The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-08-20
Article XVIII.
Nv Rheta Childe Dorr.


admired and supported by his cntire
community. ". Clemenccau. the splen-
did prime minister of France. who mas
done so much In a few short months 10
unity his nation and TO bring the allied
armies together under one commander
in-chicf, is no exception TO the rule lie
has with him in the Chamber OF Depu-
tics the solid vote OF the right and cen
ter. tho conservation and moderate vote.
and he has also some Of tho left or
radical vote. He is opposed by the
radical socialists only.
Some Of the radicals with whom
talked in France urged me. if were TO
understand the French mind. to sec and
talk with the leader of the opposition.
Albert Thomas. SO one morning l
went. by appointment. to the modest
| apartment in tho nciGhbnrhood or the
Chamber OF Deputies which is the home
OF NJ. Thomas. and the center OF actlr-
tiles Of the railroad socialists OF France.
Accompanying me was Mile. ST. Rene
Talllandier. Of the French foreign offlco.
young woman Of exceptional intellect
and an accomplished linguist. Speak
ing English as we'll as her native
French. Mile. St. Rene Taillandlcr
agreed to go with me to interview NJ.
Thomas. lest any shade of meaning IN
WHAT ne SalQ 10 me HllSN I've iOSN.
NJ Thomas speaks no English. and J..
of course. have but an imperfect knowl-
edge Of French Whenever l failed to
understand some idiom or figure Of
speech I halted the conversation until
1t could be interpreted Into English
Group OF Idealists.
wanted to be fair to NJ. Thomas and
his political group. My previously con-
ceivcd admiration for M. Clemenceau
made me all the more anxious TO under
stand exactly why he was so vigorous
" opposed. We talked for nearly an
hour and when I was down i'll the
street again, walking along the gli;t"c-
Ing Seine. I said to my friend we
have them like that In the United
States honest. sincere. intelligent IDEAL
lists: with binders on
Judging from what saw and heard
in tho apartment Of N. Albert Thomas
that morning. France must nave cor
siderable group OF such idealists. We
were early for our appointments; and
waited for ten minutes in the reception
room. which was moro likc NJ office.
with a long table strewn with socialist
literature and propaganda pamphlets.
and around the walls a row or SUM-
cane seated chairs.
focr attended the door. which frequently
opened to admit more visitors. During
nv talk with NJ Thomas the same little
girl appeared half dozen times cbarinR
cards and notes. There is no doubt that
NJ. Thomas is the leader Of strong
group.
Says French Arc Stable.
The head of the radical socialists in
France is q man Of forty-somcthtng.
short, thick-set. with blue intelligent
| eyes behind steel trimmed spectacles. He
| has rather long brown hair. beard OF a
| lighter shade Of brown.
His speech Is quick and animated with
| a little too much oratory In 1t. Every
! question asked him way answered by
speech 1t made me think Of Glad
| stone Of whom Queen E!cvtnria said:
''Hn addresses mo as If I were public
meeting"
| I asked NJ Thomas to tell me tho
spirit Of the French working people dur
| ing the war. Were they Fundamentally
patriotic or was there somo Of the Indus
trial unrest that had made itself felt In
England.
! Our French working class IS more
stable than the British he replied.
| Every French man and woman worthy
| OF the name wants the allies to win the
war. In the Chamber Of Deputies there
have been only three men who have not
shown themselves genuinely patriotic.
These three went to Switzerland and
discussed the war with certain Germans.
| Their act was denounced by all other
socialists as we'll as by the bourEcoisn
deputies. The men have absolutely no
following"
rs the French working class solidy
J socialist, or has It majority Of social
ists?'
| SOCIALISTS Powerful
1T has not q majority in numbers.
but tho socialist element IS very power
full. much more powerful than surface
indications show. In sIvne Of strikes the
party always Yields great Influence. 1t
Is impossible for a stranger 10 under
stand the extent of socialist opinion
throughout Franco. Reading the news
papers would not convey the facts 10 the
stranger because unfortunately the
press and the people here are not to-
gether."
rs your socialism revolutionary I
asked.
NO. 1t Is more philosophical than row.
dictionary" was the reply The npin-
| ions Of your President Wilson are almost
exactly ours. His war aims as stand by
him find absolute echo in The French
popular mind. Much more so than in
the mind Of the government" This with
q flash and a gesture that spelled
"clemenceau" very clearly.
| We are not Bolshevkl. VIC are
French" he added with emphasis.
Il wish you would explain to me. II
you are solidly in favor OF a peace with
victory for the allies. why your group.
| and especially YOU as leader wanted TO
go to the Stockholm conference and dis
| cuss peace without victory with the
| Germans"
Mr.. Thomas demurrcd little at my
way Of putting the question and right
here I began to notice the binders.
For stockholm Meeting.
TT is true that WAS and am warmly
| In favor Of the Stockholm conference"
| he began. Il regret very much that Mr..
| Gompers and the American Federation
| of Labor have misunderstood my atti-
tude and my object in wanting To meet
| In Stockholm representatives of the
workers OF oil nations. They seem TO
| think that my object was To fratnrniZe
with tho Germans. Not at all. My OBJ
ject was to tell the whole German people
| the allies war aims, and their stated
| terms Of peace.
| The German people do not know
these aims. Tho imperial government
keeps the people in ignorance. the press
censorship is SO complete that the r"ai
| terms on which we arc willing tn mad"
peace have never been published. We
| cannot get at the German people
through their newspapers.
We could have talked To them
through the Stockholm conference. be-