Evening star., 1926-02-16
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

partisanism and rally to Doumer's
support by passing the tax measure
without further delay or bubble, the
government must fall. The vote was
taken last night. giving support to
the Doumer measure, 258 to l49, and
the BRAND cabinet still lives
X
1t appears that what opposition ex-
lists against the Doumer tax bill is
based upon doctrines and not on nrac.
tlcal hgures. The Socialists and Rad.
ical Socialists demand direct taxation;
the other blocS want indirect taxation.
when the radicals were persuaded last
Fail to abandon the capital lew it
'ras through the introduction of a
bill by the then finance minister. Lou
'heur. increasing the income tax so
per cent. That bill became law last
December 4. though it forced the over
throw of Loucheur and with him the
Painleve cabinet.
BRAND and his finance minister.
Doumer, inherited that increase of tax
on incomes as a foundation Of their
tax policy. NJ. Doumer now adds a
tax OF 10 per cent on all sales, paw
ments Of debt, transactions at bank
or on the Bourse. That Is the pro.
posal around which most of today's
battle is waging. Socialists prefer
to increase the income tax
X X
French officials say that France. on
the whole. is in remarkably good con-
dttton. She has overcome the radi-
calism Of the proposed capital levy;
she has no fear of Soviet bolshevism
in her own affairs; there is absolutely
no unemployment-cont most
favorably with most other countries
Of Europe; she had collected from Ger
man reparations prior to the adoption
OF the Dawes plan 2,646, ,907,0 900 gold
| marks Qncluding gold payments, mer-
chand1Se and titles to certain state
property in the newly acquired do
main. especially Alsace and Lorraine).
That is equivalent to 1861 ,726,75O. Out
! of that collection she has invested 737,-
659.737 gold marks in rebuilding the
devastated regions, of which at least
two thirds have actually been rebuilt,
and that with very little complaint of
! the ubiquitous profiteer.
Under the Dawes plan she is receiv.
| ing further reparations from Germany
| at the rate Of 4S4 4,471.462 gold marks
per year-$121, III. .S65.50. She has not
yet funded her war debt to the United
States or Great Britain. but her
friends live on in hope.
The election of M. Tardieu last Sat
| urday to the Chamber of Deputies
| may not augur we'll for the BRAND
cabinet. for M. Tardieu is to be the
| leader of the opposition. 1t is, how
| ever. a most significant incident,
| pointing to the trend Of French senti-
| ment, for he made his campaign on
the issue of nationalism for France
as against internationaliSm and the
support Of the Locarno treaty. Tar
dieu revives the spirit of Clemenceau
He stands for French independence
| against too much domination OF
. League of Nations internationalism
: The same French authority says Tar.
dieu may not rally support from So
cialists, but he will fight a battle
| royal against BRAND for the leader
| ship Of the moderates and conserva
tives, and may thereby undermine Brt
and's sustaining majority and compel
his resignation. Then what? Car
Tardieu then control the situation
himself? He appears the coming
figure.
Recent editorials in leading French
papers indicate public sentiment. Ii
Gaulois of February 1 asks:
What would be gained II M. Dou
mer should concede everything to the
limit? Nothing"
Les Debats, LIRE Nouvelle anG
Nouveau Steele point out a movemen,
among the radicals, a current more
and more clear toward conciliation.
LrAvenir declares that nothing il
socialism has relieved the strained
financial situation, but 1t adds thai
a truth shines out with evidence, ant
has shone for a long time, ''Tht
financial crisis is political crisis, g
political crisis which. engenders a cri
sis in confidence"
(Copyrisht, 1925. by Paul Y. Collins FL
toril SyndicA&e.l