Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-23

Pierre Laval is an embodiment of the
fact that big men sometimes come in
small packages. The president Of the
French council of ministers is what You
would call under medium size. But
he radiates poise, shrewdness and wis
dom with every glance and gesture.
His swarthy color and physiognomy
suggest little of Vice President Curtis.
Laval has piercing brown eyes which
he half closes now and then as he
sizes up an interrogation or ponders
reply to q leading question. He
smokes cigarettes necessarily. He has
uncommonly small feet, which he always
keeps on the ground He can turn
on winning smile. He bore himself
With inWncible patience last night as
the Washington press corps peppered
him with demands for something
newsier than glittering generalities
didn't get It. You have the impression
that Laval would be a tough customer
in poker game. He has come up
from behind in French politics with
meteoric speed. Three years ago hard
ly any one outside of his native
Auvergne had ever heard of him. In
1880 he became minister of labor in
the second Tardieu cabinet and before
the year was over was the head of the
government. He is addressed like our
own chief magistrate-"Mr.P President. "
Andre Tardieu is widely considered
In Europe to be the man behind the
Laval throne. He occupies the rela-
lively minor position of minister of
agriculture in the present cabinet. but
his power far outstrips the supervision
Of Frances vineyards and farms. The
militant nationalist trend of the Laval
government reflects the Tardieu in
f1uence. Aristide Brands eclipse in
the Partisan political heavens is an
other manifestation of the Tardieu
hand. For the better part Of the past
year the old eagle of the Quai d'Orsay
has functioned with clipped wings and
claws. Today he is the executor rather
policy. Laval (plus TardieuO is; the
boss Brands sun was setting long
before the German Austrian tariff An
schluss affair dimmed its luster. France
finally had her way on AnSchluss, when
the World Court smashed it up, but
Brands fortunes had tagged to the
point Of irretrievability Nationalist
France. which is now in the saddle,
deprecated what was considered his in
judicious Cancellation Of Germany. The
Laval-Tardieu government Is for peace
anu dI1lGy WIFI CIlC 1CuVOLllS UIOGIlcl ,
but at a cost the Germans are not pre-
pared to pay.
When M Laval and President Hoover
get down to brass tacks on disarma-
ment. the premier will not wait long
before talking about the French En-
pire." Nowadays by France" French
men mean not merely France in Eu-
rope. but France in Africa. France in
Asia and France in the Americas. Col
A. GraSset, a distinguished French Off
Ger, in a recent article in L'Illustra-
ton observes that the French colonial
policy is to encourage and assist evo-
lutionary political processes among the
natives This makes for "a certain
ferment of change and progress which
sometimes necessitates the check of
authority" France claims not to be
able to dispatch effective forces quickly
to the scene of a colonial rebellion or
disorder, but must depend on native
forces. Within France itself is a spe-
cial expeditionary force of 10000 men
which, Col. Grasset contends, cannot
be reckoned as part Of the home de-
tense establishment. overseas France
embraces 5.250,00 square miles and a
population of 60000,000. A strong re-
serve of troops is required for mandate
Is the claim that Frances colonial army
cannot legitimately come within the
scope of any disarmament scheme.
In a public address this week Leo
A. Rover, United States attorney for
the District of Columbia, took a
good-natured slam at the new set-up
In the washington Police Department.
Between the Cavalry and the Arttl-