Evening star., 1934-08-05
FRANCE FINDING 1T HARD
TO SMASH HER TAMMANY
Doumergue's Efforts to Rehabilitate
Government and Stamp Out Graft
Partly Successful Despite Alarms.

premiership.
The end Of i9i5i Europe was full
Of werlike TJmors and forebodtngs
The new premier had received from
his political associates clear man
date 10 pass q bill suppreSsing the
three year military service with the
colors, which. few weeks before. had
been reintroduced by NJ Barthou.
NJ. Doumergue. who In addition 10 the
premiership held the portfolio Of
foreign affairs, within a week un-
reservedly reversed his decision. For
the first time his eyes had been opened
TO the tragic intricacies Of inter
national affairs. From that time,
although nominally a stanch and in
fiuential Radical-Socialist, he never
sveryed frou his devotion TO the ma
tional interest Every consideration
Of party, in so far as it could not be
conciliated with II. was dismissed as
Of inferior importance.
His cleverness has been always to
carry out a policy consonant with the
general interest of the community and
yet to go on commanding the affection
and the support of the worst creatures
OF "Tammany." In that way he was
a pillar Of strength to NJ. Poincare
during the war. He pushed his per
formance to a very bold point. More
than 10 years ago. as he felt that the
presidency of the republic was about
to fan within his grasp. he did not
hesitate TO resign from Freemasonry-
a very daring move. for the local
lodges OF Freemssons all over France
are really the mainstayS OF the Left.
The Radical Socialists and Socialists
tthe So-called cartel of the Left') put
forward against him NJ. Painleve, In
their judgment much more orthodox
person. But NJ. Doumergue managed
TO keep, on personal grounds, SO many
adherents among their ranks that,
with the help of the Center and of the
Right, he won the June, 1924, election
by wide margin.
Dismay of NJ. BRAND.
A fateful day for the Radical
Socialist ideal Later on M. BRAND,
semi permanent and omnipotent min
lister of foreign affairs though he
was, learned it to his dismay. In the
sittings of the ministerial council NJ.
BRAND was always unduly secretive
about the dealings OF French diplo-
macy. He seldom consented to read
aloud to his colleagues the kilograms
and reports sent in by French repre-
sentativeS abroad. since their content,
more often than not, was not such as
TO encourage the great hopes built,
mainly for electoral purposes, upon
such instruments as the Locarno
treaties, the kellogg pact or the draft
treaty Of European union. M. Dou-
mergue, who presided over ministerial
deliberations, would insist upon the
production of the messages. In short.
M. Doumergue proved the most
formidable opponent of Brands shall
low idealism. And still 'Tammany"
did not entirely break with him.
How can we account for that re-
markable feat of political opportun
ism? BY a combination of good
nature-that sort of good nature
which, through a smile, appeals to
the individual man-of peasant
shrewdness, of continuity of purpose
and of real will power. Such
combination is enough to break most
of the reluctance that has to be met
in the political world-and even III
the political underworld.
AS prime minister in 1913 M. Dou-
mergue had not shone in the ora
torical contests of Parliament. There
fore it was feared lest, coming back
to office last February and having to
mingle in passionate parliamentary
discussions, he should not give good
account of himself. But to the sur1s
prise of most, he happened then to
develop a mode of eloquence new to
the French Chamber, in which he
is now recognized as a master because
it closely fits in with his own person.
ality. Let us call it homily. He
expresses himself as the father of
the family, as Cincinnatus who un-
willingly had to leave the countryside
and does not wish anything more
than to be released as soon as possible
from the burdensome toll in Paris.
Opposite of Brain Trust
But he is the opposite of what can
be called brain trust" Intellectu-
ais would despiSe him as proSy and
commonplace. OF all men he would
be the last to believe in the advent
of the millennium. He is convinced
that the well-tried methods of the
past are the safest to follow; that
there is very little to discover and
to invent about the business of gov
ernment. His prescriptions are the
embodiment of common sense; he
would not trust to ambitious surgical
operations.
While imbued with the dignity OF
the executive power and determined
to stop parliamentary and electoral
encroachmentS, he looks with the
horror of a genuine, lifelong demo-
crat at the frantic department of the
uncontrolled tyrantS beyond the
frontiers. Fate will be extremely kind
10 France if this human premier con-
tinues to keep her in peace without
infringing upon an iota Of her easy
going constitution.