Evening star., 1924-05-18
FRENCH SOCIALISTS
THREATEN TROUBLE
Holding Whip Hand, Seek to Con.
troll Government From
Outside Vantage.
EVADING RESPONSIBILITY
Radicals Fearing for Own Position,
Complain.

BY the Associated Press.
PARIS, May 17.-At the end of a
weeks post election maneuvering
the Socialists appear to have the
whip hand in the political situation
and are showing a disposition to use
| their advantage. The Radicals, their
partners in the campaign, will be
unable to make up a majority in
the Chamber of Deputies without
them, and apparently will have to
| come to their terms if the victory
of the combination is to be made
profitable and give the victors the
reins of government.
This situation threatens trouble in
both parties. The moderate Radicals
are beginning to complain that the
Socialists are far too exacting, and
that they will, if encouraged, over
whelm the radical end of the COM
bination. The Socialists, on the other
hand, reengaged in a hot discussion
as to whether their leaders ought to
be allowed to take places in the cab
met. Such leaders as Renaudel and
Blum. supported by the resolutions
of the Amsterdam and Marseilles con-
ventions of the party, hold it will be
impossible for the Socialists to col
laborate in the government. They
contend that the party can profit
more from the hold they have on the
situation by remaining outside the
official circle. The Radicals must
come to their terms, anyway, they
affirm, and they can get what they
want without taking an. RESPONSE
bility for failure on the pa,I of the
new ministerial combination, they
argue.
Situation Complicated Further.
The Republican Socialists, who
were the third group of associates in
the coalition Of the Left, and are al
most as exacting as the Socialists
proper, have further complicated the
situation by taking official action to-
ward a demand for the resignation
of President Millerand The execu-
tive committee of the party. which
has about forty seats in the new
Chamber has demanded the head of
the president as one of the first con-
ditions of it's support of the new gov
ernment.
Ex-Premiers BRAND and Painleve,
who are members of this party, are
supposed to be ignorant Of the action
taken by the committee, and it is ex-
pected they will hesitate to approve
it. None the less, it furnishes en-
couragement to the Socialists, who
have been most aggressive in their
attacks on the president during the
past few days.
Alarmed by the turn events are
taking. the Radicals, unable to get
their leader, Mayor Herriot of Lyons,
to come to Paris, have sent an ennis
sary to Lyons to meet him on his
return from the south of France and
advise him of the gravity of the stu
alton.
Herriot Wants Socialist Support.
The general opinion tonight is that
the Socialist convention to be held
in June will decide against the
party's participation in the govern
ment. NJ. Herriots friends, elected
with him at Lyons, say that in that
event, the leader of the Radicals will
refuse to accept the premiership. NJ.
Herriot, they declare, is willing to
head the government with Socialist
cooperation, but is unwilling to take
up the task of governing merely to
do the bidding of the Socialists with
out their having any share in the
responsibility.
Camille Chautemps, deputy for
1ndre-et-Loire, who is making the
emergency trip to. visit M. Herriot.
will endeavor to induce the Radical
leader to come to Paris at once and
take the lead in untangling a situa-
tion which is becoming every hour
more snarled.