Evening star., 1925-11-27
Passing of Painleve Shows
Weak Leadership in France

Chamber belongs to the Socialist and
Radical parties. Actually, the decisive
influence belongs to the Socialists,
who are led by the greatest single
figure in cotemporary French politics,
Leon Blum. No radical government
can last If it does not have the hun
dred and odd Socialist votes. Losing
them brought Painleve down. But
the price of these votes Is the ac-
doctrines and policies far more ex.
treme than the nation will accept.
x* X X
What BRAND is aiming for is OBJ
vious. He will take office If he can
bring about new combination of
political forces, a combination made
up of the moderate conservatives and
the reasonable radicals, a combina-
ton that will accept and act in the
spirit of Locarno" abroad, but will
also adopt financial policies of con-
servative rather than a socialistic
tinge at home. This combination
would mean a destruction Of all ex-
listing lines and the formation of a
new bloc. But only II such bloc is
possible would BRAND undertake Of.
fee, for he has no great hankering
for the premiership. He is old, tired
and wholly satisfied where he is as
foreign minister, a post assured to
him, it would seem, in any conceiva-
BILE government.
Underlying all else in the French
situation is the fact that the present
Parliament is not only no longer rep
resentative Of cotemporary French
opinion, but it is also paralyzed by
complete divergence of views in the
two houses. The Senate IS much
more conservative than the country,
the Chamber far more radical. More
over, neither house as 1t stands was
chosen with any reference to the
questions which are now uppermost
in the national mind. There Is, then,
rather impressively complete break
down in the whole system of parlia-
mentary government.
x + X
The suggestion one meets in the
dispatches, however, that a dictator.
ship on the Italian model is likely
seems to me, judging from a distance,
a little exaggerated. The French have
long history of unhappy experience
with dictators. If the dictatorship of
Clemenceau saved the war in 1915
most Frenchmen believe that the con.
t1nuance of 1t after the armistice lost
the peace. Far more likely than a
dictatorship Is a combination of "all
the talents" a ministry Of national de-
Tense, which Is a familiar French de.
vice in time Of crisis.
Such a ministry BRAND could head
and without some such ministry his
stay as prime minister would be
short. and probably inglorious. But
1t can only come when French appre
hension and evaporation reach such a
point that all sensible politicians will
be driven to surrender petty bicker
ings and personal and party advan
tage in the face Of national wrath
One would believe this time could not
long be delayed. but it is not quite
clear that 1t has arrived.
X X
AS to Locarno and the recent settle
ments, nothing suggests that they will
be endangered, although If Poincare
and M1llerand came to power, ther
| the whole outlook and atmosphere
might be less favorable, not because
the nation had changed its mind, but
because extreme nationalists had beer
put in power for financial reasons
and, nevertheless, continued to be ma
tionalistic as to foreign questions. Blu,
1t seems as little likely that Poincare
would be called as that President
Doumergue will summon Leon Blum,
From the financial phase of wal
| liquidation France has so far beer
more successful--or it may prove ir
the end less successful-in escaping
than the other cou7tfies. But thl