Evening star., 1924-06-15
CHAOS in PARLIAMENTS
NOW MPEDES PROGRESS
Legislative Branches of Governments,
Not Imperialism, Blamed
for Conditions.

But before he could enlist tne sup
port of the Socialists he had to accept
their terms with respect of President
Millerand. Herriot did not want TO
insist upon the resignation OF the
president of the republic, but the
Socialists made this a condition TO
their support and without them ne
could not form ministry.
Radical Measures Also Urged.
But Socialist insistence did not end
with the demand for Millerand's head.
In addition it submitted long list
of radical measures, some of which
went far beyond the views OF either
the Radicals or the Radical Repub-
licans. Thus to accept enough of the
Socialist doctrine to get Socialist
votes led Herriot to make conces-
sions likely ultimately. if not at once,
to ALLEVIATE many of his own fol-
lowers.
Here, then is a further illustration
of the fundamental weakness of the
Bloc system of parliamentary govern
ment. In the British case there is
incoherence and uncertainty, but in
the French case there are in addi-
inevitable bargaining between par
ties
BY contrast with the British sys-
tenn. moreover, the French is very
fluid. Thus it is almost inevitable
that within a brief period of time
the Radicals and the Radical Repub
licanS will break with the Socialists
and a new ministry will be formed
by another alliance. this time be-
tween the Bloc National and certain
members of the Radical and Radical
Republican parties. Herriot will then
go out of Office, to be succeeded by
BRAND, always assuming that Her
riot is able even for the moment to
get office.
Frequent changes of government
are the rule in France. Before the
war and in normal times these
changes were of little real signifi-
cance, but at the present moment.
with great international discussions
just to begin. lack of stability is a
patent disadvantage. The fall of
BRAND was a good Illustration of
this, for he suddenly lost control of
this parliam entary situation two and
half years ago at the moment when
he was discussing a settlement of
the whole European situation with
Lloyd George at Cannes. and all of
the plans which the two premiers
had made went into the waste-paper
basket following Brands fall and
the coming of Poincare with new
views and other purposes.
AS it stands, then, both the British
and French prime ministers. whether
Herriot or some other represents
France when the International dis
cussions begin, will negotiate with a
moose about their necks and may be
hauled off their feet at any moment
Chaos in Germany.
Uncertain as is the British situation
and insecure as is the French. both
are simple by comparison with the
German. In Germany the chaos
almost defies description. At the
last election, a month ago, 465 mem
bers were chosen to the German
Reichstag. OF these PAT represented
parties which were pledged to the
support of the Dawes plan-namely!
the Socialist, Center, Peoples. Ba[
varian Peoples and Democrats, whose
16 and 25. Opposing this group were
three parties, the Nationalists. Voel-
kische and Communists, counting 100
members-namely, So, 80 and g. In
there were % scattering.
On the surface. then. it would seem
that the four first named parties
could form a government and carry
through their program despite the
opposition. and particularly since the
opposition is divided between mon
archists and Communists-that is, be-
tween the followers of Potsdam and
those of Moscow.
The difficulty has been that the
three moderate parties-namely. the
Center, the two Peoples and the
felt themselves, on
the whole, nearer to the Nationalists
than to the Socialists and acted ac-
cordingly.
Natfsnalists Want Control.
Obviously. a combination between
the three moderate parties and the
would mean 243 seats. or
only four less than a combination of
these three parties and the Socialists,
and it would mean a far more natural
a nd durable arrangement. But it was
prevented, at least for the moment,
by the insistence of the Nationalists
upon practical control. They wished
old Admiral Won Tirpitz for chancel-
lor, and they were not in the least
prepared to accept the Dawes report
Internationally even as a basis for
discussion. But in spite of this in
transigeance there was more enthu-
siasm in the ranks of the moderates
for marriage with reaction than with
as represented by the
and this enthusiasm was
accentuated by the fact that.
the Socialists had suffered great
losses and the reactionaries made
great gains in the recent election
But If the absence of responsible
party government through a party
majority has proven a disadvantage
in Britain and menace in France,
how much more serious an evil it is
in Germany, for at the moment Ger
many must act upon the Dawes re-
port, and her action will determine
her own domestic prosperity as well
as her foreign standing, for If the
report be rejected, then none of the
necessary foreign loans will be forth
and French occupation and
of the Ruhr is likely to
continue, with at least the passive
assent of the rest of the world.
Yet the Nationalist leaders are, at
this precise moment, demanding that
the existing Marx-Stresemann gov
ernment be thrown out because it
has wasted it's time in accepting the
Dawes report instead Of concentrat-
ing it's efforts upon abolishing the
German acceptance of guilt for the
world war written into the treaty of