The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-01-17
Clemenceau Is
Defeated for the
Presidency

Paris, Jan. 1s.-Francets Tiger Will
not crown his amazing public career
by triumphantiy entering the Place
Eiysee to accept the highest honor i'll
the giving of his eountrymen, the
presidency of the republic.
In the very hour in which all France
seemed to lay at his feet aching for
the minute to acclaim the father OF
victory" the first president in peace,
this triumph was snatched from ms
hands In the caucus of the senate and
chamber of deputies By FautB esehsasI-
president of the chamber, who got
nineteen votes more than C~lemenceau.
Upon hearing this result, the octo-
genarian premier Immediately an
nounced his withdrawal from the race.
Pnt instead of d~espondently THROWING
up his hands and letting things run
their course-as well he might in that
hour of lis first real defeat since he
tcok the reins of government-the in
domitable Tiger grasped at the last
tope to save what he could of his
regime and policies by appealing 10 his
supporters to return Raymond Pofn-
care.
But the latter was prompt To tell 4
Geputation of well-w ishsrs that ne
would in no circumstances reconsider
his resolve to refuse re-eiectioD. Nor
v.aatd the have favored him
had he decided otherwise, for Poineare.
a-sptle his skill and polish and self
eracemenf. has not been popular since
the day. early ia b war. he moved
with the whole government from Paris
to Bordeaux. taking refuge from the
German fenaee at = time which proved
premature:
laureis from Clemenceau's hands is an
old political foe Of the Tiger The
feuds between these two men dates
back thirty-hve years. 1t WAS in 1885
when, following a speech by Deschanel
In the chamber OF deputies. Clenenceau
attacked him with such violence in the
asato provoke 4 daeis
3 aeasss..sssss w $50. & s ssss
eseh other ana fought with swords tor
taut lnutes IL athA end OF which
.Ciemenceau slashed Deschaners fore.
head down TO the eyebrow.
since then the viruiencs with which
tie two men have fought each other
in the political held has worn on con.
siderably. but todayFs battle between
their respective adherents in the par
i~iamentarys caucu was again a 3
to the Knife
Besides DISCLAIMERS clever politi-
cal maneuvering, two main factors
must be held responsible for the
sudden topping Of clenrenceau from
the height of nndfsputed power-an
event that anne as q startling sur
prise to most people, though Univer-
sal Service had exclusively fore
Swallowed it as early as last Septem-
Der and again three days ago. These
factors are.
1.-The traditional fear of the
ma rule-for everybody agrees that
Clemenceau's occupancy of the Ely
see palace would mean nothing less.
2-The bitter opposition to him by
the deputies from Alsace-Lorrainc
who for the first time in forty-nine
years are re-embodied in the French
parliament.
For the Tiger" 1t must have been
a monument filed with cynical re-
Elections. if not bitterness, when ha
heard that his defeat was due-par-
TALLY at least-to the opposition OF
the deputies from the lost" provin-
ces that he, more than any other
single mar in France. has helped to
regain.
Able Wetterle, the famous Aisatian
deputy formerly q member Of the
German reichstag) carried on a vio-
lent campaign against the premier.
In the chamber lobby it was even
related hat marshal Foch had been
heard to remark:
"Ctemenceau's election would be a
national calamity"
Probably the main factor that
turned the tide against the aged
grand old maj of France was Inn
preston which took hold of his
countrymen in the eleventh hour,
that in seeking the presidency NJ.
Clcmenceau was out for personal
triumph rather than the good of
France.
I a French president is generally
elected in direct ratio to his personal
willingness to hold himself aloof
from the political arena while he Is
in office