Revieic of Reinewg, 1/6^06. 



Character Sketch, 



THE NEW FRENCH MINISTRY. 



Bv \V. T. Stead. 

 M. BOURGEOIS, Foreign Secretary; M. CLEMENCEAU, Home Secretary. 



and M. Clemenceau. Thtre has been no political 

 revolution in Paris. The same party remains in 

 power. It is only the Ministers who have changed. 

 Neverthe.ess that change is by no means without 

 its significance, especially tor British people. 



There is a certain resemblance between M. Sar- 

 rien, the new_ French President, and C.-B. Each of 

 them succeeded at a moment's notice in forming a 

 much stronger Ministry than anyone anticipated. 

 M. Sarrien is not unlike C.-B. in the tenacity of his 

 principles and in his unswerving loyaltv to his party. 

 Each has been ret;urned uninterruptedly by the same 

 constituency for a period of twenty-five years. Both 

 have rendered yeoman's service to their respective 

 parties both in office and out of it. M. Sarrien has 

 held more portfolios than C.-B., for in France Minis- 

 tries succeed each other more rapidly than in Bri- 

 tain. Home Minister under M. de Freycinet in 

 1888, and Minister of Justice under M. Gob'.et, v;ho 

 succeeded M. de Freycinet, he was again Minister 

 of the Interior under M. Tirard. When M. Bour- 

 geois became Prime Minister in 1896, M. Sarrien 

 went back to his old po.si at the Home Office. After 

 two years he once more exchanged the portfdlio of 

 the Interior for that of Justice. When he went to 

 the Senate he held a position of commanding in- 

 fluence. He was the right-hand man of M. Combes, 

 and chief of one of the most important groups in 

 the Republican Bloc. But although M. Sarrien had 

 thus established his pusition in the hearts of his 

 colleagues he, like C.-B., had failed to impress the 

 world outside his native land with any sense of his 

 great natural ability. It remains to be seen whether 

 he will keep up the parallel, and, like C.-B., become 

 as famous abroad for courage and skill as he has 

 long been esteemed by his own countrymen. If so, 

 it will be fortunate for France. So far the omens 

 are fortunate. He has found his Sir Edward Grey 

 in M. Bourgeois, his John Morley in M. Clemen- 

 ceau, and his John Burns in M. Briano. It will be 

 very curious to note the furtunes of the respective 

 Ministries launched about at the same time under 

 similar auspices in the friendly and allied countries 

 of France and Great Britain. 



HOW THE MINISTRY C.VME INTO BEING. 



M. Rouvier, who became Prime Minister on the 

 fall of M. Combes in January, 1905, has held office 

 for an eventful twelve months. Almost at the outset 

 he was confronted by the storm raised in Germany 

 by the intrigues of M. Delcasse. The military col- 



An Earlier Portrait of M. Clemenceau, 



I,— THE SARRIEN MINISTRY. 



London has been so absorbed in the political re- 

 volution which has installed the Democracy in 

 power that it has hardly taken adequate note of the 

 significance of the recent Ministerial crisis in France. 

 But now that members have begun to settle down 

 at St. Stephen's, and Britain is becoming familiar 

 with a working Liberal majority of 300 in the 

 House of Commons, it may be well to pay a little 

 attention to the political situation across the Chan- 

 nel. In Paris the old Ministry disappeared, like the 

 British, on the eve of a General Election. It de- 

 parted as the direct result of a hosti'.e vote occa- 

 sioned by the more than passive resistance organised 

 by the dis-established clericals to one of the minor 

 details of the law separating Church and State. It 

 was succeeded by a more Radical ministry which 

 is confidently anticipating a success at the polls. So 

 far there is a surface resemblance to the political 

 situation in France and in Britain. But it is only 

 on the surface. M. Rouvier was not Mr. Balfour 

 nor M. Doumer Mr, Chamberlain. The majority 

 which was behind M. Rouvier is practically the 

 same majority as that which supports M. Bourgeois 



