THE FRENCH POLITICAL "CRISIS"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3185, 8 September 1917, Page 6

THE FRENCH POLITICAL "CRISIS"

"Political crisis" is a phraso lightly employed in France as compared with other countries, and there is no reason to suppose that the Cabinet reconstruction now projected is made necessary by such circumstances as in the ordinary acceptation of the term would constitute a crisis. .In Franco reverence for Ministries is a sentiment praotic-'ally-unknown. Leading politicians group and regroup with a facility to which no parallel appears in Aritish practice. These conditions have been heightened by the war,, winch, iu setting a premium upon cfliciency, has at tho same time exaggerated tho instability of Ironcn politics so far as tho into of Ministries is concerned. The facte of the political changes which have occurred in Franco since the war very largely speak for themselves. The Ribofc Government, which took office in March last, and is now in process of reconstruction, is the fourth that has been formed since tbo war. At the outbreak of hostilities the Government that had been formed by M. Viviani in June, 1914, was in power. On August 3 slight changes wore made, and on August 26 all the Ministers placed their resignations in the hands of M. Viviani, who completely reconstructed his Cabinet. On October H,_ 1915, -M. Dklcassb resigned the Ministry _ of Foreign Affairs, and a. fortnight later tho whqlo Ministry followed him into retirement. M. Briand took office on October :SO, 1915, as Prime Minister of a Cabinet of 17 members, assisted by six UndcrSecrotarlcs of State, which included twelve members of the previous Government. a.nd-eloven new Ministers. On December 12, 1916, M. Briand in turn reconstructed his Ministry, reducing tho strength of the inet to nine. When M. BiUAND was compelled to resign, in March of this year, six of his colleagues entered the now Government, amongst them M. Ribot, who then became Premier. The play of complex political forces is made evident in these constant changes and readjustments, is the- accepted view thai, ordinary party considerations have comparatively little to do with the matter, and that tho main under'lying cause is a desire for improved efficiency,' which is never wholly satisfied. As a Paris correspondent put it some time ago: _ "That the armies may bo made efficient to 'butt the invader out of France,' as Joan of Anc said in her day, is the agitating reason of many of these political changes." There is no doubt that in much of the opposition to

successive War Ministries in Pranro poliLicia.na belonging lo antagonisi.ic groups liavo been united by sincerely foil, dissatisfaction and impatience, ai. l.lio, prrigress of the, war. At l.lio sa,mo time l.hc opposition lias ad times been unreasonable enough to give poinli to a. remark made, by GuKKRAi- J α-autey, wlio ( was War Minister in tho Briand' Cabinet: "There are superior men and sorcerers —and those who arc bored by having the same men too long demand sorcerers." Many commentators have emphasised tho fact that the political ferment which has a £rciifc deal to do with (.he rise ar.d fall and reconstruction of Mini l :-: tries in France is looked upon with comparative_ indifference by the French public. -At the same time it is noteworthy that France has iv.t yet. attempted any such bold and revolutionary transformation of her political machinery, to meet . war conditions, as has been carried out in Great Britain.

On available evidence- it seems likely that the changes now in train , are in the nature of a reconstruction of the Cabinet from within.. The Eibot Government has a creditable record, and_ though it lias had to face some Socialist opposition il.s war policy and its measures fip.ncr.illy have beeji endorsed by overwhelming majorities recently, holh in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate. It is said that, fhe action of the French Socialists will have an important effect on the- present crisis, but the outcome of tho recent Allied Socialist Conference suggests that tho French Socialists are likely to be a less troublesome political factor in their own country in the immediate future than they have been in recent months. It ■will be remembered that French Socialists joined with their British and Belgian comrades in declaring, after the conference, thai the Austrians and Germans could not ex-, pect an effective effort towards peace until they had substituted a democratic regime for their present Governments. On the whole, it seems probable that M. Eibot has been moved to the action ho is now taking less by Parliamentary pressure than by a public demand for improved efficiency and better organisation with which he is in full sympathy. It" was remarked recently by the -well-informed Paris correspondent of the Observer that, apart from a general desire for a shortening of the sessions of both Houses which would facilitate the work of the Executive, public interest in France was concentrated on the question of co-ordinating and centralising in a better way, insHe the Government itself, the activities of the various departments of the State.- Ho added that the Eibot Cabinet had already much improved the organisation which was in force up to the beginning of last spring. There is no War Cabinet in France in the English sense, but the French Prime Minister has been gradually setting up a general administrative secretariat which is working directly under him, and, according to the correspondent quoted, seems to act successfully as a, link between the various administrations of the State. It is no doubt with a view to expediting development on these lines that M. Ribot has now thrown his Ministry into the melting pot. Available news suggests that he_ is being given a. free hand in reshaping it to his liking, and no doub't there is scope for useful reorganisation at a time when France, in addition to vigorously prosecuting the war, has embarked upon an enterprising policy of economic reconstruction.