Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-07
FRANCES ELECTION.
A TREATY BATTLE
CIemenceau to Fall Unless
Defensive Alliance Gets
American Support.

A"heIICd1 ouppoit'
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago
Daily News. Copyright. 1919.
! PARIS, August 4-The principal
issue in the French parliamentary
elections, which will be held next
October. and for which the whole
nation is beginning to prepare. will
| be the peace treaty. The government
desires to fight on this issue and the
opposition apparently has accepted
battle. Such. at least, is the impress
sion I gather from an extended con-
| versation with Franklin Bouillon.
chairman of the committee on foreign
affairs in the chamber of deputies,
who has just resumed the leadership
of the powerful radical" party. and
who may henceforth be regarded as
the head Of the opposition.
The only other issue on which the
election could be fought is the high
cost of living, but this subject Is so
full of dynamite that all factions
apparently consider it best for the
country to shift the electoral strug-
gle to less dangerous ground.
Criticisms of Treaty.
The criticisms which the opposition
will make to the treaty are:
l. The delays in framing it, which
have allowed Europe gradually to slip
from the control Of the allies into
a sort of vague nationalistic chaos.
MY formula" Franklin Bouillon told
me, lis that peace should have been
made between November II and De-
cember 81"
q That the Saar basin should have
been reannexed outright. Either 1t
belongs to us or 1t does not" says NJ.
Bouillon. II maintain that it is our
NJ Clemenceau by his attitude of APP
parent doubt on the subject simply laid
France open to the absurd charge of
being imperialistic. Besides the i'm
portance of the Saar has been greatly
exaggerated. While the basin is worth
($400. 000. 000) France merely in redeem
ing the German marks held by Alsace-
Lorraine at the pre-war exchange has
teen obliged to sacrifice 3,000,0 900
francs ($6O0, 0O0, 000).
3. That the reparations are entirely
insufficient. The opposition maintains,
first. that Germany will never. pay be-
cause there is no machinery provided
for forcing her to- do so, and. second,
that Premier C1emenceau should have
lHSI8L0Q OH OOtAIulnS IdNOtdOi6 CCoHOIiAC
and financial agreements between
France and her allies.
T. That the guarantees for tho future
safety Of France are insufficient. 1t Is
known throughout the country that Mar
shall Foch is absolutely Of the opinion
German aggression by continuing to
occupy the Rhine bridgeheads. Finding
no such provision in the treaty, the peo-
pie are somewhat disQuieted.
Reply Of Government.
To these criticisms the government
replies, first, that the delays were
not its fault, but the fault of the
OTTER allies; second. that the saer
could be obtained in the face of
President Wilson's opposition; third,
that Germany will pay and that
France only failed to obtain better
agreements with the allies because
George refused to make France any
economic CONCESSIONS; fourth, that
while 1t iss probably true that the
treaty itself gives insufficient guar
.ntses Of safety , stil tn the treat taken
fensive alliance Of Great Britain,
France and the United States does
Premier Clemenceau has already
told the parliamentary committees
that he asked for the occupation Of
the bridgeheads, but was unable to
obtain consent because of President
Wilson. OF all these questions the
only ones which. vitality interest tho
whole nation are the reparations and
guarantees. Everybody in France is
Germany's intention to pay.
Suppose" it is asked, that after
six or eight years the Germans should
simply cease to make payments, what
could we do about it,"
General Disappointment.
Everybody in France is disappoint-
ed at NJ. Clemenceau's failure to con-
ments with Great Britain. and es-
pecially with the United States, which
would tighten the country's heavy
foreign debt and insure to France
preferential treatment as regards
shipping and raw stuffs during the
reconstruction period.
Everybody In France feels nervous
over the possibility Of renewed Ger
man aggression. There liz not the
slightest doubt that the treaty by
itself does not satisfy France in this
poses In the pact Of alliance with
the United States. If for any reason
this pact should be rejected by the
American Senate. an cutlery fer the
permanent occupation Of tho left
bank Of the Rhine and the Rhine
bridgehead would be renewed imme-
diately, not because OF imperialism"
but because Of perfectly comprehend
BILE feelings Of fear and prudence.
To France the league Of nations
seems a small matter. The pact Of
alliance is everything. If the pact
should be rejected by America the
Clemenceau government would col
lapse like house Of cards. If the
pact Is accepted. whatever the Sem
ate may do for the league of nations,
| the Clemenceau faction stands a good
| chance in the coming electoral bat
| ties.
| Even in the mind of the opposition
! there is no desire to reject the peace
| treaty. Nobody in France likes the
treaty. but every one wants to see
1t ratified. The minor criticisms
| which may develop In the course of
the campaign may be considered
merely as weapons welded by the
opposition in its effort to crush Pre-
mier Clemenceau.