Evening star., 1934-11-04
FRENCH GOVERNMENTAL
REFORMS DRAW NEARER
Proximity of Dictatorship Contributes
to Demand for Changes That
Insure Efficiency.

| ticians would be placed under his
direct supervision.
When confronted with an adverse
vote of the Chamber the prime min
lister would be entitled to ask the
President Of the republic for a de-
cree Of dissolution. As q matter of
fact, the right of dissolution is to
be found in the present constitutional
law, but 1t cannot be resorted to ex-
cept with the approval of q major
ity of the Senators. For this and
other reasons it has become obsolete.
Now M. Doumergue wants it to be
reinvigorated and kept In readiness,
and, unless a second decree Of dis
solution should be attempted within
less than q year after the first, he
suggests that the approval of the
Senate should not be required.
Political controversy will rage about
this central piece of the Doumergue
program. In its present mood the
Senate (and, as a whole, the Radical
Socialist party is not willing to as
sent to such strengthening of the
executive, which, they can foresee,
would involve a painful loss of pres
tige for them. But M Doumergue
| considers that this point must be
won at all costs. If necessary, he will
threaten the Chamber with an i'm
mediate dissolution and the Senate
with his immediate resignation
amounting, in todays circumstances,
to call to civil strife.
The other amendments, although
very important in themselves, are
rather of complementary character.
1t would no longer be permissible for
a private member of the Chamber To
make proposals entailing some pub
lie expenditure; the initiative in such
a move, as in British practice, would
be reserved for the Government. The
finance commissions of both houses
would be deprived of the power of
overriding the ministry of finance in
the preparation of the annual budget
The cabinet would be enabled, when
ever held in check by parliamentary
opposition, to decide by itself that the
budget will be valid for the ensuing
year. This procedure would do away
with the device of provisional cred
its" recurrent cause of deficits.
Electoral Reform Necessary.
Last, but not least, an electoral
reform would have to be carried out
on the basis of proportional repre-
sentation. 1t is expected that the ex-
ercise Of the right Of dissolution in
conjunction with the electoral reform
would bring about a reshuffling of
all the French political parties. They
would have to reform into a few big
units, and this would put an end to
the unnatural alliances now concluded
for the purpose of winning the ballot
which fall apart in Parliament IA po-
tent source of ministerial Instability
To the above let us add the emanci-
patton of the judicial bench from
every sort of political influence.
Such is the plan M Doumergue has
resolved to carry out, and which he
will submit to both Chambers on the
plea that in the Europe of today
France cannot hold her own unless il
be placed under a more imperative
form of government. If the present
internal confusion is to continue then
the Paris government had better give
up that leadership it tries to enforce
on the continent for the safeguard
ing of general peace. In that case
the French people would be wise to
entrench themselves on the Rhine
and beyond; everything would go to
the dogs.
do not believe that we shall ever
come to such pass. Should M.
Doumergue and national union fail in
the endeavor, another cabinet-this
time acting perhaps in the spirit of
faction-wil have to renew the at
temDt