Evening star., 1925-04-26
France Now Feels Anxious
Disguised and Depressed
Continued from First Pageo

CONTINUED from First Page.)
10 anront very large part of the
nation Which still remembers the war
Calllaux is inordinately ambitious. his
restoration to civil rights was one of
the opening acts of the radical So
clallst government and it NAV he
doubted if he can long survive non
ular feeling or fail to bring down
any ministry in which he sits.
Brland's case is rather different: il
is the general notion that after a
brief delay he will form a government
or his own and that this government
VIII be based upon the support from
the nationalist and conservative wings
IN the Chamber, and that the So
cldllstS VIII be gradually excluded
But evidently the situation is not Vet
ripe enough for such a combination
That Painleve will try, that he will
make an early and inglorious failure
and that by that time popular senti-
ment will be sufficiently reused to
back the Senate in a new resista nee
10 the radical Chamber and even
make an appeal to the country advis
able, is the general view.
II Hindenburg should happen to
be chosen In Germany, then the situa-
ton would probably come to a hea
promptly and a Nationalist ministry
sweep into power. But the difficulty
mere lies in the fact that there is a
good deal of question as to whether
Poincare or Millerand would take
office. Nominally Poincare is the
leader of the opposition, but Millerand
mas just been chosen to the Senate
from Paris and the general view IS
that he, and not Poincare, will head
the first conservative government 10
succeed the present radical-Socialist
conbination when they have come to
the end of their rope.
Lack of Confidence an Evil.
Meantime the great evil of the
situation is the lack of confidence
which exists everywhere. Public ap-
prehenston is unmistakable and this
reacts obviously upon the financial
condition. Economically France is in
very good condition. It has only
$4,000 unemployed, against 10000
fnF Britain; it has q solid surplus of
exports over imports, in striking con-
rrast with both Germany and Britain: ::
finally, it has at last balanced its
budget, having now about finished its
tremendous task of reconstructing the
> devastated region A certain number
n%homes remain to be reconstructed
hth for the moment this work has to
nes abandoned.
<And 1t is this effort in reconstruction
which is really responsible for the
financial difficulties of France Up-
ward of a hundred billion francs.
more than s5,000,000, has been ex-
pended upon this job, without any
German contribution, and this task
has been almost too great for French
capital resources. The immediate
crisis grows out of the fact that very
large floating loans have to be cared
for this year.
Unless all signs fail we are on the
eve of something of a reaction in
France. The mood which in England
led to Ramsay Macdonald changed
later. 1t is the same mood which ex-
plains Herriot in France, and it is, too
quite plainly changing. AS have said
the climax may come at once with a
Hindenburg triumph in Germany, or
II may be postponed little, while the
radicals, under PainleVe, demonstrate
further futility, as they are now con
demned to do. The tactics of the op-
position, which controls the Senate,
are obviously to await the right
moment for their certain attack.
Pact May Be Compromised.
But when the change comes there
Is likely to be repercussion in foreign
as we'll as domestic affairs and the
prospects of any five-power pact with
Germany will be gravely compromised
If the matter remains unsettled until
the change has come. Millerand and
Poincare are certainly not in agree.
ment about many things, but neither