El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-12-26
THE MAN WITH THE LIMP
By ACHMED ABDULLAH


The minister of war, General the
Marquis de Picard Falligct a short.
stout man with white mustache and
imperial, a splendid soldier who had
acquitted himself Wen during the
debacle Of 1870 and Afterwards On
the colonies. had been speaking for
halt an hour He had let himself 20.
for the reporters benches were
empty This was a secret discus
sion
Mordant and abrupt fiery and ro-
mantle yet sensible, truthful. having
his facts at his fingers ends AMI
marshaling his arguments as be
would drill a squadron OF ravalry. he
nad been trying 20 explain 10 the
deputies the chosen Of the nation.
/ that something had 20 be done 90
stem the avalanche on the eastern
. frontier before it swept over the fair
fields OF France
1t Is simply a question OF mathe-
matlcs- he kept repeating. aEitating
his short. muscular arms. They are
. twice our number. they are steadily
growing. they are ruthless and merci-
less-and 1amished for blood and
ooodle- They believe in the right Of
might the right OF the mailed fist
the right Of the bigger cannon, the
more murderous explosive,
Theirs is an armed land OF modern
. so AAA- AAA tue HaLaaGaa
OF knowledge. Of scientific Appliances.
OF an army organized tn il VIII move
on any enemy at the word OF com
mand Ike an intelligent machine.
They see that we are rich and not as
strong as they. We French do not
Fenge for Alsace-Lorraine. We want
only peace.
we have gone far in our en-
4eaEor 20 preserve peace a. all costs.
Right now, as address you. I could
tel you OF intrigues, OF treachery. OF
underhanded and venal tricks which
would send you clamorinE 10 arsenals
and armories and barracks But we
are a patient race. We want peace.
but down came his clenched fist
not the peace OF the craven. but
the peace Of the man strong In the
F. knoWledge that he Is strong Give Us
strensth. gentlemen Do not tie our
Z hands-the hands Of the army
which is the people OF France"
And then he gave facts and figures
while the deputies Sawned or fitted
ABOUT th2 lobbies and the bar. COS
siplng' interchanging news and jokes,
pans and condolences and scandal
, leaving the Marquis de Picard Fallf-
get TO reel off his patriotic eloquence
TO nearly empty benches.
lt was only when the speaker had
sat down amidst lukeWarm applause.
aaAaA HAAAA HlA4 tame NNLIl LUE nANNN
hall that the minister for foreign af-
fairs. n Toussaint Birot. had come
/ from the presidents palace. that the
: deputies began 10 take interest In
their sworn duties and returned from
lobby and lounge and bar. examining
the great hall TO its utmost capacity.
Lnere' 8, going to be trouble came
the whisper.
That same old Jarvet caseTp
Yes But Earnished and resilvered.
Brouin. Of the Internatioualist party
IS going to BOP a little question at
"Ah. Brouin. the" An obscene
epithet flung BY a white bearded
gentleman on the extreme right. a
stanch republican, passed across the
hall, embroidered and sharpeued on
the way, and thrown back into the
speakers teeth by a radical gentle
man on the extreme left
Then babel OF voices. an ocean OF
sound. rising and falling. with now
and then a word stabbinE free. civ
ing the general tenor Of the re-
marks
'Jarvet-"
Murderer"
Dirty animals"
Traitor"
Jew"
-Unfroeked priest"
"Freemason-"
and the cyclone broke lose.
The most logical people in Europe
they whom their caustic country
man. Voltaire. has characterized as
half tiger and half onkey''-lost
their heads and their sslf-respect.
not 10 mention the respect for others
Every face was pale or flushed con
vulsed with excitement or distorted
with passion and hatred.
Voices were raised IN shrleks and
shouts and savage bellows. Deputies
hammered their desks and shook
furious fists IN each others faces. A
dozen duels were arranged on the