Evening star., 1936-06-28

- cialists are in Office in France.
Socialists cabinets have already
held power in Great Britain,
Sweden, Denmark, Germany and
Austria but in the French Republic.
the experiment has not been tried
before. An obstacle stood in the way;
the existence of the Radical-Social1st
party. which is essentially representa-
tive of the lower middle classes and
of the peasantry. This party cham
pioned every social reform upon So
cialistic lines that was acceptable to
a majority of small property owners
that is, which interferred with pri-
vate wealth only above a certain
figure.
Two years ago the forces Of the
Right, making use of the Stavisky
scandal, savagely assailed that middle
party and to great extent succeed
ed in discrediting it. The conserva-
tives calculated that this defeat OF
the Radical-Socialist would rebound to
their own benefit. But now they
have been forced to realize that the
main result of their fight was to play
into the hands of the extremists.
They had forgotten that the French
people, taken as mass. are always
inclined to go to the Left. In France
the average citizen is essentially an
individuaist like the American; but
social jealousy burns in his heart
a social jealousy that can easily be
kt,a n cYlirit
The orthodox socialists, led by Leon
Blum, will have to put up with the
conditions attaching to minority
government. They do not command
more than 149 seats of 6l8 in the
Chamber Of Deputies, and only about
20 seats out of 305 in the Senate.
The fraction of the electorate which
rallied to them probably did not
exceed 16 per cent. They are, there
fore, much weaker in Parliament
than was British Labor in 1924 and
1929, the two occasions on which 1t
was called upon to assume the highest
responsibilities in the state.
Program Is Vague.
As a consequence no Socialist re-
form proper will be initiated; in his
own words, Mr.. Blum will not try
to do any more than manage the
capitalist regime to the best advan-
tage of the nation as whole. The
program of the Popular Front (formed
last year by Communists, orthodox So
cialists, independent Socialists and
radical Socialists) is vague. More
over, these allies Of the orthodox So
cialists will be very strongly represent
ed in the cabinet.
On the whole, the prime minister,
Mr.. Blum, will have to behave as
kind of English Radical. But suppose
he attempts to relax the strain OF the
economic crisis-which is being per-
petuated in France by blind policy
of defation-by carrying out reforms
similar to those championed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt. Then everything he
does will be labeled as unmitigated
Marxism and there will be a violent
reaction from a large part of the
public. Should he take the opposite
course. the result would not be very
different.
The fate of the Socialist cabinet
will depend, in the long run, upon
Mr.. Blum's good judgment and
strength of character; and these, so
far, are unknown quantities. During
the greater part of his life he has
appeared as a man of culture and re-
finement, as a great Intellectual. This
suggests that, entering into politics,
he was fated to become. sooner or
later, brain trust" worker.
Honored for Learning.
But until the end Of the war politics
were by no means his chief interest.
AS a youth of 20, he had been ad-
mitted to the "Ecole Normale Super
ieure," that most exclusive of all the
seminaries of university professors,
that can be entered only after the
most severe tests of classical pro-
ficiency, and which turns out a small,
select group Of writers, orators and
politicians.
But after one year he quarreled with
the school authorities over a question
of discipline. Then, with remarkable
adaptability, he joined the staff OF
the Council of State, which superin-
tends the technical side Of all legisla-
ton and which decides cases arising
between the state and private in
dividuals.
His career indicates a dilettante;
and a dilettante Mr. Blum assuredly
Is He wrote book about Marriage"
a book intended to expound the thesis
(30~ years ago it was regarded as
rather scandalous, but nowadays 1t
would not be likely to shock so many
people, that a young girl ought to be
allowed the same freedom as man,
and that permanent wedlock ought
to be the outcome of fair trial.
In that period, still a comparatively
young man and already addicted to
the Marxist ideal, his ambition was
ta davofa hiyyasalf aaatir0lv To literary