The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-11-02
''Who Won War;" Reconstruct
ton and Bolshevism Big
Election Issues.
CLEMENCEAU DRAGGED IN
Reds Fight to Force Recogni-
ton of Their Russian
Compatriots.

sta6 Correspondent Of THE suS.


Copyright. 1913. oil rights reserved.
PARIS, Oct. 30.-The split which hyAS
occurred in the ranks of the Socialist
party has thrown France into the grsfat-
est political confusion 1t has lSnownt In
a decade. Socialists have declared wlRr
on Socialists; reactlonaries have opened\
fire on Republicans and Moderates,
who In turn are attacking the extreme
wing of the Socialist group.
Still another bloc, known as the Glenn
encists and claiming the support of the
Premier, has Joined the electoral fray
and is adding to the chaos Of the stu
alton. for through the country there are
numerous candidates claiming to be
backed by the old Tiger -
The extremely complicated voting
machinery. recently voted as an cleo
toral reform" Is tending to make an
already horribly confused political situ-
alton a hopeless one for ordinary COM
prehenslon.
SO fas as can be made out tho three
most important issues covering tire
present election are, first, I'VE won the
war" the chief plank in the platform
of the Reactionary. Royalist and Clerical
parties, whose programme is visibly
Chauvinist and unprogressive: second.
the reconstruction of France and the
recovery Of the financial and Industrial
vitality of the country and economic
reform, the platform of all tho bour-
geiose parties. the Republicans. Moder-
ates, Conservatives and Democratic So
cialists: third, Bolshevism, and the ces-
sation of war again the Bolshevists and
recognition of the Russian Soviets. This
liz the passionate demand Of the extreme
Socialists. a-
Rends Socialist Party.
It is this latter issue that is tearing
the old Socialist fabric into shreds The
extremists having failed to obtain the
assent of certain members of the Social-
list party to their programme of indors-
ing Lenine and Trotzky, they decided to
throw the directors off the election lists
of the party. The milder Socialists,
who now call themselves the Socialist
Dissidents." announced they would APP
pear on the ballots as a separate group.
condemning Bolshevism, and that they
would await the verdict of French labor.
They have proclaimed their programme
In a manifesto In which they condemn
all outside interference in Russia. but
at the same time refuse to adopt Boil
'hevik methods for France. They in-
woke the warning of Juares. that the
o. appears before the world in the form
~ savagery."
Their criticism of the party is directed
in particular against its action in in
dorsing the nomination on the Socialist
ticket of Capt. Sadoul, a deserter from
the French military mission in Russia
who Joined the Ukrainian Soviet and
who is now awaiting trial by court
martial
Depends on Red Issue.
1t is on the outcome of the Bolshevist
issue that the success Of the other par
ties depends. While the Bolshevists
regime in France so soon they do in
tend in the next Chamber to force the
Government to some extent to some
form of recognition of the Russian Boil
shevists. That done, they argue, the
rest will come easily.
Official acceptance by France of
Sovietism. coupled with British and
American complacency and the French
proletariat, will need very little moro
encoura gement before It accepts Boil
shevism.
Needless to say. the protesting So
cialists are being Encouraged in their
resistance to this programme by the
conservative Clements situation quite
unusual In French elections. American
readers can form a fair image Of the
Socialist split by recalling the division
In the American Socialist party resulting
in the formation of the Spargo- Russell
group against the Hilquit-London COM
bination. The situation is analogous N
many details.