Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-28
FRENCH ELECTIONS
CROWN WARS AIMS
Victory of CIemenceau Re-
moves Peril Of Bo|shevism
and Unrest.
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.

IN FRANN IL. SlhcNDS.
Clemenceaus victory. almost COM
plete as his military triumph of a year
ago. definitely takes France out of the
list of countries in which bolshcvism
remains il peril. The men who put in
ternational socialism above France in
the years of the war and have valued
bolshevism more dearly than order
since. have been defeated. SO also have
been the followers of CaillauX, who
were at all times ready to make Il
"defeatist" peace with Germany and
almost accomplished the ruin of their
country.
The victory in the recent election
confirms the success of the war,
France has wiiled to live, in the pres
ence of domestic dangers. exactly as
she willed to live at the Marine, in the
presence of the German. The major
lty which will dominate the chamber
of deputies is too strong to offer any
immediate or even remote hope to the
foes of ordered freedom and the
friends of Russian madness.
There remains the question as to
who will succeed the man whose per-
sonal triumph is disclosed in the re-
suit of the election. for no one can
now believe that with his work done
order at home assured. following the
achievement of victory abroad. Glenn
enceau VIII be tempted to revise his
ante-electiQn pledge Nor is it much
more likely that he will consent to
succeed Poincare in an office which
has never yet failed to eXtinguish the
man who held it.
- Two Successors Mentioned
AS successor to Clcmcnceau two
names are at once mentioned. Mil
lerand. the present representative" of
France in Alsace- Lorraine and Tar
dieu, who ably looked after the MILL
tary and financial interests of his
country in the United States. during
the latter part of the war. in which
he served as captain at the front for
a considerable period.
or these two men. Mllerand is by
far the more experienced as a par
Humanitarian. and he is much the
elder. In two cabinets he had been
minister of war, once before 1914.
when he contributed materially to in
! surfing necessary reforms and re-
organiZa lions. which proved their
value when war came. and again, for
time early in the war. Millerand
held his old portfolio. but this time
his influence was far less. for actual
control had passed naturally to
Joffre.
|! But for many years Millerand has
been man of recognized ability. pa
triotism and character. and the most
difficult and successful of his achieve
ment has been his recent serv-
ice in Alsace Lorraine. where he has
SOOu sense ana ueciSlOn.
The confusions and misunderstand-
ings, inevitable in the case of a
transition as sharp as that from
German to French rule, have been
terminated, preliminary mistakes
have been remedied by subsequent in
telligent action.
Similarity to Mr.. Wilson.
1t is true of Clemenceau as it is
equally true of President Wilson that
men in his immediate circles; Miller
and in Alsace and Tardieu in America
and latterly Jounart in the devastated
regions have been the three eXcep-
tons to the respectable medi9crity
Of his colleagues in his cabinet and
the selection of Millerand aroused not
a little surprise when / was in Paris.
Rut the necessity was great and Mil
| lerand happened to be one of the rare
f! Frenchmen with whom Clemenceau
had never fought a political duel.
AS for Tardeu. he is relatively
although as foreign editors Of the
| Temps. he has BEEN familiar with in
ternational affairs for years. Next to
Clemenceau, he has been the most con-
! spicuous Frenchman in the peace ne
gOtiatiOnS.
] Mr.. Jounart. until recently governor
! general of Algeria and now minister
! tor the devastated regions, is a third
possibility. He is a man of great abil-
| ity, distinguished service and will be
a power in the next ministry, and he
i may head it,
Opponent Of NJ. CIemenceau.
! Americans will note with interest
| the defeat of Franklin- BouillOn, who
! succeeded to the leadership of Call
| laux's party, when that chief lost in
! fuence, but he is not to be identified
/ with caillauXS treason. Still Frank
! lin BOuillon was at all times a bitter
opponent of Clemenceau and an out
+ spoken critic of the treaty of Yer
sail'es. Americans know him because
of his visit to this country during the
! war.
! The defeat of Paul Painleve removes
one of the bravest and saddest figures
| in French public life. Minister of war
both in the BRAND and the Robot cab
| inets, responsible for the removal of
; Nivelle, which saved the French army,
and for the exile of Constantine of
Greece. which saved Greece to the al
| France and one of the finest spirits,
! he lacks political arts and suffers
! from having failed where only Gle
menceau could succeed.
! Clemenceau's victory is a real con-
| tribution to world order and stability.
| For France it not improbably means
the beginning of a new political era.
Most of the men who belong to the
DerlOd lmHeuldtely IOllOWlnS the de-
! feat of 1870 have vanished, Clemen-
ceau himself is almost the last link
! with the terrible year" New men are
! now coming on. young men. who will
, be Influenced not by the bitter memo
! rieS of national diminution and dis
| aster, but by the consciousness of vic
! tory and the confidence which comes
! from the elimination of the German
! menace.
For half a century French legisla-
| lures have lived under the memory of
! defeat and the threat of German ag
gression. The French chamber, too,
has been filled with men whose youth
| had been marked by the hopelessness,
| born of the defeat and it's conSe-
quences. With new men and better
| memories a different French spirit is
bound to be disclosed
| (Copyri yht, 1919 Mcclure Newspaper sy ndicate)
KING OF ITALY COMING