"RADICAL-SOCIALISM."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1025, 14 January 1911, Page 15

"RADICAL-SOCIALISM."

A FRENOHMAN'S BITTER COMMENT. CORRUPTION OF PUBLIC LIFE. The progress of Radical-Socialism in England (writes a I'aris correspondent to the "Morning Post") is watched in Franco with alarm, mingled with amazement, and a. pity born of hitter experience, and it can scarcely bo doubted that a few years residcnco in that country would he sufficient to shake the convictions of even the most ardent of Mr. Lloyd-Georgo's admirers.' A Frenchman, whose views may bo regarded as typical of that great mass of Fronch middle-class feeling which makes the strength of tho country, though it has no influenco in shaping its politics, put -tho caso in tho following way "You English are in amazing people. You havo a Constitution which works admirably and gives to every 0110 of you such liberty as we havo never dreamed of in Franco; but you ai'O not satisfied, and now talk of destroying it in 'order to-rush headlong into that 'gachis' which is the only . word to describe the effects of Radical-Socialist government-.'' Elected Upper Cliambsrs. "Compare your House of Lords with' our Senate. If a Second Chambor is to act as a check and give timo for reflection in .case there, is danger of a wild_ and ill-considered popular impulse leading to dangerous legislation, it must possess a certain independence, arid at tho same- time be respccted by the mass of tho- people. Is our Senate'independent? What prestigo can it possess? You havo only to remember its attitudo towards tho Nationalisation, of the Western. Railway. Everyqne knew that there was a majority of Senators opposed to tho Bill. None the less,, under Government pressure the Bill was carried by tlirco votes, with tho results that wo havo seen lately—enormous expense, a- terrible series of accidents, a strike which paralysed our industry, another largo addition, to tho horde of Civil Servants which burdens.France, and..finally not tlio slightest improvement.in tho train' sorvice. But all. that is nothing. After the vote had been given a whole number of politicians who wero determined to bo 011 tho Winning side, at any cost suddenly discovered that by somo curiousmistake they had voted against the majority, and in accordanco with our charming system proceeded to rectify their votes, so that day by day tho Government majority swelled shamelessly. So much for the self-respect of. an elective Second Chamber. Payment of Membars. "•Wo all regard politics in Franco, as a dirty business, and consequently havo to pay men heavily to do tho work for us. As you know, thoy justified our. confidence one day by increasing their' salaries' by £200 a year without consulting us." ,-You, .1 understand, are now,, talking of tho payment'of members. . Evidently you havo riot yet made acquaintance with tho professional' politician. There are two main causes for nearly all tho scandals which have disgraced the Third . Republic: . 0110. is tho ;fact that our so-called -modern leaders of thought are always insisting on 'men's rights and entirely;'forget that, they havo al&o duties : 'La liberie ! dii Jiadical-Socialisto, e'est la liberte 1 d'ei#gej;oi'.,,tout 'lo modo'; thp,,other.. i is_. | the oxistenco of tho professional politician. In England your politics arc sufficiently clean to bring honour to the politician, and you can still find men sclff'sacrificing enough to givo up their time to politics for honour's sake. Why, then, debase them by turning them into a profession? "The payment of members will certainly not add to their honesty. . Of course thoro is a certain number .of honest politicians in Franco, and it is not so long age) that. I .heard 0110 of them say (lie was; I-may state, an advanced',.' Radical-Socialist): j.'ll faut balayer-• touto' cetto 1 pourriture,'. .just after a''Minister -had said to him''with-, out a-.blush that ho had not, voted for a certain Bill which he had previously strongly advocated because he had; not. received- his pot do vin. • The professional politician 'debases the level not only of political morality but also of political'intellect below'that of tho country. No country in world is moro honest than France, and I hope that 110 one will believo that • tho intellect of my country is adequately represented -by- that heterogeneous collection of provincial attorneys, doctors, nd what not which composo what Jambetta contemptuously ■ called 'a Jhamber of under veterinary surgeons.' "I know it is sometimes suggested' that all . these political vices aro the peculiar possession of tho ..Latin peoples. This seems . moro than a little unfair if you will remember the political . morality of the' United States!;; To lis you . seem .to bo-rushing-headlong into that morass in-which wo.are now floun'dering, and all wo can do is to give you a word of warning." '