San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-23
FRENCH SHOW
No INTEREST
IN ELECTIONS
Confused Situation Makes
Predictions as to Out
come Futile.
DIFFERENT FROM 1919
People Are Weighted Down
by Four Years Of Dis
appointments.
DIFFERENT FROM 1919
BY ANDRE TARDIEU.

Copyright, 1924. by consol. Press Assn
Paris. March 22.-Elections for the
French Chamber of Deputies have been
definitely set by the government for
Nav II. Jeanne dare Day-one week
after the German elections, but the
pubIic does not seem greatly excited
as the elections approach.
The situation is strikingfJ different
from that of the last election which
uas held November 16. 1919. Then,
In the flush of victory, NJ. Clemenceau
boldly placed himself at the head OF
those who wanted to see new ana
rejuyenated F-ance arise on the foun-
dations of that victory.
Today the French people are
weighed down with four years OF dis
appointments and moreover, Nj. Pom
care has steadily refused to draw up
an electorate platform around wnlch
solid majority can be grouped. All he
has said is, Neither reaction nor revo-
luton" which is commonplace and
negative.
THE Ruhr occupation brought NJ.
Poincare a popularity which he had
not had as president Of the republic.
The fall of the franc damaged that
popularity. but the recent recovery has
encouraged many TO cry. "Nlve Pom
care," as they cried "Vive Clemen-
ceauw in 1919. But the situation
among the parties is extremely con-
fused and predictions in these circum-
stances are unreliable. AT the extreme
Left are the Communists, engaged IN
proud independence work for Moscow.
This party has two distinct elements,
first doctrinaire COMMUNISTS who
seek a dictatorship Of the proletariat,
and, second, malcontents without a
doctrine who simply want to express
dissatisfaction By voting for extreme
opposition. The leader is Marcel
Cachin.
Socialists Seek Allies.
The Socialist party the French
section of the Workers Information
ale) has lost all that the Communists
have gained, especially in the Paris
region, but it is still strong in the
northern and central industrial re-
gions. However, its general weakness
compels it TO seek allies. Sometimes
il seeks them at~the Left, among. the
Communists who generally repulse
their advances, sometimes at the
Right. among so-called radical Social
lists who are generally more receptive.
Leon Blum and Paul Boncour are
the Socialist parliamentary chiefs and
the party stands for national defense,
although nominally opposed to private
property and is pledged 10 class strug-
gle.
Now come two factions which gov
erned for the fifteen years Immediately
preceding the war, namely the radical
Socialist party, which is thanked on the
Left by the independent Socialists.
This party, led by Herriot and Pain
leve, was swamped in 1919, because
the people realized it had been unable
TO foresee, prepare for or win the
war and because its two chiefs, Gail
laux and Molvy. had been condemned
for defeat by the Senate sitting as
high court.
But, although beaten, the radical
Socialists have succeeded in getting
prominent places in all governments
in the last four years. Many of their
number were in the BRAND cabinet
and almost all of them were retained
by NJ. Poincare.
Clemenceau Is Strong.
This strange fact is the principal
reason for the eGuivocal situation
electorally today, for since 1920 all
cabinets have been composed exactly
as if the 1919 elections had resulted
exactly opposite to the way they did
And so the 1919 majority is obliged
by an odd paradox to seek reelection
on its record without ever having
been in power. For four years It has
voted for governments largely com
posed of its opponents who have prac
ficed policy opposed to that which
the majority promised in its platform
1t has ratified all mutations o.
the treaty of Versailles demanded b,
the radical Socialists and has beer
obliged TO impose fourteen biHiol
francs additional taxes without accom-
plishing any Of the social reforms j
promised. The only fraction of tn
majority which has stood faithful!
by its principles is the Clemencis
group to which the writer belongs
This group has constantly protested
against the mixing up of the majorit!
and the minority which has resulte,
in foreign affairs, in amputating tn
..rms and legs of the treaty and il
internal affairs, in seizure of power b,
those who ought to have been in tn
minority.
Those who have accused this grou,
Of uncompromising obstinacy, mus
fess that as France goes TO the polls
the Clemencists have the advantag
in consistency which the others lack
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