Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-17
BAST|LE DAY FETE
ST|RS j. S. AM|Ty
Paris Cheers America-0p-
posite Is Sensed in Turmoil
of Coming Elections.
BY WILLIAM BIRD.

DI WILLIAM DlnOs
Special Dispatch to The Star.
PARIS, July 1.-THE Bastile day
celebration, which began Thursday
and extends over the week end. seems
to be more a festival OF Franco
American friendship than Of French
liberty.
Three American transatlantic flights
in the few weeks Immediately preced-
ing and the presence of Comdr. Byrd
and Clarence Chamberlin and their
associates at the unprecedented
Fourth Of July festivities were deter.
mining factors in the transformation
of this annual patriotic demonstration
into an international event.
America Is Cheered.
Wherever one goes. at all the nu.
merous public meetings where oratory
, fiourishes as 1t does with us on Inde-
pendence day. the name Of America
Is greeted with cheers. American
flags everywhere are intertwined with
the French tri-color and American
tourists who join in the joymaktng
are the objects Of enthusiastic atten-
lions, which make a sharp contrast
with the spirit Of irritation that
reigned last year on the national fete
| day.
Questions Of dollars and debts are
forgotten, buried under showers OF
mutual bouquets. There Is not the
| slightest question that America, on
cially and popularity, stands foremost
| in French hearts today OF all the
nations of the world.
France Still Endangered.
But while a whole nations feelings
can thus be transformed almost over
night by the daring and genius of
handful of air pioneers. 1t cannot be
forgotten that the opposite may hap
pen with equal celebrity at any mo-
ment-either through the narrowness
and maladroitness Of politicians, or
| through some purely fortuitous cir
| cumstance.
The French franc Is not yet out of
danger, and IL anything happens to
that franc again it will be blamed on
American finance and on the Ameri-
can Government. Yet it is quite pos
sible that neither one nor the other
will be at fault.
The chief menace to the franc Is
the instability of French politics. a
matter quite outside American con-
troll.
Problem of Government.
Negative government" in France,
and not pressure from Washington
and Wall Street, was responsible for
the collapse of the franc last Sum-
mer. Positive government" under
Poincare was responsible for its
| restoration.
The problem today Is whether posi-.
i've INF
and beyond the coming parliamentary
election campaign, which will open
Immediately after the Summer vaca-
ton.
Poincare himself refuses to take
any interest in internal politics. He
believes the statesman should put
such preoccupationS out of his mind
and trust to the public to approve
him when he has done we'll. But
French electoral machinery affords no
opportunity for the voter to express
such approval, and unless such ma
chinery is organized between now
and next Spring there is grave fear
that the millions who desire to vote
| for continuance of the present
policies will have no option but to
elect the enemies Of those policies.
Tardieu Senses Danger.
About the only man in the cabinet
who is alive to the dangers that are
ahead is Andre Tardieu, who besides
being the one outstanding statesman
of the younger generation-men of
SO and under-has a veritable genius
for political organization.
Tardieu has declared for a country
wide union of the center" parties
against the Socialists and Communists
on one hand, and the extreme reac-
tionaries on the other.
To Americans the scheme Is so
reasonable and logical that few can
understand the difficulties. The prin-
cipal obstacle Is the religious issue.
This is question of very little prac-
teal application today. but for genera
tions it has been the battle-ground of
French politics, and the parties, more
by force Of habit than anything else,
are reluctant to give it up.
Tardieu hopes to solve the religious
question by ignoring it, placing all his
emphasis on financial and industrial
reconstruction.
Largely on the success of his efforts
during the next few months depends
the question of a continuance of the
existing F'ranco-American cordiality.
Copyright. 1927