Another Crisis

RESIGNED HI8 OFFICE. Paris, Maren 13.- M. Bourgeoise, minister of justice of the French republic, has resigned his oöice. As a consequenee, partly of that actiou and partly because of the sensational developmeüt of the Panama trial during the day, agrave crisis hasagain arisen. During the day Mme. Cottu had testifind practically that a representative of the government had come to her with the proposal that she give up certain papers that were damaging to officials as the price of her husband's freedom. M. Soinoury attempted to contradlot this testimony, but did so in a weak way. 11 Bourgeoise, in his letter to M. Jlibot announcing his resignation, said that he resigned because M. Soinoury's evidence had failed to establish the fact that he had never authorized any one to approach Mme. Cottu in connecton with the i'anama case, and he feit that there was no alternativa but to resifjn in order to free himself from all suspicion. The cabinet crisis inaugurated by the resignation of M. Bourgeois has been shovvn to be beyond hope of repair by patchwork. At a cabinet meeting Sunday raorning the ministers agreed that every effort should be made to induce M. Bourgeois to reconsider his resignation, and, in the hope that the efforts would be successful, it was decided that no new minister should be appointed until M. Bourgeois should have given evidence in the assize court and should have explained to the deputies his position. In the afternoon several ministers called upon M. Bourgeois, but wlien the cabinet reassemblert Sunday evening M. Ribot annonnced that M. Bourgeois had been deaf to all argument and had insisted that he would not turn to ofliee. Subseqnently, at Mr. Ribot's request, President Carnot sig-ned a decree giving to M. Develle temporarily M. Bourgeois' portfolio. M. Soinoury, the pólice official who tried to get from Mme. Cottu documents royalist deputies, has resigned from the directorship of the penitentiary department. Pólice Cominissioner Niceole, who arrang-ed the interview between him and Mme. Cottu, will be dismissed. The excitementhas not been exceeded since the beginnin? of the Panama disclosures. It is thought that only good luck can save the Ribot ministry. As a result of the developmenta Paris is in a ferment of excitement Everybody seems to distrust everybody else and there isa special lack of confidence in anything that is official. The crisis is as great as, if not greater, than that vvhich foüowed the Panama discoveries of several weeks ago. The evidence given in the case has destroyed al most the last bit of confidence in the present government. The general public knovrs not what to believe nor whom to trust. The government that was so vigorous a short timo ago in prosecutiag Panama swindlers is now busy defending itself against charges asseriousas any it formulated. The pressure brought to bear on the Panama crowd was stronger than the government wished. When the swindlers began to confess they confessed too mnch, and the stories told have involved the prostcutors.