A FRENCH EDITOR

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 82, 5 April 1924, Page 16

A FRENCH EDITOR

CHANGING A NEWSPAPER'S

"POLICY."

Like the "Figaro" and other prominent^ French dailies, the "Gaulois" has found it possible to' change ite opinions without changing its editors, writes .a correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian." It started in 1867 as a fierece Republican organ under Edmond Tarbe, who subsequently veered round to the Government side. When Tarbe ' made way for* Jules Simon there was another spell of Republicanism,' and then came Arthur Meyer, 'whose death has jiifit occurred. Meyer made the "Gaulois" first a Bonapartist, then a Boulangist, and finally, a Royalist organ. For many years he was one of the best-hated men in France,'yet there is no doubt he was a superlatively good editor, The "Figaro got some 'of its best • men —e.g., FrancUque SaTcey 'and Edmond ir£° n . V, v bribing them to "leave the Gaulois1!; but ■ Meyer always ■ managed to discover equally good men to fill the gaps, so that,his: paper suffered little in the long run. ' Perhaps the most humiliating' incident of his career was the duel, with Edouard Drumont, who had attacked Meyer iv U-i Franco Juivo." The weapons were swords and the use of the left hand was forbidden. Yet %yhen Drumont came on, Meyer gripped his opponent's sword with his lett hand, at the same lungino- with his own—a gross.violation of the rules.1 iJrumont broke his own sword, and re- !!-•?? "?. %"t. any more, . exclaiming, ■Lake the Jew, back to the Ghetto, "but they took him before a Magistrate, who fined him 200 francs for assault and battery, even his own seconds not having a, word to say ii\ ■ his defence. A\phonse Daudet was among'the witnesses .who gave evidence against him.