Evening star., 1934-02-26

ened with the Right to dissolve Par
lament In the English way.
This could only be done by calling
National Assembly to revise the con-
stitution. M. Doumergue may be
forced to call that National Assembly
to vote these reforms, which would be
tiOn, afraid OF losing It's golden oPPor-
tunities, its local prestige, Its political
pull
The deputy in France is hail fellow
well met in local society. He is sur
rounded by sycophants, eager for
places for their sons, their nephews
or their business friends The patron
of the cafe where he takes his
aperitif, shakes him by the left hand
nearest the heart-and whispers into
his ear. Women surround him with
f1attery and cajolement on behalf of
their husbands, sons or lovers. His
patronage reaches down to the small
est official posts and he likes to please
people who support him.
1t is difficult to change system
like that, and that is one reason why
M. Doumergue already has been op-
posed by deputies, who still protest
against the economies necessary to
balance the budget. He gave them a
fright by telling them that unless they
supported him he would not remain
another day in Office. And then what?
They dare not face that. 1t would be
followed by a wave of indignation In
France from all the forces OF the
irH hxro fria
Hope to Resume Power.
The Radicals and Socialists are not
yet ready to face any new situation
They insist, truly enough, that they
are still in a majority in the Cham
ber and that their government fell
only on account Of the street fighting
They profess to believe that in little
while after a brief inning by this
government of truce, they may re-
sumo power ss though nothing had
happened.
But something has happened-their
utter discredit in public opinion. If
they overthrow M. Doumergue there
will be a revolt not confined to the
streets of Paris. So I am told by in
tellgent observers.
There is another cause of uneasi-
ness in French minds and especially
in the minds of small tradespeople
and the average bourgeois. They are
terribly afraid that French money
may be revalued or inflated again.
Will they be forced off the gold stand
ard by the depreciation of the dollar?
VIII paper money be increased to pay
for the balancing of the budget?
That is haunting fear
BY one of the best economists in
France. am told that there is no
real difficulty in balancing the budget,
and that there is no danger of being
forced off gold unless the dollar is
devalued to much lower level. But
this confidence is not general, it seems.
Any devaluation of French money
would cause political crisis worse
than the Stavisky scandals, which
brought indignation to a boiling point
Fascist Move Possible
There Is. II seems, an unknown
France. The minds of younger men
are moving in strange ways as in
other countries. The elder men do
not quite know what the young men
will do. French youth has been un-
touched by Italian, German and now
Austrian Fascism. They too are i'm
patient for action. for authority, for
discipline. They are contemptuous of
democracy. They are inclined to in
tolerance. They favor sticks rather
than appeals to reason.
The average French opinion dis
believes utterly in the chances Of a
monarchy. 1t is fantastic nonsense,
I am told. But there is chance, it
appears, of a movement among the