New-York tribune., 1919-06-25
|Clemenceau to Quit
Post When Peace
Treaty Is Signed
Premier Asserts Task for
Which He Assumed Office
Has Been Accomplished;
Praised by Colleagues

PARIS, June 24.-Premier Clemencear
has expressed his int, ntion to resign
from office as soon as the treaty is
promulgated, feeling that he has ac-
complished the task for which he as
sumed the Premiership, says Marcel
Hutin in the echo de Paris" It is
expected that parliament will ratify the
treaty late in July.
the result of the peace negotiations by
his fellows ministers at a meeting of
the French Cabinet to-day. Acceptance
OF the peace treaty by Germany was
discussed at the meeting, which was
presided over by President Poincare.
The Cabinet also examined various
political and parliamentary questions
involved in the peace settlement.
Georges Clemenceau has been called
the youngest old man the world has
ever known. He will be seventy-eight
next September.
Became Premier at Seventy-Six
Clemenceau took the leadership in
France IN November, 1917, soon after
ne had passed his seventy-sixth birth
day. For forty-seven years he had
been fighting the battles of his coun-
overthrow of the Second Empire and as
a consequence, was imprisoned and then
became voluntary exile in America,
where he did Journalistic work, taught
school and practised medicine. He
was back in Paris when the Franco
Prussian War began and from then on
was always an active and leading figure
in politics and on the duelling ,ld. for
many of Clemenceau's political quarrels
were settled with the sword or pistol.
The early part of his career in poll
tics was spent chiefly in the Chamber
of Deputies, and when he was not in
office he was running newspaper and
attacking his foes through that medium.
re broke down so many ministries
that he became know as the DESTROYER
OF Ministries" and later, when he forced
Grevy to resign the Presidency to be
succeeded by Carnot, Clemenceau was
called the king Maker" But the
tavorlte name for him was the "Tiger"
on account of the tierceness of his at
tacks on those who did not enjoy his
favor.
Entered Cabinet in 1906
In 1902, after having been out of
parliament for ten years. Clemenceau
returned as member Of the Senate.
and in 1906 for the first time accepted
Cabinet position, frrt as Minister of
the Interior, in the Sarrien govern
ment and then as Premier His govern
ment fell in 1909, and when the war
came, in 1914, he was president of the
Army Commission of the Senate. In
this position he knew as much as any
man in France about the defeatist
propaganda of which Bolo Pacha was
one of the central figures. 1t was
Clemenceau's fight against the defeat
lists, and his demands for vigorous ac
ton by the government, that made him
Premier in 1917. The arrest of Caillaux
and the trial and execution of Bolo
Pacha quickly followed on y, men
ceau's accession to office.
AS War Premier Clemenceau showed
unfalllng courage, and when the
war was won he fought for what he
held to be justice and the rights of
France in the peace conference. of
which he was the president. On Feb
ruary 19 Emile Coffin attempted to
assassinate Clemenceau in front of his
house in the Rue Franklin. Two shots
wounded the Premier, but in fortnight
ne was back at his desk and in April he
pardoned Cottin.