecked those ministries was because
tncF wasted so nlutn llIll'', fl' uI"IHH
the allied conference at Versailles with
he shortcs; speech on record: Gentle
men. we arc here ~ work l.c: us work.
Tho speech is shorter still when il IS
turned into French.
Soon mosI Of III" newspapers were
supporting tho prime minister. II" may
hay" been 4 dictator hut hr got results.
RI" took treason ~ the throat and
strangIrh it. H" took hold Of TN" army
and strengthened II. Al lensi three
ines Il week he m"inr"d 20 tho front.
going 80 close tn TIE firing lin" that
several times hc has hcrn In great dan
ger AMI ono" H. nlrr 'wlr' "Sca ped bang
ca Dturcd by 4 German patrol
II that patrol had captnrcd rlrTcn-
ccau thu kaiser would have issued n new
medal and had all IN" church bells in
thr cmpir" runc. for th" prime minister
is. Of all Frrrrhn"n the must feared
and hated by Germany.
n" has alwHvF S"rn through thu Cor
mans. His newspaper has exposed their
iniriGurS timr out nj mind. About ron
years ago tn" Germans tried 10 S"du,r
G'rlurn hi CHI rolnn ial