Evening star., 1934-02-08
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MARYLAND and Virrinia
M. Doumergue's Heavy Task.
To defend her menaced democratic

To defend her menaced democratic
institutions against the forces Of re-
action France has turned to one of
her trusted political veterans, the
seventy-year-old former President of
the republic, CASTOR Doumergue.
To him on Wednesday President
Lebrun entrusted the task of forming
government after the Daladier minis
try concluded that its usefulness was
ended by the sanguinary fighting in the
streets and squares Of Paris the night
before. NJ Daladier's short-lived pre-
miership had received votes of conf
dence in the Chamber Of Deputies.
but the boulevards were echoing with
angry shouts Of "assasSinS," in pro-
test against the action of government
troops and the police in firing on
Tuesdays rioting mobs. Under the
circumstances M. Daladier decided to
quit.
His retirement did not automatically
ouell the disturbance, and Paris was
again last night the scene of re-
neWed violence. Furious demonstra-
tions before the Elysee Palace, the
French white house." had to be sup
pressed by glnfire. In numerous
other quarters of the city-along the
downtown boulevards, in the Amer
lean quarter" adjacent to the Etoile
and the Champs Elysees-the mob
spirit vented itself, requiring incessant
Intervention by armed forces and
entailing dozens of casualties, mclud-
Ing many killed. Paris hospitals are
full of wounded after two days and
nights of battle.
NJ Doumergue, a beloved national
figure. accepted the premiership with
comprehensive reluctance. When he
left the presidency in 1881 after a
strenuous seven-year term which saw
no fewer than fifteen cabinet crises,
he determined upon a life of COM
plete retirement from public affairs.
1t could only have been q realization
upon M. Doumergue's part that France
Is plunged into a situation of incal-
culable menace that induced him to
abandon his provincial retreat and
re-enter the political arena. 1t fell
to his lot while President. in 1926, to
appoint Raymond Poincare premier
when France was on the verge of
financial ruin. M. Doumergue DEM
onstrated on that occasion that he
vas a statesman of courage and re-
sourcefulneSs.
Those qualities, bulwarked by popu-
lar confidence in his patriotism and
integrity, will serve him and France
we'll in these critical hours. He is
credited with a plan to form a min
1stry Of national union" and public
election, at which the country would
have opportunity to choose a new
Chamber and mold national policy
along fresh lines.
While the current upheaval is de-
scribed as the gravest Paris has known
since the Commune after the Franco
Prussian War; the French tempera-
ment has more than once revealed
Its capacity to cool off after even the
maddest manifestations of explosive
ness. The new French revolution is
not here yet. But enough has hap
pened in Paris this week to demon
strate to the nations leaders that
some sort Of new deal is required if
. repetition of current events is not
to end in real cataclysm.
Fascism has been hinted as the way
out. It is noteworthy that the French
Federation Of Labor has voted a gen.
eral strike should it be necessary to
frustrate any concrete attempt to cure
Frances ills by setting up dictator
ship on Mussolini lines.