Evening star., 1935-08-11
BY ALBINE JOHNSON.

~ France is moving slowly but
~ irresistibly toward a polit-
u ical, economic, social and
financial showdown. Thrice in the
last l8 months the seemingly inevi-
table has been postponed. The riots
of February 6, growing out Of the
Stavisky scandal; the King Alexan-
der -Barthou assassinations. followed
by the futile reshuftling and eventual
collapse of the Doumergue national
coalition and the Kaleidoscope cab
met shake-ups Of a few weeks oack'
when the country was figuratively
without a government for 48 hours
before Parliament accepted as
stop gap" the Laval ministry, were
mere stepping stones leading toward
a grand finale. The sporadic riots,
demonstrations and protests now go
ing on against high prices, wage and
pension cuts, etc, are slight symp-
toms of a widespread and growing
unrest.
In reality the three-month in
terim-which started when Parlla-
ment granted Premier Laval author
ity to govern by decree until October
when the Chamber meets again-is
but an armed truce. Nobody expects
Lavars so-called retrenchments to
bring more than temporary relief.
The DEGREES are financial and polit-
ical aspirin. The headache Will re-
main long after the effects OF the
sedatives have passed. Balancing OF
the budget while revenues are still
shrinking rapidly and cuts IN gov
ernment expenditures are more lmag-
mary than real, is an illusion. The
French franc will remain vulnerable
until stabilization of the major in
ternational currencieS has been real
lied. despite any and every internal
measure to safeguard it. And re-
gardless of the pious hopes so fire.
ouently expressed by Washington and
London with fingers crossed, stabil-
ization for long time to come ap-
pears to be but the f1gment OF a
dream.
Lull Before Storm.
The political tenseness of today Is
the lull before the storm. Left and
right groups are watching each other
closely for a false move-an incident
which will give a strategic advantage
before carrying the fight to the coun-
try or before the people at the polls.
The most dramatic element in the
French picture naturally is the in
ternal political situation. Both ends
the Left and Right parties-are
closing in on the center. For years
the Radical Socialists-the middle
road party of Edouard Herriot and
Edouard Daladier-have been the
dominating group in Parliament.
Leon Blum's Left Socialists, the sec
ond largest group. have held the bal
ance of power but have never con-
sented to form a government, pre-
ferring to influence the policies of
those in office to taking the response
bility. With the death of the veteran
Socialist, Pierre Renaudel. extremists
lead by Blum. have now complete
control of the Left Socialist organiza-
ton.
Herriot, always powerful co-leader
of the Radical (Right) Socialists took
the helm when the Stavisky scandals
threatened to besmear his colleagues,
particularly Daladier and Camille
Chautemps. Now that whitewash and
time have softened that menace, the
Radical old guard is reasserttng it
self. Before October Herriot will
step down and out as the Radical
whip. He has publicly announced
that he will not be candidate for lead
ership when Parliament convenes.
The togo will revert to the shoulders
OF the rehabilitated Daladier, with
the up-and-com Pierre Cot as sec
ond In command. That will mean
that Herriot will have to leave Laval's
cabinet, perhaps precipitating a new
crisis.
Alliance Denounced.
The Radical Socialist alliance-real
only at election time when the two
parties always combine against the
Conservative and Communist candi-
dates in the second ballotting and in
operative In Parliament thereafter
was denounced officially when Herriot
went into the original Doumergue
cabinet. The Socialists formed the
Common Front" with the Com
munists to combat the threatened
Fascist dictatorship and the Croix de
Feu. The result was the Radicals
normally the big middle-path group
found their ranks rapidly thinning by
reflections toward both the Right
and Left. Marcel Deaf and Pierre
Cot formed the Left Wing group of
Neo- Socialists; other leaders leaned
toward the Conservatives and Re-
publicans. *
With the trend definitely away