"Someone had Blundered"

Premier Edouard Herriot entered his residence at the Quai d'Orsay, donned his dress suit, left in the Prime Ministerial limousine for the Palais de I'Elysee, where he was joined by the other members of the Cabinet. Together they sought an interview ,with President Gaston Doumergue, presented their resignations. The President, in a three-minute speech, thanked Premier Herriot for his services to the Nation, accepted the resignations and made the usual request that the Cabinet would "carry on" until a successor was chosen. Premier Herriot, apparently happy, returned to the Quai d'Orsay in his magnificent car, but this time he sat alongside the chauffeur. He said he was going to sleep the whole business off.

The resignation of the Herriot Government, forecast a week ago (TIME, Apr. 13), came at the end of a bumpy week. On a question involving the appointment of Prof. Georges Scelle to the Law Faculty of the Universite de Paris (Prof. Scelle subsequently resigned), the Government suffered a Senate reverse of 134 to 138 votes; but as the vote was not made one of confidence, no great importance was attached to it.

The following day, while the Senate was discussing the Education appropriations, Premier Herriot suddenly raised the question of confidence, received a vote of 142 to 140, which on a recount proved to be 139 to 143. The Premier decided to resign, but was later induced to reconsider his decision.

A day later, by a strange paradox, the Chamber of Deputies upheld the Premier on a straight vote of confidence by 290 to 246 votes, but 87 Deputies abstained from voting. At the same time, an event occurred which virtually spelled the downfall of the Cabinet. After the Government had declared and reiterated that an increase in the fiduciary note circulation was needed solely for commercial purposes and that new money would be obtained by a forced consolidation loan conscripting 10% of the national wealth at 3% interest, it was made known through the publication of the weekly statement of the Bank of France that not only had the legal note circulation of 41,000,000,000 francs been exceeded by two billion francs, but that the excess money was needed for State purposes. Those that cried "pertide" were not few.

The last stand of the Cabinet was made in the Senate, which invited the Premier to call for a vote of confidence as he had done the day before in the Chamber. The Premier accepted the challenge, took his seat in the Upper House and heard an able and bitter attack against his Government delivered by ex-Finance Minister Franc,ois-Marsal, who categorically accused the Premier of deceiving the country by pointing out that the legal note circulation had been exceeded as early as February.

The Premier mounted the tribunal. Silence of death fell upon the Senate. In clear tones, he defended his fiscal policy, accused former Governments of causing disguised inflation by contracting loans and exhausting the lending resources of the country. He complained of a conspiracy to oust him from office and ended on the note: "I have done my duty. In judging me, you must recognize that I have done my duty." He stepped from the tribunal.

Pulses began to race and breaths were caught as ex-Premier Raymond Poincare stood up and marched across the floor to the tribunal. It was the first time he had faced the Senate since his resignation nearly a year ago (TIME, June 9). He could not, he said, permit the country to entertain the illusion that his administration was responsible for the present financial disorders. He reminded the Senators that loans had been contracted mainly for reconstruction work in the devastated regions, but that at no time did the Government resort to illegal financing. He reminded the Premier that the Expert' (Dawes) Plan had been made and accepted before he came into power and inferred that his [Herriot's] Government had been barren, contrary to the Premier's election promises, of constructive financial reforms. The ex-Premier concluded his speech by saying that the Premier had lost the confidence of the country and that it was time for him to go.

A motion was then offered expressing the Senate's lack of confidence in the Government, was carried 156 to 134 votes, MM. Poincare and Millerand voting against the Government. The Premier afterwards resigned.

President Doumergue summoned ex-Premier Paul Painleve to the Elysee, requested him to form a Cabinet. The latter accepted provisionally the mandate, cast about him but, in view of certain defeat in the Senate, gave up his Cabinetmaking attempt.

The President next called M. Aristide Briand, seven times Premier, asked him to compose an eighth Cabinet. It was clearly a last effort to stave off a general election that would certainly bring the Nationalists, MM. Millerand and Poincare at their head, crashing back into power. M. Briand also accepted provisionally the President's mandate, departed from the Elysee.

As hour after hour fled and days passed, it became increasing clear that ex-Premier Briand was playing a clever game. Hitherto, the cartel des gaudies (comprised of Unified Socialists, Republican Socialists, Radical Socialists) has declined to form a coalition Government, but, instead, each party preserved its liberty of action by supporting a one-party Cabinet; thus each held the Government in the hollow of its hand. M. Briand sought to end this state of affairs by forming a coalition Cabinet. The Unified Socialists decided that before giving a yea or nay they must consult their National Council. It was presumed, however, that if the Unified Socialists refused to join the Cabinet, M. Briand would move to the Right and form a Government that would seem sure to pass muster with the Senate.