A PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10963, 4 May 1907, Page 1 (Supplement)

A PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION.

The }ate M. Casimir-Perier, President of ; France for six tuilbulent months twelve yeans ago f was a man pushed into ' an o__c e for whicli hew s" not strong enough. Up to his election to the Presidency his career, was remarkably su-cessful, and he was hailed by the French press as a really strong man. He took office on the assas--siriatiou of President Carnot, arid allowed ti*iip' courage iri walking m th.. .fuuferal proceesiori, when the fears'. of further Anarcliist outrages amounted to parii^ But, m spite of tliis, arid the most : earnest desire to serve his, country, the resemblance to steel was only apparent. Kk proved weak and 'incompetent, 1 . 'and'.';iieyer l once used the. prerogative; of liis p9sition. His nerves '.were not strong enough^ to hh r the conliriual attacks of hiserieinies. His resignation has always "been more or. less of a mystery. Some have' attributed it to worry, and others to the Dreyfus case. The Daily Mail's correspondent, writing the day afteir hi. death, put it'dowri. to Germany. • Tlie story goes that Gerinaiiy discovered Unit official German de_patchds had .been opened, photographed, . and replaced m their envelopes during theii*. transit; through Prance. Count Minister; the German Ambassador, interviewed tlie President on the matter, and . M. CasimirPerier, overwhelmed Avith surprise, promised that it should not oociir again. Unfortunately, it did happen again, and the despatch . intercepted was the .;ohe m which Count Murister detailed : life intervie'w^vvith the Plremier. The Kaiser heard of this/ .arid the result was an urgent call on the President by .Count _ .taster, and an' intimation that if satisfaction ivere not given at orice^ Ge.iriany would at 6nce mobilise to avenge tliis new insult. "Tell your Emperor," said tlie President .m a stat. of collapse,' "that this satisfaction shall be given by myself repudiating publicly such outrages committed against a Power at peace with France. I do not want to sacrifice my country ; I will leave the Presidency.' Pray liis Majesty to be satisfied." Two" days later M. CasimirPerier published his resignation. The explanation probably is that the unfortunate man was worried to the point of collapse by otlier matters, and that this was the last straw. From his resignation to his' death he took little part m politics.