December 11, 1918 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Chapters from My Diary IV Nboundary By Leon Trotzky guarded and cautious character, the absence of Entering France. Paris. Viviani. Joffre. of tallow candles. It was strictly prohibited to any ideal spark, made him a precise opposite to Briand. Clemenceau.
turn on the electric light in the rooms. From my the great genius of French military tradition, NaOVEMBER 19, 1914, crossed the French window in the fifth story had an indistinct sen. poleon. In the domain of strategy, Joffre is preAlready there were many sation of the city that was in hiding beneath me. cise counterpart of the conservative and narrow wounded all over, and Red Cross Sisters Distant explosions were twice heard again. The French petite bourgeoisie, which is afraid of takwere at the doors of the cars with collection boxes. Searchlights ceaselessly played over the clouds. ing any step that involves any risk. After the Everyone had a feeling that the war would end Early in the morning we again heard the trumpet Battle of the Marne (the credit for which is asnot later than the Spring, although no one could blasts, this time stormy and jovous: the enemy precisely say why. Simple humanity had not yet had been put to flight you might turn on your military prestige of the generalissimo began to, come to the point of regarding war as the normal light, and those who had sought safety in the go down, at first gradually, later with great swift condition of affairs.
cellars might with impunity mount the staircase ness. Nor did the French army discover another Paris was sad: the hotels were closed, and by to their roomg. The morning after that, the papers eagle to succeed him. Of new victories and of new no means all the persons who had fled from the announced in what parts of the city houses had glories there were none. The chances for a millcity in August had yet returned; the streets been destroyed, and how many human victims were plurged in darkness at night, the cafes closed there had been In fact, there are no eagles in th. military at P. What is the expla. ation for this last life of France at the present time. On the contstep? asked the people who knew. That At the head of the French Government at the nary, never has mediocrity prevailed with such very simple; General Gallieni, the Governor of beginn of the war pod the rather colorless undisputed sway in the Third Republic, as at the Paris, does not wish to have any gathering of nhrasemaker Viviani. who had formerly heen a present tragic epoch. The greatest man whom crowds. In times like there, the cafes micht very Socialist and a pupil of Jaureg. In fact, the French the French boureeoisie has manased to attract easily become in the evenings the centres of cri bourgeoisie seems to make practice of entrust to position of leadership is Aristide Briand.
ticism and of dissatisfaction among the laboringing the most responsible government poate to the classes, which are kept busy by day.
Socialists of yesterdav. The French Radicals, a! idea, without the most necessary guiding prin.
All over there were many women in black. In for the most part distinguished ciples of statemanshin or moralitv. a past master their overthe firat days, when the proudly patriotic mood who constitute the principal narty of the Rennblic, bv in the art of wire pulling a trafficker in the lost souls of the French Parliament. an indicator of by mothers and wives, but even by rather distant which would prevent them from guiding the world bribery and corruntion, a prestidigitator with the relatives. The children played at war all over. and interests of the French Rourse. larver who manners of a political grisette, Aristide Briand many had heen dressed in army uniforms by their has gone through the school of Socialism, and is, in his every quality, complete caricature of mothers. Convalescenr wounded soldiers, with who knows what manner of speech to nige trward the Teatness of the national war for libefresh crosses on their breasts, gwarmed in all the the working magses, is much more adantable to ration.
streets. In respectful, almost flattering conver: the comnlicated nolitics of the nresent dav on The most formidable opponent of Priand is the only patriotic, but sometimes phvrically able, in pared to tell his consciente. Ten ho nearest come un radicalism, the seventv five year oid Clemenceau.
whose lanols were the rihhone of the Legion of talism for a sufficient consideration. Another The imdening force of his creat publicistic talent Honor. There are a lot of them in Paris. these former Socialist. Briand. Once an exponent of the is that of malice. Clemenceau is too well acquainindestructible advocates of a war iuson au hout general strike. held the neition nt Minister of ted with all the inside wire nullint of French Dowho in 1870 were to young to serve and now are Justice in the Viviani Ministry. Briand assumed litics to cherish and illusions as to ite rossessing too old.
an attitude of unconcealed skenticiam toward the any ideallatic motives. He ton avil to permit At time there were Zeppelins. remember a head of his ministry, onerly criticized the reactio Auch Illusions to remain unsteired in others. Cle nicht in December (1914. when was returning nary devices of his chief in the corridors of the mencenu did more than any other rerron to prick home through streets that were in semi darknes. Chamber, and did not a little toward preparing the inflated rentations of those who led the nam From one direction, later from annther, there the downfall of his friend and superior in this tion war: of Poincare. President of the Repubwere trumpet hlagte that were terrifving to the way.
lic. of Joffre. Commander in Chief. and nf the head last neoree, Dark Phadows rushed by, and one by The prestige of Joffre. at thig moment just of the Briand Ministry. Yet the same Clemenceau ore the street lanterng, covered hv screeng Acrnag after the Battle of the Marne. by which the adthat constituted a chip of Jacohiniam in the reign the ton, were nut ont. few minutes later the streets were absolutely dark, and not a soul in reached its highest roint. The entire press could vance of the Germans had been stonned, had of canitalist finance. utterly lacked any sort of constructive policy. He demands a tenfold exer.
them. did not understand at all, although not sneak of him without penuflexions, and retion of forces to wage war to the end. Yet he had an idea that something interesting was going tevred to the Parliament of the Renublic. with knows the secret of sucreas ma little as does any.
Suddenly there was a dull roar. then another, windiammers, with no mreful function in the and should bring about the downfall of the latter.
Bonspartist contemptuousness, as to a body of one else. And if his crestructing criticism of the clear that there was a Bombardment: were the active preparations for a great coun etat. Ne it is hardly Hikely that the French Parliament shots fired from the ground upward, or out of gotiations were being carried on with the chief decide to summon as his successor the great disnewspaper of France Le Temps. in this connec. shooting in order to fight off invisible Zeprelins, tion and reports concerning them were a matter or were these cruisers of the air dropping explo of every day rossid. As far as worda merely were After the above lines were written, the sive shells. concerned. the Bnnapartint coun etat was al fall of the Briand Cabinet and the formation of learned later that both these things had been ready in the air. But, to reduce the hare to a ra a new Cabinet became accomplished facts. Cle going on at once. Half an hour later the search gout, as the French proverb puts it, it is neces. menceau has been passed over. At the head of light on the Eiffel Tower began to pierce the sery, first of all, to have your hare: that is iust the Cabinet was placed the awed Ribot, the conclouds. Once more in my hotel. was confronted what was lacking for you cannot have a Bona gervative, somewhat leftish in tendencies, who with an unusual tableau: all the time inmates partist coun etat without a Bonanart.
has no definite ideas on the muestions connected were sitting on the steps of the winding staircase At any rate, hardly anyone conld have been legg with the war. should say that the Cabinet of reading, conversing, or playing cards by the light appropriate for this role than Papa Joffre. His Rihot is the. binet of fruitless waiting.
on.
They Have Started to Quarrel THE Peace Conference is not yet in session, but By Gregory Weinstein with the club to enforce this nence, and she ig kninht crrants of democracy and the self Whether or not the German fleet will be sunk, preparing to cling to her rosition pa the domi.
determination of nationalitiea are quarreling future events will show. But the rumor itself nant gen power of the world as she clinos to life.
among themselves. The information concerning is characteristic. It shows that among the Allies If England is to continue the maintenance of a this quarrel, which recently assumed scandalous great differences are developing and that these great fleet It will force ve into the maintenance forms is just herinning to creep into the Ame differences threaten to break the unity of the of a great feet. That gort of thing, it is rican Press. The Euronean military censorshin Allied diplomatic front at the peace conference. argued, is not the way to peace. It is the way does not allow information to nags freely, and Clashes are expected not orly amon, individual that logically, in the long rin, lerde to the other cnly persons arriving here from Europe news states in Europe, but also between Europe and thing. little concerned already about parer renresentatives begin to inform rublic oni America. In this connection, the representative the merchant marine now building in the United ninn in the United States concerning the serious of the Baltimore Sun, just returned from the Stater, the suggestion that the American nation differences among the Allies. The scandal has other side, says: may be forced to compete with Great Britain in yone en far that it is no longer possible to pass hothei deuth is, and everybody in Paris krows the size of its met een glishmah. He knows perfectly it in silence.
it, that in governmental ard political circles they few days ago the newenaners printed a re do not love us at all over there. neither the Eng. well that his country is in no condition financially nort that the Allies are very much disaatisfied with lish nor the French. Some disposition to to stand the kind of comnetition the United Italy. It anpears that Italy violater the armistice resent anything like American domination or the States would give if forced.
terms, and, not waiting for the decisions of the speaking of America in a strong voice at the peace Such is the case with England. And France coming peace conference, seizes Austrian territory table is already manifesting itself in an under has her own interests. She, as testified by the rewhich, according to the terms, do not belong to current of criticism of our army staff, and a ten presentative of the Baltimore Sun. is interestItaly. And following this a sensational rumor dency to minimize somewhat our effort in the ed in expanding her territory at the expense of penetrates the press about the Solomon decision war.
Germany, and in obtaining, at least, part of which was apparently adopted by the Allies con What is the reason for England unfriendli the German colonies. As for Italy, her territorial cerning the question of disposition of the German ness towards America. An answer to this queswarshink. If we are to believe these rumors, the tion can be found in the following extract from appetite is notorious. England and France are Allies decided to sink the German fleet that was the same article by the representative of the Balvery much disappointed in Italy. She helped surrendered to avoid misunderstandinog which timore Sun: very little in the war, but instead, by threatenmight arise when the time for dividing it up Great Britain wants a just peace all right, ing to leave the Allies, she demanded and secured should come.
but she wants Great Britain to be the policeman from the latter men and money.