New-York tribune., 1921-05-09
Lord Derby Accuses
French Journalist of
Fon,enting Trouble
''Pertinax'' Attempting to
Stir Up Discord Be
tween Britain and France,
According to English Peer

MANCHESTER, England, April 26
(By Mail).--A wal OF words between
Lord Derby and "Pertinax," the Paris
journalist, is noted by The Manchester
Guardians Paris correspondent Lord
Derby has charged the French writer
with stirring up trouble btween France
and England, an accusation which the
other has just denied
Lord Derby apparently has taken NJ.
Giraud, who writes under the nom de
guerre of "Pertinax," as an example
Of French journalists who are making
mischief between the two countries.
One feels here that he could have
chosen more typical and fundamental
case. "Pertinax" is the foreign leader
writer for the conservative paper Echo
de Paris. The only important anony-
nous leading articles in France are
those Of the semi official Temps.
The moderate celebrity which "Per-
tinax" enjoys here is due to the fact
that he is usually regarded as the
mouthpiece for certain set at the
Quai d'Orsay difficult to qualify by q
general term, but very anti-democratic
very military minded, in full commun-
| ion with the opinion of the high COM
mand, and altogether what one might
cali the right wing of this nominally
unpolitical public service. His public
consists largely of military men, for
eign embassies and foreign correspond
ents. It is not large public, nor par
ticularly French, but it is eminently
select.
To the man in the street in France
the name of "Pertinax." one can say
without hesitation, is completely un-
known. Both because of the excellent
clearness of his style and because of
his direct contact with the "bien pen
sant" set at the Quai d'Orsay, his ar
ticles always have been quoted ex-
tensively and regularly in England; toe
often it has been assumed and implied
that they are the opinions of France
Little known in his own country
abroad, in America and England, espe.
cially by papers whose interest it is
max" he has often been treated falsely
as the unofficial mouthpiece of his
country.
| 1t is true and unfortunate that il
the good old days of the peace con
ference "Pertinax's" friends enjoyed
great influence at the Quai d'Orsay
1t was always necessary, at any rate
20 KNOW Wnat they were thinking anC
the embassies acquired the habit Of
reading him, The most prominent fea,
ture of his policy was it's continua
bitter railing at Woodrow Wilson, moi
for his mistakes, but for his goot
things--his idealism, his wish to avoic
bloodshed, his liberalism. Any liberal
statesman in the world was sure of the
same treatment in the hands of this
brilliant young man.
On the publication of Lord Grey.
tract on the league he published and
guaranteed that stupid old lie that the
English statesman went fishing,
leaving the business OF life and death
in the black days of August. 1914
This drew him chilly dement, from
| the Foreign Office. 1t was perhaps in
| too vivid memory of his articles durinp
this period that Wilson, putting the
same estimate on their Importance as
LORD Derby, declared that France was
: Lloyd George received nothing but
Kind treatment from "Pertinax" until
the Prime Minister began to return in
foreign affairs to the Liberal stand.
point. After he had expressed the
wish that Germany might be given q