Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-15
JUDGMENT OF CA|LLAUX

learned with double satisfaction thht " is
at an end and that the High Court has
put definitely out of public HE the man
who has served nothing but his passions,
even at the peril of sacrihcing 10 theH,
the destinies Of his country.
1t seems to me that, in spite OF the
efforts of the accused and OF his lawyers,
the public has very wisely refused to put
aside the sober anxiety which 1t feels IN
exciting itself over the innurnerable ana
dragging sessions OF the triai' Inns
judicial liquidation Of the Caillaux affair
resembles the fifth act Of those tragedies |
| in which the author, after having brought /
| to a close the drama, as far as the actors !
and the real interest of the play are CON
| cerned, must nevertheless disperse the
| personages and take leave of the public
| Before the High Court there was inter
minable discussion over charges and
proofs, there was heckling oi witnesses
| and huttering of papers, but the rcai
drama was enacted at the moment when
| at the darkest hour of the war, Clemen-
ccau, daring at length to drag out o' the
| shadow the defeatist monster, struck him
a magistral blow. Caillaux fell without
resistance This man, who did not pos
scss, as he pretends the power OF thougnt,
but who ruled by fear, collapsed IN the
| one minute when the hand OF justice
touched him on the shoulder.
Neither the trial nor the Judgment OF
the court could add anything to the
dircctncss Of that execution. When the
agents of Justice tame to go through the
formalities and to fill in the papers, the
man was on the ground, and 1t was around
a CORPSE that we saw them perform their
rites.
"Thcv will not care" said the IN
fatuated Caillaux, ito make OF me tnc
most popular corpse III France. lie
dcccives himself on the question OF popu-
laritv, but not upon that OF beng
corpse. And the picture of this man who
wants TO live. who wants to persuade
himself that he lives, and who chokes
and cries vet persuadcs no one but himself,
il the tragic part of the case. For all the
rest. he remains a man down and dead
All his defamation belongs to
the u asst. and it is III vain that ne rises up
and shouts over the heads Of his Judges
To future ages. :,
The future will not hear Of him, and he
: will not ic able To substitute Tor the
place which he has lost among the living
: d scat in some pantheon OF democracy
, where neither the Malesherbcs nor the
Hnntons, whom he calls 10 his side,
v;U carc for his presence With Danton
, pcrhaps. whose mighty fame IS tainted
With suspicion, il might he allowable, but
II is a surprising phantasy and strange
} lit Of imnudcnce on the part OF Joseph
Caillaux to seat beside the Wise Males
hcrIcs his own frenZled self What tgure
does he think to make in that pure rank
of great Stacsmcn Of the Monarchy, OF
r whom Malcshcrlcs, possessed Of some
of the fine chimeTlcal Wit Of Feneion but
, always the most honest OF ministers
: and the most moderate OF men, was the
~ h. sYfr.tt
I of these two names NalcSherhes and
I Cailla,,x- Il bv the very violence Of the
\ contrast. All aGsurdty lie shows us the
chasm which separates the hardy and
! clairvovaut spirit Of reform, placed at the
! service of the state, from the spirit OF IN
trlrlie and destruction working tor the
! unholrded ambition of q man.
1 Neither his lawyers nor himself, nor
4 vet his B0Shcvlst press, Will succeed IN
according to the condemned Caillaux oi
YESTERDAY the place which he claims IN
4 the martvrology Of the mind lie was
4 neither the master nor the servant OF any
I idea. but only Of his own ambition, OF
i which he became az length the yictlm
faciIe and brilliant mind could have
: been directed 10 useful effort, but wa.
i subjected to the passions Of the man
i OppnrtuniSt. in spite Of his disclaimers
u apt in developing themes rather than II
considering truths, what has he accomplish
"a what idea will attach to his name, d
what liberty has he made himself th'
prophct to what principle. true or false
= has he devoted his lIfe2 However demo
cratic one may suppose the City OF th'
! Future 10 be 70 have displayed toward'
" ronvlcts and spies gross tamillart,
and ta have scandalIzed by poltica
plrugcttes the stable elements oi the land
Is not sufficient base On which % rals
n "a monument.
Neither viii his criminal lntercours
wlth the enemy, stIgrnatlzcd by the higi
court merit him the title which he hA
= accorded himself of Prince OF Peace
= The Man of Peace he in truth was
- but Of the German Peace. Of the imperla
= Peace. If peace means surrender 70 force
J. those who like that peace may weave 70
= = hln crowns But the future wili say tha
:. the real servants of peace were those VI
! fought for the victory and y ho wished I
established with their arms ~ their hand
not q peace OF expedlencc, commerce
peace, but peace founded upon reason
This peace does not vet cNlst. IL IS
make II that We must continue 10 labor
and there also 10 NC find dcfeatlsln hcioi
j, Us De.eatism inspired By the Boche
irving 10 bar the gates of peace just as
sought 10 bar those Of victory. How hit
by immediate influence do the events
pal history exert upon the minds OF Il
be living Would We have thought th'
'lc defeaflsm could have survived victory
ne After ia. defeat Of 1870, q few men man
ent tanned IN PROSTATE France the spirit
victory We are beholdIng the opposl
est phenomenon, III France vl6tonous sInt
na' number of men are grouping themseiv
around i defeated and dlshonored sta
oE dard on witch Is written hypocnt
aat humility and sullen calculation.
a' Let us denounce "lthout truce Il
!" defcatism Of pence From 1aillau1
SIS rniSfortunes we take no JOY II IS alwa
ID q great pity when man, well born al
lor well endowed, who could have lived Al
are died usefully. abuses his gifts and finish
in crime But let us leave this invd'viduI
- Still We may rejoice in the assurance th
IL the High Court gives us, that France dc
not forget the mortal peril into winch {
lpt irtrlgleS Of ambitious men, stalking th'
cards upon defeat, precpitated n
so, France VIII not ALLOW the recurrence
rs such an Infamous peril. And, as unit
q, shc rallied behind the chiefs who defend
nee her trritory, today she stands INIT
lie behind her government which deten
en- the victory Maurice barres Of {
Of French Academy III J. Echo De PARIS.