The French Chambers were prorogued on Tuesday, and the Waldeck-Rousseau
Cabinet may, therefore, be considered safe till November. It has been engaged for eighteen months in a silent but continuous contest with the Army, and it has on the whole succeeded in that difficult struggle. The Minister of War, the General Inspector, and the Governor of Paris are all trustworthy men, and the General Staff has been thoroughly weeded of all devotees of Cmsarism. Discipline has been so restored that no regiment will revolt without an order, and the men who issue orders are all devoted to the Republic. That is a great task to have been performed by plain persons, especially at a moment when the nerves of the people they rule are all on edge. There can be no doubt that the preposterously false idea that the British intend to attack France has been very widely diffused, and is one reason for the angry jealousy manifested in favour of the Army. General Gallieni is an able man, and he would not, as is reported, have demanded large reinforcements to defend Madagascar against Lord Roberts if he had not been sure of the sympathies of his countrymen. In the midst of all this, however, the Waldeck-Rousseau Cabinet has gone quietly on with its work, intent only on preserving the Republic, which, in spite of attacks virulent beyond all precedent, still exists.
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