Evening star., 1937-03-28
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
TINE Leon Blum administration
has survived another crisis

has survived another crisis
the Clichy riots OF March 10
which, under ordinary circum-
stances, would have wrecked it be-
yond repair. But, to the delight OF
the French masses and the democratic
governments In Europe and in the
United States, the French Socialist
government has weathered the storm
That Blum is in trouble is an open
secret. The financial structure Of
France is damaged The social struc-
ture is shaky. And, above everything
else, the political situation throughout
Europe is such that any serious con-
vulsion in France might cause ire
parable damage to the whole world.
And this is the strength of the present
French government: Because the
French situation is so difficult, it's
present government must be supported
from inside and outside Otherwise
one of the main props of the European
structure may fail and the whole edi-
flee collapse
Officially, the Clichy riot is said to
be one of those eruptions, so frequent
ly seen in France, when two politically
antagonistic groups come face to face.
Actually, Col. de la ROGUE, leader of
the former Croix de Feu, now the
Socialist party, decided to face the lion
In his den. He unWisely arranged 10
attend movie preview in the Clichy
district, the hotbed Of communism
And he advertised his visit several
days ahead
Communists Are Ready.
The Communists pasted posters on
all the available walls of the small
community, saying that the arch
enemies of the people would invade
their precincts. The watchword for
the evening of March l6 was: The
Fascists are comingl"
And when De la ROGUE and his fol-
lowers arrived there were boos and
cat-calls which finally translated
themselves into bricks and pistol shots
Fifteen thousand Communists were
bent on lynching De la ROGUE and his !
friends. The police, small force, |
tried to protect them, but when they
saw that they might be overrun, sent |
for the mobile guards and other REIN |
forcements.
The rest is known! Five people were
killed and several hundred injured.
The leaders of the Communist party, |
especially Maurice Thorez, we're aghast |
at this performance They neither |
wanted it, nor did they expect it. Blum
had done his duty as the premier of !
France. He had protected his most |
bitter political opponents at the ex-
pense of his own followers.
Blum Refuses to Leave.
The question of his overthrow came
to the fore The moderate and right
ist members of the Chamber Informed
him that he need not worry about !
his position, since, if he lost the Com |
munists. they would stand by him.
This offer Blum rejected-a rare
occurrence in French politics. He |
reminded them all that he had come !
into Office as the leader of the ex-
tremist parties and would remain in
Office only as long as he had the |
support of the people who sent him
to the Hotel Matignon Official resi-
dence of the French PREMIER. And |
Maurice Thorez and his followers
there are "A Communist representa-
tives in the French Chamber |
alarmed at the prospect Of minis
terial crisis With Blum it was not
only a question of principle, but of
shreWd politics He realized that |
support Of political opponents could
not be sincere; few weeks later they
would turn against him. Leaving the
premiership under such conditions
would mean political extinction.
The radicals and the Communists |
issued proclamations to their fol-
lowers saying that they would con-
tinue to support Blum, who was not to
be blamed for the Clichy incident. |
The responsibility they threw on the |
Fascists of France and everybody was |
happy.
But there is another angle to this |
question which has received, so far,
only little attention in the printed
reports There were present on the
night of March Is. among the howl |
ing mob at Clichy. a number of agi-
tators who are known to be directly |
connected with the Third Interna-
tionale in Moscow And this is i'm
portant.
May Be Warning to Blum.
The French have pledged them
selves In a treaty of alliance to assist |
Russia. As in all such documents, |
there are loopholes which could be |
used by an unwilling Paris govern
ment to remain peaceful spectator |
in the event of a German-CZecho-
slovak-Soviet war The Russians fear
that Blum is becoming too much OF
bourgeois, too much OF father OF
the country; that he is too much con-
cerned with the economic and imam
cial revival of France to go whole
heartedly into war, especially II
the Tory cabinet in London is opposed
to warlike adventure.
It must be remembered that the
Soviet French military pact was con-
ceived and signed by the Laval and
Sarraut administrations, both mod
crate governments. Blum, the extreme
Socialist, was never overenthuslastlc
about that commitment. And although
he has never repudiated Frances OBJ
lieations under that treaty, it is now
apparent, from hints he has thrown
out, that the treaty is distasteful to
him.
Under these circumstances the Third
Internationale and the general staff
in Moscow have recently become some
what worried about what the Com
munist-supported Premier Of France
might do In the event that Frances
military support is needed. They
have decided that Blum has become
too comfortable" for their taste. In
the light OF this there is q strong
belief that the Clichy incident was
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