Evening star., 1924-12-21
Declares Nothing But
''Banquet Speeches"
Combat Menace.
Recalls First Run,bLings
of 1913 Revolution
We're Unheeded.
By ANDRE TARDIEU.

! By Radio to The Star.
PARIS, December 20.--Old chron-
; icles tell that during the years pre-
ceding 1000 A.D.. which most people
| believed promised the millennium
and the end of the world, feverish
preparations were made on all sides,
some persons turning toward virtue
and others launching on the widest
excesses, determined at least to en-
| 10Y to the maximum the last re-
manning days.
Paris has just been passing through
something analogous "a communist
uprising which the people were told
would happen on the night OF De-
cember II, or, at latest, on the morn
, Ing of December Is. Even this has
been discussed in anxious whispers
'or the last three weeks.
One of the former colleagues of
the writer in the Chamber Of Depu-
ties told him he had learned on the
best authority that the writer was
% be among the first persons arrested
by the Red guard" and advised him
20 go TO the country Immediately.
The writer replied: The weather
is too cold
Date Is sPOstponed.-
Certain consuls here telegraphed
their governments not to issue too
many passports to France. In short.
It was a regular panic, but, oddly.
it did not affect provincial France,
only Paris and foreign countries. De-
nember II passed and nothing has
happened Now we are told every
hing is all set for December "a,
Christmas eve, some time between
the oysters and the turkeys.
This panic is certainly comic in it's
effects but its causes are worth
studying. 1t began with last months
ceremony of placing Jaures' body in
he Pantheon. That day. following
che official corteges, was a parade OF
| 10000 communists carrying red ban
Yers, scythe and hammer. This noisy
.hrong was hooted and insulted by
.he crowds watching the proce ssion
nd literally made Paris tremble.
Since then the Soviet embassy has
been installed here. officially hosting
The flag Of international revolution,
while official French bands played all
he revolutionary hymns they knew.
It looked as if these gentlemen who
boast they will overthrow the present
order found too much coulplaisance
| among their future victims so the
public readily believed Il coup d'etat
was being prepared.
Menace Is Growing.
The so-called governing classes of
France are m staken, as usual, con-
cerning the nature OF the danger. The
revolutionary stroke which is expect
ed will not come so easily, for the
communists are prudent people, who
do not like machine guns when they
are turned against them. Yet the
communist menace grows daily and
nothing effective is done 10 check Il.
Tkts period Is of an educational ma
ture.
The communists. b. an incessaut
propaganda. appeal 10 youth. are dis
trtbutlng tracts at school doors and
many teachers have adopted their
doctrines. They are carrying on
clever campa gn in the rural districts
! melting farm laborers and reassur-
ing small proprieto-s, promising both
| a. division of large estates. In other
words. the industrial proletariat is
no longer the only class affected. con-
| sequently only a. general policy with
real program, real hackers and real
acts can be effective.
The present government is being
reproaChed rightly for sparlng the
communists through fear of the So
cialists whose zeal in supporting
Premier Herriot would decline II re-
pressive measures were undertaken.
But the opposition itself has no def
mite program of action.
Recalls 1.sS Revolution.
The man who invented the policy
of yielding to extremists was NJ.
Malby, yet not a single opposition
leader arose to combat amnesty being
granted to the former cabinet officer.
The opposition, now in the minority.