Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-25

for anyone else to govern without
Communist support.
The fourth and last big group of
votes is the extreme right. In
splintered groups - monarchists,
anarchists. etc.-tliere has always
been an extreme right in France,
but the emergence of Poujade, and
the wildflre growth of his move
ment during the last 10 months is
the big new story of this election.
Pouiade and his followers have all
the earmarks Of a native Fascist
Party. Their antisemitism is notori-
GUS. manifested chiefly against
Mendes-France. but also against
America, TN Orgeres last week,
the Poujade candidate for deputy,
Maurice Guignard. told his audi
ence to beware of friendship with
Americans because everyone knows
70 per cent Of Americans are of
German-Jewish descent. including
Eisenhower himself."l
They are bitterly against any
thing international-the Coal Steel
Community CIT destroyed the
market for French steel"), the
liberalization Of exchanges cts
flooded the country with Dutch
butter. which is really margarine
anyway, owned by an American
German trust"). the Atlantic Alli-
ance cts cost us billions and we
still haven't got an army. And
they are pledged to physical vio-
lence-now, In the campaign, and
later II they are elected. Most Of
the riots during the campaign have
been caused by the Poujadists.
Experts give the extreme right as
many as l million votes. and any,
where from 10 to 20 deputies. But
the danger is elsewhere. BY taking
votes from the Center Right-al-
ready divided against the Republic
can Front--the Poujadists will hand
many seats over to the Communists
on silver platter. For instance,
in the department Of lEure-et-L oir,
there are now three independent
peasant deputies and one Radical
deputy. All candidates in the de-
partment agree today that the
Poujadists will take enough votes
5000 to 10000 from the indie
pendent-peasant list to take one
OF their three seats away and assure
the election of Communist deputy.
Small Rodio-Tv Show
These four groups are fighting a
campaign totally different from
any American election. First and
foremost. radio and television play
almost no role at all. The state
owned ''Radiodiffusion Teleyision
Franchise" Hllots only Is minutes
Of radio time per party (not candi-
date for the entire campaign, and
only i've minutes of TV time. Sec
ond. billboard advertising is strictly
controlled by law. Each candidate
is entitled to only two posters and
they can be put up only IN certain
centrally located places. AS a re-
suit, Paris billboards that would
shrek Vote for So-and-so" If they
were in New York. now advertise
the new revue at the Lido, or the
new Danielle Darrieux movie, Lady
Chatterly's Lover"
There are two "musts" foe a
would-be French deputy-a black
Citroen car and nightly "reunton
publique ct contradictoire." During
the campaigning day the deputy
jumps from his Citroen to the
nidirtes (town halls) of eight or ten
tiny villages day (the average de-
partment has more than 400.
These meetings are small, generally
only the mayor and a few friends.
almost always male and elderly.
At night the candidate heads for
the larger towns and cities in his
district and the public meetings.
"Contradictoire" means that any
voter, or any other candidate, has
the rightly law-to ask questions.
or even to deliver a 30-minute
speech II he wishes, no matter who
arranged and paid for the meeting.
At the Mendes-France meetings, a
Communist always delivers a speech
and often follows Mendes around
from meeting to meeting, delivering
the same speech. The Center Right
candidates have found their meet
ings taken over by the Poujadists,
who hold almost no meetings Of
their own. Often they have been
physically prevented from attend
ing their own meetings by Poujadist
phalanxes blocking the entrance.
And the last major difference be-
tween French and American cleo
ton is the short time allowed for
this campaign. The candidates
have been allowed to make political
speeches only since December 10,
and they have only one week left.