The Washington herald., 1920-02-28
FRANCE FACES
LABOR REVOLT
|. MRAILSTRIKE
Premier Prepares to Weld
Iron Hand to Stop
Spread Of Tie-up.
SOVIET MENACE SEEN
Widespread Walk-out Re
suit Of Discharging One
Union Enploye.
SOVIET MENACE SEEN

crisis since the armistice, and Alex
andre Millerand. who inherited the
premiership from the Tiger" Arch
foe of radicalism. today served no.
tice on Frances "Rals" that he is
no more disposed to countenance a
revolution than was his predeces-
sor.
/, He did not hesitate to call a spade
a spade in addressing the chamber
Of deputies this afternoon on the
railway strike, which is steadily
spreading.
We are facing a political move
revolutionary movement under q
puerile pretext," he said.
Premier Urges Arbitration.
The "puerile pretext" is the dis
missal Of one man by the Paris,
ment, or, calling it by its name, a
Lyons and Mediterranean Line.
which caused the walkout that Is
now threatening to spread into q
| general railway strike, which would
be national calamity at this time.
The rail men demand reinstatement
of this man, Campanaud by name.
The remier has advised them to
submit the case to arbitration.
| Meanwhile the company has dis
| missed ESQ strike leaders, which
has famed the rage of the strikers
into redoubled defiance Their orig
iral grievance regarding Campa-
| maud is that his absence from duty,
which caused his dismissal, was due
to his attending a union meeting.
Labor Forces Showdown.
In reality, however, the rail
Strike is nothing less than a re-
vival of French organized labor's
efforts TO force "a new deal' and
\ that, stripped of all camoufiage
phraseology, means sovietism.
AT Strassbourg, capital of the
| lost provinces" re-won by the war,
the national, Socialist Congress is
openly discussing ways and means
to establish a soviet republic in
France. and recognition of the fact
| that the rail strike leaders are
| aiming at the same thing is re-
fiected in Premier Millerand's refer
| ence to the Revolutionary move
ment."
Millerand, just back from Lon
don, where he had occasion to take
lessons from Premier Lloyd George
in the art of putting down such
movements. started today to com
bat the strike in much the same
manner in which his British col
league Quelled the recent rail tieup
in the United Kingdom.
Follow EngIand's Plan.
The main policy of the Georgian
strategy that proved so successful
! in London, is the organization of
an efficient auxiliary system of
| transportation and supply which,
il it does - as it did in England
prove effective, teaches the strikers
| that the country can "in q pinch"
get along without them and sooner
or later starveS them into submis-
| sion. At the same time the suffer-
ing middle class is appealed to
by all the devices of propaganda
to take their protection into their
own hands by manning the auxil-
iary service.
The first step in this direction
was taken by the adoption in the
| chamber late today of q bill
authorizing the government to
| reQlisition automobiles, trucks
and airplanes if the railroad strike
menaces the peoples supply.
Then. by way of impressing the
middle class, which in all usch
public service strikes, suffers most.
OF the gravity of the menace, by
| Introducing stringent restrictions
, in the food consumption at hotels
and restaurants bordering on the
| war time 'rationing system.
While officially it is expIained
that this measure is necessary to
insure economy of the food supply.
1t serves at the same time to cement
the sentiment of the "bourgeoisie"
against the strikers. whom they
blame for the privations. The aver
age Partisan is fond of his food.
fonder now than ever. as a result
of the eyars of semi-starvation.
Consequently, he looks with wrath
upon the movement that is respon-
sible for cutting down his menu to
two courses and threatens the In
auguration of two meatIess days a
week.
Reaction Is Predicted.
When, coupled with this appeal
through the stormach. there comes
the cry of "Red revolution" and an
appeal to patriotism to save the
republic from the terrors of Bel
shevism." nothing more Is required
to start the great counter move
ment of the suffering. unorganized
middle class, and MI it with enthu-
siasm for voluntary service and any
other sacrifices.
Such was the psychology that
whipped the English public into line
to defeat the railway strike and
that Millerand is believed to have
taken copious mental notes while
hearing in London how George did
it."
But there is this difference be.
tween the time and conditions OF
the English rail 'tie-up and the
present walkout in France: The
statesmen of Europe have radically
changed front with regard to Soviet
Russia. In every allied capital there
is much talk-open talk. official talk
of peace with the Soviets.
Soviet Talk Growing.
Stories coming out. of Russia from
reliable sources on the spot deny
the existence of the 'Bolshevist ter
ror" They describe state of Law
and ordr. picture the horrible