Evening star., 1923-04-24

trlcally opposed TO that of the admin
lstratlon. and to that of the minister
or foreign affairs actually employing
secret agents of his own at Berlin, at
;naurid " ana IN other capitals, working
In underhand opposition to the duly
accredited ambassadors of France
Inc result was that there was a
regular miXup. both as regards the
attitude OF France towards Germany
IN connection with west Africa and
cupatIon of Larache and Alcazar in
Morocco. Matters finally came 10
such pitch that De Selves publicly
apostrophiZed Caillaux as a liar. and
as an lntriguer with foreign fnanciers
against the interests of France the
result being that the ministry was
driven out Of Office, Caillaux with a
sinister reputation and De Selves
with MS honor absolutely intact and
above reproach, but blamed for lack
or perspicacity in permitting neeo-
tIat1ons such as those of ex-Premier
Calilaux. to be carried on in foreign
capitals without the cognizance or
knowledge of the department of for
elgn affairs on the Quai d'Orsay. of
which he was the chief
Naturally. the trial of ex-Premier
Calllaux, some years later by the
senate for high treason. must have
been gratifying to De Selves, and re-
sarded by him as fitting retribution.
ana he was among those who voted in
favor OF the imposition Of the stigma
OF Ieiony upon the ex-premier. who
is still deprived of his civic rights and
compeIled by the police to contine his
comlnEs and goings to a certain re-
strlcted region, and to keep away
from Paris.
If Charles de Freycinet was min
lister of war of the Tours povern-
ment in the Franco-German war of
ls1o-1S71, and organized those new
armies from thence for the continu-
ance of the resistance to the enemv
his nephew, Justin de Selves. acquired
distinction on the various battle
nelds as captain Of the so-called
Mobiles, who furnished the rank and
hle of de Freycinet's new armies.
When the fighting ceased he made
himself very useful to the provisional
government at Bordeaux, and then
was appointed, first Of all, as deputv
governor and afterward as prefect
or governor of q successive number of
provincial departments. In 1890 his
uncle, de Freycinet; then premier, in :
trusted MIN with the cabinet office
OF director OF posts, telegraphs and
telephones. and it may be recalled
that he presided with considerable
ability and success over the epoch
making International postal and teIe-
graph congress, which took place in
Paris during tho closing decade of the
last century.
Then he was appointed prefect of
the Seine-that Is to say, civil gov
ernor-not only of the capital. but
also of the entire metropolitan region
An office which he held for sixteen
years. AS such 1T was his duty to
reconcile the views of the national
government, Of which he was the
metropolitan executive, with those
OF the various metropolitan mayors
and of the municipal council of the
capital. The mayors have mostly
been socialists, and that, too, was the
case with the majority Of the mu-
nicipal council. Tho result was. and
still is, that the national govern,
ment and the city dignataries are al
most constantly at logRerheads, and
1t Is up to the project OF the Seine to
keep a. semblance of peace between
them. He also has to welcome Of
fioially, in the name OF the city, all
foreign monarchs and rulers and
royal and imperial psrsonages visit
ing the French capital, So that
when, before the great war, he be-
came minister Of foreign affairs
there was not a ruler in Europe
whose personal acquaintance and
good will he did not enjoy,