Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-14


was slipping down the toboggan in
dustrially. economically, even political
ly; second. that France was about to
find new dictator, or. more exactly.
to discover French MusSolini,
From London / tried to make clear
my impression that despite all out
ward evidences Of terrific, II not WELL
nigh hopeless, difficulties. the British
were not only getting hold of their
situation. but beginning to display a
certain confidence.
AS to France, one must say at once
that there Is no evidence in any direc-
ton either of confidence or compe-
tenCe. Here Is a country. naturally
rich, in which at the moment not only
is there nothing to compare with the
100000 unemployed In Germany
and the 1,250.000 idle in Britain. but
by contrast. with every one working.
the Jobs exceed the hands and there
is still cry for more workmen, which
can only be met by immigration.
Here Is a country which. unlike
Germany, Britain or Italy, is export
ing more than she imports. piling up
a relatively huge favorable balance
through tourist trade. The coal mines
which were destroyed during the war
are producing more coal than then,
the factories which were wiped out
have been replaced with modern estab-
liShmentS which have in many cases
doubled production.
Living Costs Low
Then. by contrast with Germany or
Britain. here is q country In which
the cost of living is comparatively
to the tourist observation-disclosures low.
In all things which go to make out
ward proof Of prosperity one might
almost say with exactitude that
France is enjoying a boom rather
than a slump. that so far as postwar
Europe goes 1t is tncomparably better
off than either its great enemy or Its
greatest European ally.
Yet over against that one must set
the dominant fact that politically. and
as a consequence financially. France
is not only worse off than Britain, but
also than Germany, Italy. Belgium or
even some of the more fragile and
recent creations. The whole govern.
mental branch of national life has
not SO much broken down as become
paralyZed. The franc continues to
fall. capital continues to run away
from the country, confidence has dis
appeared. There is an incoherence, q
general sense of doubt. anxiety. pessi-
fniSlH, WHICH goes beyond all posi-
bility of eXaggeration.
Daily. hourly, there is national
sense that things are drifting nearer
and nearer TO some supreme crisis,
i the character Of which no one can
describe or forecast. but the gravI.s
of which all concede. But in the
face of all this there IS no man to
do what Clemenceau did In 1917: no
political party which can take control
as did the Tories in Britain a year
ago. In whatever direction you turn
there is only the double sense of help
lessness and hopelessness.
Taxation Is High.
What is the cause? In America
one says that the French people re-
fuse to pay taxes. But this Is rather
cruelty inexact, because most catego-
ries of French citizens are already
heavily taxed. measured by American
standards. and there have been many
manifestations in recent days of readi-
ness to meet still greater burdens
We're there any sign that such bur-
dens borne would bring relief. But
they have lost confidence in the gov
eminent to which they would pay
their taxes: they feel that new sacri-
fees only go for nothing and produce
no results.
In the Chamber Of Deputies. which
is the real government, the member
ship Is broken into groups which can
not combine, yet will not disintegrate
to permit new combinations. On the
one hand is the minority. made up
of the several conservative groups
which We're beaten at the election a
year ago last May, when Poincare
was defeated. They have at the mo-
ment neither the strength nor the
leadership to save the situation.
On the other hand, there is q ma
jority made up of three totally in
coherent groups-Moder mild
Radicals and Socialists-held together
by the fact that combined they make
a majority which enables them to
control the patronage and hold the
jobs. united by the cohesive power
Of public plumber. But this ma
jority has no other unity than that
Of patronage: it does not dissolve;
but it can do nothing, because be-
tween the Moderates and the Social
lists there can be no cooperation in
the making of legislation.
Position Is Unstable.
At the moment in which write
BRAND Is prime minister. but tomor-
row he may go because he has no
majority. Moreover, while he IS a
great politician. he is not in any
sense a great leader
His one conception Of solution is to
permit the ma ority to continue until
it wears out the patience of the coun-
try and even the possibilities of its
own combination. Patience is his
motto and his method, but while he
waits the franc sinks, the country
grows more and more dissatisfied. the
crisis approaches.
Is It then possible after all that
Mussolini. q French Mussolini, may
emerge? Let mo say at once that In
all my talks with Frenchmen Of all
shades of opinion none has excluded
this possibility. Poincare is quoted
that France was fiat on her back
and any one might have her by
lifting her to her feet. Never in his
tory was there a situation more per-
fectly made for a dictator, if only
there were dictator discoverable
anywhere.
But where can France get a die
tator? Not from the army; It has
not a single available candidate, and
the nation itself Is conspicuously
weary Of everything which suggests
militar1Sm. II ID, TOT example, SO TO-
tally tired of the Moroccan campaign
that even a great success won there
by a new and brilliant general would
hardly make a stir on the waters.
Man Power Exhausted.
But If there is no soldier available
and if, in addition, the popular mind
would generally resist a. military die
tator. where is there a politician of
the right stature? Again one faces
the fact that one Of the worst phases
Of recent history has been that it has
exhausted, not developed. men. There
is not new name in France. When
you consider that France has had six
finance ministers In q year. and the
finance post is the post Of most i'm