Evening star., 1927-11-06
EUROPE'S FUTURE HANGS
ON IMPENDING ELECTIONS
Radicals Campaign to Regain Pre-War
Standing Stirs France-Face Loss
if Franc Drops Again.

solving 1t before the work is finished?"
And this question is the more awk.
ward because it is being pressed by
one of their own menbers-M. Frank.
lin Bouillon.
Moreover, the opposition, the Con.
servatives, the survivors of the Bloc
National which went to defeat with
Poincare in 1924, are pressing the same
issue. These Conservatives are fairly
convinced that they cannot themselves
win single-handed. For them the hope
is to split up the Radicals over the
issue of continuing the coalition and
draw to themselves enough reinforce.
ment to control the next Chamber Of
Deputies.
The Radicals, who had intended to
turn Poincare out the moment Parlia-
ment assembled, have became hesitant.
There is the obvious danger that there
might be new franc crisis. And 1t
would be fatal for them to have to
face a new election with falling
franc.
In this dilemma the Radicals have
thought of putting Tardieu in Office
tionalist. His accession to power
would certainly not disturb general
confidence. But Tardieu has shown
obvious reluctance to becoming mere
cats paw of his natural political ene-
mics. who would only seat him before
election to eject him after. Yet, fail.
ing Tardieu, the Radicals may have to
retain Poincare, and this might prove
costly, because the Prime Minister,
under the French system, can exer-
else great deal of influence upon the
election.
Shun New Combines,
Examined closely. it is clear what
the Radicals are up to. They hope for
victory so complete that they will
not need to make any new combina-
ton, either with the Conservatives or
with the Socialists. Thus they want
to break with the Conservatives before
election and the Socialists afterward.
This whole maneuver Is so transpar-
ent and so lacking in either straight
forwardness or even ordinary political
consistency that one might imagine
1t was doomed to failure. But on the
whole the present conviction in France
is that the Radical and Radical Repub-
i1canS will be successful, and that they
VIII be able to form cabinet after
election without depending either upon
the conservatives or the Socialists for
support in the Chamber. Nor Is Il
altogether unlikely that with such a
victory Poincare may join the victors
and even succeed himself as the leader
| OF new cabinet
Astonishing as this suggestion may
seem 20 Americans, it is less surpris-
ing when it is recalled that Poincare
| belonged in this camp before the war.
Although he is a Nationalist in for
elgn affairs, he is what we would call
| a progressive Republican.
Before the war France had been for
number OF years governed by cabi-
| nets which on the whole represented
the political ideas Of the Radical and
Radical Republican parties. That
combination was destroyed by the war.
Chance for Control.
Now, at last, these groups feel that
| there Is real chance for them to
come back into complete and unchal.
ienged control. To accomplish this, IL
Is clear they will have to do some
extraordinary twisting and turning.
But they are convinced that once they
nave got power the public will accept
<ne result and even welcome it.
On the other hand, there are two
manifest obstacles in their pathway.
Recent events in Germany have stinu.
lated postwar apprehensions. Tan.
nenoerg was worth an incredible
amount to French Nationalists and to
the natural opponents of the Radicals.
After all, Herriot, Painleve and, above
all, BRAND, are identified with the
League of Nations and with Locarno
that is. with policy of peace with
germany by understanding-and as
the French become suspicious of Ger.
man purposes the Left leaders suffer.
The Radicals have no minister or
leader who has displayed the smallest
capacity to conduct French finances.
Herrlot was failure, Painleve was a
worse failure, and under BRAND the
ultimate disaster arrived. Thus il is
always possible that the mere pros.
pect OF return of the Radicals NAV
stir French business and finance. And
new crisis in the franc might put an
end to all Radical chances.
what one can say with some degree
or accuracy is, however, that on the
whole France is zig-zagging back to
normalcy and political control is going
back to hands similar to those which
held it before 1914. The process NAV
be delayed by any one of a dozen in.
huences, but all French politics at the
moment and until election certainly
must center about this struggle for
control.
tCopyrieht 1927