The Washington herald., 1918-01-21

tortured by grief and deiIal. He
brought the war Veariness TO dwell
upon the lowly mind. He gave the
people OF the soil to feel that theirs
was the paying. the sacrificing of sons,
OF savings. for a cause doomed to
failure; that Germany was too strong
10 De beaten, and that a peace made
now, before France lost. would offer
better terms than one made on a
lost battlefield, as in lS7:
linus ne put many of those splendid
country folk of France into misgiv-
Ing state Of mind, ready for something
to happen; ready almost for a COM
promise. With the manufacturers Call
iaux played upon their dwindling ex-
port trade as an incentive to establish
ing peace. assuring them that Japan
would secure all Of Frances export
trade II the war continued.
To the large financial interests, with
investments In Turkey, Russia, the
Balkans-over all the world, as is the
French wont-Caillaux hung out the
forbidding prospect of certain disa ster
unless peace very shortly brought op-
portunity for them to retrench before
the world was drained of its fluid re-
sources and the people everywhere
az iihpCNdulOSlNg.
With dangerous IL sophistical clever
ness he reasoned: 'Tf we fight another
year, and at the end there is no VIC
tory, we may have the glory. as at
Nerdun but also we have death for
our men and ruin for our trade; IL
great help does not come to her from
America, Frasce will be finished at
the end of 19lS-and OF what use will
glory be to her and to us them"
And the seeds Caillaux sowed took
root. and some of them fiowered;
there is no doubt Of Il, as Is easily
demonstrable by the single fact that
to such a deplorable state had condi-
tions come in political France under
the former ministry that Caillaux
actually had the effrontery TO believe
he could return to power and carry
out his faithless program!
Then CIemeneeau.
The selection OF Clemenceau at this
trying moment to form a cabinet
his clean patriotism have cheered flag
ging spirits and served to assuage the
peasant doubt which Caillaux raised.
For the Frenchman, though intel
lectually a pessimist. perhaps. is an
lytical-a member OF the most intelli-
gent race in the world and perhaps
the most sensitive to the significance
and the influence OF patria.
He must, however, be handled un-
derstandingly. or perhaps he goes to
pieces. He is apt, through new light
and earnest meditation. to reason
himself into complete change of con-
duct from that he has been pursuing;
a complete face about. 1t was with
this quality that Caillaux trified when
he asked Frenchmen at the end of
1917. with their own strength used up
and only death and glory remaining.
whether to continue fighting would not
in cold logic be "too great q price to
pay for victory
Whatever the revelations OF the Call
laux trial of disloyalty. corruption or
pusillanimity among his political con-
freres, I believe they will be borne
with equanimity. CaIlaux has done
his worst. and failed. The people now
look toward Clemehceau as the Mes
siah. confident in his intent and in his
strength to destroy treason and
pacifist propaganda and bring greater
coordination into the management OF
the war business.
But there is no denying that an
other change in the ministry would
precipltate a serious situation.
Poilu and People.
The pollu of~youthful years, who
today constitutes the fighting army
Of France. remained untouched by
the Caillaux pacifist blight-to the
honor and safety of France, be it
said-but he was growing restive
under what he was beginning to
learn about politics" in Paris
Clemenceau came in time to clear
his doubts. but the outcome of such