Evening star., 1932-05-01
Tardieu-New Idol or Dictator?

end Of the conference the Englishman
was asked why he had kept so silent.
M. Tardieu said everything for both
Of us" he answered with q smile, "and
so much better than could have done"
When Tardieu returned to France the
victory of the allies vas assured It
is no wonder that in his delight at
having brought herculean task to q
happy conclusion he reported: Il have
sent to French ports 1900, 900 men,
With the war over, the peace re-
scrupleS of President Wilson and the
skepticism of Lloyd George, Tardieu
stood up for Clemenceau's idea OF
world peace based on strength. But,
at the same time, he stood firmly
against those who wanted to march on
Berlin and annex the Rhineland.
Always his road had been upward;
always the premiership had seemed Just
ahead. The prediction that he would
be one Of Frances youngest prime min
isters was still heard on every hand
Now came a spell of disappointment
and the anticlimax. Georges Clemen-
ceau, father of the victory was de-
feated in his race for the presidency OF
the French Republic. Was this a sign
Of the gratitude of nations? Tardieu
would have liked TO know. He and his
grand old man of the war were dis
carded, 1t seemed to him, so that poll
ticianS OF smaller stature might fill the
seats Of the mighty. Poincares cold eff
cheney made no impression on Tardieu.
He saw with trepidation what he de-
scribed as the squandering of Frances
rights. He saw the oncoming of the
radical Left.
With Clemenceau he founded I'Echo
National 6nE Il
manded in unequivocal terms that
France get out Of the quagmire of COM
placent self-satisfaction and tread the
road to higher destinies Tardieu feared
that France would continue in her
"haphazard pre-war ways" as If no
change had come upon the world. He
observed with grief, he wrote IN his
paper, the cropping of other nations for
more effective forms Of self-exppNEsion,
while France sat on her iaurels, eating
for the homage of tie untvFs@.
The criticism was strong and so were
Tardieus thoughts. He had prepared a
program OF national reconstruction and
his muscles we're bursting with energy.
Alien troops were in the Ruhr and
French reaction to Poincare's policies
was becoming more articulate. But the
pendulum had swung in the opposite
direction and the radical parties point
ed warning finger at Tardieu: Be
ware Of the would-be dictator!"
A Radical Landslide.
The May elections of 1924 resulted in
a radical landslide and Tardieu drop-
ped out of the picture. He was not re-
elected in his constituency Of the De-
partment Of Seine-et- t-Oise. The Cartel
deS Gauches was formed and Tardieu
played golf at St. Germain. He began
to write a book about Schleswig, an
other about the United States. He did
not contradict the widespread rumors
that he had foresworn politics. For
two years he made no effort TO find a
vacant constituency.
Then a vacancy occurred in the Bel
fort district. In February, 1925, Tar
dieu made speech in Dele advocat-
ing strong-hand policy. 1t had
country-wid echo. Leon Blum, the high
priest of the Socialist party, came to
Belfort to help him win his party's
nomination there. Over the walls of
the peasants houses posters were
pasted. If you want a dictator. vote
for Tardieu!" they read. But when the
votes were counted Tardieu had been
elected.
In the Chamber of Deputies his 81
lence aroused suspicion "Reculer pour
mieux sauter," the French adage says,
and his opponents were puzzled. Tar
dieu evidently was drawing back to
make a spring. But he had no such
motives. He remained quiet so that
he would dispel suspicion. The republic
does nott like Boulangers on black
chargers, and Tardieu felt that the
time had come for him to give direc-
ton to Frances deStinies
He was made minister of public
works and, later, minister of the in
terror in M. Poincare's cabinets. The
reputed wild man of the Nationalists
was building a bridge to the Radicals.
The opposition had no cause to COM
plain about his constitutional methods.
When election time came around in
1928 it seemed certain that his hour
of triumph had come. But no. once
more he was disappointed. Although
the Chamber had a Conservative ma
jority and there was nobody on his
side of the aisle who could be COM
pared to Tardieu in ability and organ
wizard of the Deputies, M. BRAND,
despite the fact that he was pro-
gressive took the premiership and held
1t by following a middle course.
But BRAND fell. and after two Radi-
the House, the President Of the re-
public turned to Andre Tardieu to form
a government. In November, 1929, he
became premier of France-but then
he was SO years old.
Tardieu was then and Is now in the
fullneSs of his constructive power, but
for man who wanted to lead his ma
ton to new renaissance in his thir-
ties the premiership in his fifties means
different approach.
"Among Greatest Leaders"
Whatever ideas Tardieu might have
cherished about a silent constitutional
change were abandoned when he took
the helm. His program was brilliant in
its matter-of-factnesS and not in the
abundance OF startling ideas. France
was prosperous. the strongest power in
Europe, and the French wanted no
radical departure from the trodden
path. In his responsible position the
new premier realized that France liked
her governments safely conservative.
even though she liked her Parliaments
saturated with progressiviSm.
He had been in power only three
months when his government was over
thrown. But the ice had been broken
and once more Tardieu was back in
power. 1t was during his second ad-
mlnlstration that the Young plan was
ratified, an event which gave promise
OF bringing order out Of the reparations
chaos.
In the domestic field Tardieu adopted
the policy of the golden rule. He be-
gan to lean heavily on the agricultural
population which he protected with
nigh tariffs, import quotas and con-
tlngents. Late in 1880 the French Sem
ate upset the second Tardieu govern
ment. In the two Laval cabinets which
succeeded him, Tardieu was a minister.
But 1t Is the way of all French cabinets
that sooner or later they fall. IayaIs
fell in January, 1882. With great diplo-
matte skill Tardieu maneuvered himself
back into power, thereby establishing
himself as one Of Frances perennial
candidates for the rrey,,iareLiv,