The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-18
PERONAL|TY OF CLEMENCEAu
IS DESCRIBED BY SIMONDS

[continusd From Page one.1
was then repeating, but shall not re-
peat here.
I'VE need a man, we need general.
we need q man." he said with sullen
intensity.
"And Joffre?" / asked. recalling the
name Of the man, who then still COM
manded, but whose sun was then
sinking rapidly.
II have nothing against him." he
said sharply, nothing, but he is not
the man, he Is not the man."
And Foch?" inquired, naming my
own hero.
But Foch did not arrest his atten-
ton.
What OF Petain. them" I in
quired, naming the man who was just
coming to world notice as the de-
fender OF Verdun and was to succeed
to the rank and power Of Joffre, be-
fore Clemenceau, himself, became pre-
mier.
Perhaps, l do not know him." he
replied, but we must have man."
What of Kitchener" Querried.
naming the man who then commanded
the British armies, and was at the
moment in Paris. All Of a sudden
his whole demeanor changed, he lean
ed over the emplacement for all the
world like big gun in action.
Kitchener" he said with extreme
elaboration, but in tone Of unmis-
taxable ice-Kitchener is a symbol"
"A SYMBOL" asked. a little puz-
zled.
Yes, symbol. A symbol, is a
man about whom some people still
believe what was never true"
n Am the Opposition"
Here at last was the Tiger" the
Clemenceau Of the legend. This was
the man. who few months before,
had said of Vivinni, then Premier,
He has spoken, he speaks, he will
speak," and Vivinni had fallen togeth-
er with whole cabinet Of eloquence.
The conversation drifted to politics.
What of the opposition" I asked.
The opposition in the Chamber
! explained.
The opposition" he puzzled over
that for a moment and then said with
calmness.
But am the opposition" It was
the famous phrase of Louis XIV,
'L'etat. c'est Moi" but it was repeat
ed without the smallest note Of per.
sonal vainglory; it was not boast,
1t was a simple statement Of fact.
II am the opposition" he responded.
land 1t is an opposition which wants
things done better, that is all"
But those who want peace?"
asked.
Who are they?" he queried.
What would happen. then" ask
ed, trying flank movement, what
would happen IL some one should ad-
vocate peace now. peace without AL.
sace-Lorraine-a German peace?"
He reflected for a moment and then
said, with softness of voice which
was hardly deceptive:
Bulgaria Case Of Money.
IF anyone should advocate peace
now. a German peace, l think he
would be shot-but it would be done
decently-oh, very decently." The
words were in my mind now, when
Bolo Pasha, prosecuted by the Glenn
enceau government. had faced firing
squad, for seeking German peace.
And Calliaux," asked. naming the
man that then, as always, has been
the nightmare in the minds Of those
who love France, and hope to see
her victorious. the man Of whom Clem-
enceau had said: "He thinks himself
Napoleon"
NO" he said. with a calm smile,
II do not fear him."
will he come back" I asked
Il do not think So" he responded.
and again his voice had new meaning;
when Caillaux was jailed to await in
prison that trial for treason which
Clemenceau has directed and will
force.
The talk drifted to the Bulgarian
disaster, of the previous autumn, and
the mistakes and failures of Allied
diplomacy in the Balkans.
Bulgaria was a case of money" he
said thoughtfully, "a case of money.
and think, if had been in power,
| should have bought"
And Greece"
But he would not talk of Greece. He
had been for years one of the great
friends of the Hellenic kingdom and
the desertion Of Greece was to him,
patiently, in the nature of a personal
sorrow.
'Oh. the unhappy Serbs" he con-
tinued, land we. we French have had
to re-equip their army. Yes, we have
sent to them the uniforms. The equip
ment at Corfu. Invaded France has
done that, please remember that"
and his eyes lighted again.
Praise for PoiIus.
But you must go to Verdun," he
said, you must see our soldiers as
they are. go, 60 everywhere. see
them all and you must go and then
you can go back to America and tell
your countrymen. what France is like,
what it is. You must see it for your
self, certainly you must see our SOL
diers."
The conversation became general
and for the next few moments he
talked of many things, with the same
characteristic energy, Impotence,
frankness-energy in laying forth the
dangers, Impotence of the fools and
the blunders-which filed his col
umns in that epoch, and made the ar
rival Of each edition of his paper an
event almost as considerable as the
communicate; frankness. for it is the
terrible frankness of the man which
has created the Clemenceau of the
legends.
AS he led me to the door. at the
CloQo Of tho audiorco ou,i,,