Evening star., 1925-04-10
HERR|OT DEFIANT
IN BITTER DEBATE
ON SENATE FLOOR
Vote Expected Tonight Will
Be CIose-Premier Scores
PoinCare Rule.
AGAIN PLACES BLAME
UPON HIS PREDECESSORS
Ministers Accused Defend Fiscal
Policy in Uproarious
Session.
Ry the Associated Press.


PARIS, April 10.-"If this be war
let us have it outright here" said
Premier Herriot, arising in the SEN
ate this afternoon to reply to the
most scathing arraignment his gov
ernment has been subjected to during
it's ten months life.
The debate had the Senate In such
p state of effervescence as Is seldom
seen among the staid and stable SEN
ators Sentiment seemed evenly
divided and parliamentary prophets
predicted the vote would be close
Premier Herriot in his reply again
mentioned Frances foreign debts as
weighing heavily upon the countrys
foreign policy and al times actually
hampering her negotiators.
The premier said there was a conflict
OF technical and financial methods be-
tween the Bank of France and the treas
ury. The former was opposed to inf1a-
tion, while the latter was forced by cir
cumstances to favor larger circulation
because of the Gigher cost of commodi-
ties.
BIames Predecessors.
The present situation of the treasury.
said NJ Herriot, was explained by the
fact that the source of internal loans
had been dried up, while when his prede
cessors were in office money had flown
in freely. The premier repeated many
of the arguments he had advanced in
the Chamber of Deputies yesterday.
Premier Herriots direct mention of
eX-Premier Poincare was considered as
making 1t certain that the latter would
intervene in the debate. The premier al
>luded to him in saying a high official
of the ministry of finance under Poin-
care. in December, 1923, on the eve of
the fotation of the credit national loan,
wrote the Bank of France that the
French treasury is already in desperate
straits"
Senate In UprOar.
The Senate was thrown into an up
roar a this IT seemed unlikely that
a vote would be taken until late to-
night with the cabinets fate still
in the balance.
Continuing, Premier Hcrriot said
that the bonds which would be re-
deemed through the proposed forced
loan or some other system eventu-
ally adopted should be burned in a
public square to show the country
that France was paying her debts.
France must be saved" exclaimed
the premier Let US save France,
with me or without me. with or with
out my government. Some one must
do it. These financial measures must
be passed"
The political battle around the
cabinet, which opened in the Cham
ber of Deputies yesterday, shifted to
the Senate today when former FL
nance Minister Francois-Marsal took
the rostrum to defend his ministry
under the Poncare regime, which
Premier Herriot attacked yesterday.
The government won vote of con-
fdence in the Chamber of Deputies
last night after the premier had ad-
dressed it, but the real night was
expected today, particularly as ex-
Presidents Millerand and Poincare
were reported ready to lead their
forces against Herriot.
NJ Francois MarSal reviewed the
premier's arguments of yesterday in
(which he had charged that the blame
for the financial difficulties now
facing the country rested upon the
shoulders of the previous admins
trations since the war.
Poincare Defends Policy.
Never under Millerand, BRAND or
Poincare did the Bank of France eX-
ceed the legal limit of it's circulation"
the eX-finance minister declared.
Senator Poincare interrupted with
the remark:
Il can vouch especially for 1928
and the first nNe months OF 1874
Charles de Lasteyrie, finance min
lister in the first Poincare cabinet, is
sued a note today denying that the
legal limit of note circulation had
ever been exceeded during his minis
Try. He stated that the treasury was
so embarra assed at four times during
his two years of service that he was
obliged to ask the banks to subscribe
TO a supplementary issue of national
defense bonds, but such operations
were quickly terminated by repay
ment as the bonds fell due.
1T is unquestionable." he said,
that the first time this limit was ex-
ceeded was under Premier Herriot
last October"
The ex-minister read letter from
Gov. Robineau of the Bank of France
to Finance Minister Clementel on De-
cember 30 1924. warning the latter
that the legal limit of circulation
H>yas being reached and entreating him
TO take measures to prevent imitation
which would be runous to the coun-
try's credit. This warning. he said,
was repeated in letters of February
and 26.
NJ Francois Marsal forcibly called
attention to the fact that on April
= when the circulation already had
Continued on Page 4, Column 80