The very first announcement of the measure diminished the Government
majority. H. de Cassagnae had made a speech implying that as Paris had gone Nationalist the Government stood condemned. M. Waldeck - Rousseau replied by quoting the really extraordinary figures of the municipal elections, which show that outside Paris the Republicans obtained 4,713,000 votes, the Reactionaries 2,174 000, and the Nationalists only 17,000, and would no doubt have carried the Chamber with him, but his promise of the Income-tax irritated his own followers, and the Govern- ment was only saved by 286 to 237, while the Chamber "invited the Cabinet to oppose energetically a revival of the Dreyfus case" by 457 to 78 votes. The Government, it mast be remembered, is in favour of amnesty, but the Chamber thinks it is half-hearted, and has accordingly given it that rude hint. We fancy the majority is honestly Republican, but is afraid of M. Millerand's influence in the Cabinet, and apprehensive of being tricked into some Socialist measure.
Previous page
