Evening star., 1941-09-02
Petuin's Legion Party

| MarShaI Petaln, Authoritarian
head of the French state, has just
launched political experiment
which is in some respects unique.
As the climax of a four-day period
! of patriotic observances, he an
nounced that the Vichy government
would be backed by the support Of a
single political organization COM
posed primarily of war veterans but
with membership open to other
citizens of proved loyalty to the
regime.
This is certainly a political nov
city. Translated into American
terms, it would mean the replace
ment of the Democratic and Repub-
lican parties by new party created
by amalgamating the American Le-
gion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars
and similar organizations, and then
giving this new party political
monopoly-of course, under gov
ernment supervision and control.
Marshal Petain's extraordinary
procedure is the logical elimination
of a course of action which has been
increasingly followed during his year
of Semi-autocratic rule When he
came to power in the political chaos
precipitated by Frances crushing
| defeat, his authority was entirely per-
sonal, without the support of any
! political machine. So great was his
prestige and popularity at that time
that he did not feel the need of
organized political backing.
Presently, however, opposition of
various sorts developed, and the de-
STABILITY of an official party became
evident. The first attempt to Or
| ganiZe it on civilian lines failed.
Meanwhile, Petain discovered a bet
| ter instrument in the veterans
organizations, headed by that known
as the French Legion from the Veter-
ans of Two Wars. Duly purged OF
radical elements, it's membership
consisted for the most part of men
who were not only disciplined SOL
attachment and loyalty for the aged
marshal and what he was presumed
to represent.
During recent months Petain has
/ relied more and more upon the Le-
gion. It's officials have been promi-
nent at all public gatherings, and
during his numerous inspection tours
/ local groups of legionnaireS have
taken the oath in his presence to
uphold the marShal's new order eX-
| pressed in the phrase: Work, Fam
lily, Country" Local Legion posts
have been assigned to aid the gov
ernment in various ways, especially
with respect to propaganda and the
Investigations of officials whose
loyalty was suspected. From now on,
the Legion party, strengthened by
civilian members, will be the only
political organization tolerated. All
others will be illegal.
This, of course, is the one-party
state already familiar in Germany,
| Italy, Russia and other totalitarian
lands. The chief difference is that
in those other countries the ruling
party started as an opposition group
which won its way to power through
revolutionary action. In Vichy,
France, on the contrary, it is the
government, already totalitarian in
character, that has deliberately Gre
ated the party as the popular basis
of it's rule.
The Legion party exists throughout
France, though it functions officially
only in the unoccupied zone. The
Germans naturally have no present
reason to hinder or suppress an
organization which backs the Vichy
regime. How solidly Petain can
count on the Legion's continued 10y
atty is hard to say. An organiza-
ton which already numbers 100000
and is being Systematically expand
ed must be influenced to some extent
by the growing wave of opposition
which is sweeping France. Yet press
accounts state that the recent pa
triotic celebrations aroused little
visible antagonism from the local
populations. The future of the Le-
gion party presumably is bound up
with that of the leader and the
regime which created it,