The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-02-26
WHAT COTTIN'S
SHOT MAY DO
Voice Of Partisan Politicians
in France May Be StilIed
On Eve of Peace.
DANGER OF EXTREME
Object Lesson Drawn From
Clemenceau's Place
Hard to Fill.

4 - 4
Ucndon TimesPhil. Ledger Cop Cabie.)
Paris, Feb. 26.-There is no rea.
son to ignore the fact that the dis.
appearance Of Clemenceau from ths
peace conference would be a rea'
disaster to France and to consider
what would be likely to happen. NJ
Clemenceau is so high above the res,
u tue French statesmen. both by
reason OF MS own qualities and by
reason or his huge popularity
.nrougnout the country. 1t is diff
CUT To- see who can replace him:
VINO. after such a crime as Cottin's
would have the strength of purpose
ana the backing of opinion neces !
sary Tor the energetic measures
which VIII no doubt be called fol
against the bolshevist agitation. II
1t be proved that Coffin was in any
way connected with them. Public
rury against Coffin Is indeed I'd
strong that there is already a de-
mand that all the sources from which
the agitation against M. Clemencea,,
mas arisen shall be purified ener-
getically. This demand was evi-
IDENTIFY anticipated by the socialist
papers, which after condemninr tbe
crime, pleads II shall not be followed
ny q police purge of the kind famil-
lar to them.
Contemporary history shows M
tempts at assassination of this ma
ture, although having the support
ana approval of no one in particular
usually demand a certain amonnt y,
nrmness of government after them
VINO is the man In the event of the
worst happening. who could provide
france with a government capable
or carrying on the Clemenceau ira.
dition?
Few Men So Capable.
X There are certainly few men in tn,
present cabinet capable OF taking til,
reins from Clemenceau, should he b,
forced to take a rest. which he doe
| not now dream of doing.
The chief men in the goveyhnen
nave no desire for a. ininIstefia
change and on the contrary. are N
dssireus Of but one thing, the rapf,
recovery OF the man who has not .or,f,
49, 49, : Garlilany. but has even man,
70 CONQUER the Frencn force i.
mas thus created. and Is his besi
guarantee that whatever course M
Eienienceau would or may take
france, as a whole, will remain.
1 nave been asked more than once
py VISITORS, why 1t is that the French
nave escaped Sc Ear. the great labor
upheavals which have disarranged
iife in England. | think the answer
is to be found in the confidence which
people have In Clemenceau. and in
the considerable political instinct of
the French working classes. They
nave their demands for shorter hours
and more pay like the rest of the
worlds labor. but they realize that
In putting them forward at the pres
ent moment, with the peace confer-
ence within their gates, they will
not be assured of the public support
which is essential to the triumph NJ
strike claims. So far, we have had
nothing but demonstrative strikes
movements by which labor, after 4ts
long war silence, reminded the rest
or France that it had it's grievances
and would state them or fight for
them at the proper time.
Today that inclination even to re-
mind the public of labor's organized
existence Is singularly diminished
and from every section of the popu-
lation there is rallying to the
Clemenceau program of peace nego-
tiations and determination to sink
internal differences. at any rate. for
the time being. I have spoken TODAY
to many workingmen in Paris. All
were expressively vehement in de-
nilnniQfinnC nf Itatt;n =
ately admiring in references to
pour Ia victoire."
M. Clemenceau Has indeed made
direct appeal to all men capable of
appreciating real man, even though
they do not all share his political
All Coffin has done for
the moment is to strengthen national
unity in France at moment when
unity was all important. not only to
France, but to the whole world.
Cottin's Pistol Effective,
In some ways Cottin's pistol shot
may do for France, on the thresh.
hold OF peace, what Germany's brutal
uIt'matum did for her on the eve of
war, when all the passions aroused
by the trial of Madame CaIlaux
vanished or at any rate, were put
into cold storage, and the voice of
tho partisan politician was stiiIed.
In conversation with politicians.
some eminent and some belonging
TO the rank and file of the various
parties, it was clear that they had
reflected upon the object lesson given !
hem by the crime of the Rue Frank |
in. The lesson that all drew was the |
ianger of extreme doctrine and of |
Irresponsible preaching. Just as in |
French internal politics. you have |
'our Leon Daudets and Charles |
Maurras on the royalist side and |
rour Longuets and Brizons on the |
evolutionary socialist side. So in /
world politics Cottin's shot has made
many French politicians ask whether
exaggerated idealism and
he arousing Of hopes which can
lot be fixed with full practical full
illment Is not as dangerous. Re-
Ictionary doctrine in the interna-
ional field is likely to lead TO the