"Geneva Cabinet"

The representatives of the Powers assembled at Geneva (see THE LEAGUE) literally marked time early in the week until a Government should be formed in France to take the place of M. Briand's eighth Cabinet, which fell (TIME, March 15) when the Deputies voted down Finance Minister Doumer's "sales tax" clause in the long: disputed Finance Bill. (TIME, Jan. 4 et seq.) Under the circumstances, both President Doumergue and former Premier Herriot, leader of the potent Cartel des Gauches (coalition of Left Parties) decided that, in order to bolster up French prestige before the world, M. Briand must be instantly reinstalled as Premier and permitted to carry on his foreign policy before the League. M. Doumergue courteously went through the form of asking M. Herriot to form a Cabinet, since custom did not allow him to call upon the fallen Premier (Briand) until someone else had "failed" to assemble a Ministry. Needless to say, M. Herriot "failed" instanter-rather, he "declined" and "recommended" Briand as his successor. President Doumergue then called in the much harassed Aristide and persuaded him to form his ninth Cabinet.

Eight Hours. M. Briand frankly made haste. Since he was going to resume the trying helm of France, he had every reason for wishing to grasp it firmly and at once, so that he could return plenipotent to Geneva. Within eight hours he had assembled what was at once nicknamed:

"THE GENEVA CABINET"

Aristide Briand.................Premier & Foreign Raoul Peret............................. Finance Pierre Laval............................ Justice Louis Malvy............................. Interior Lucien Lamoureux........................ Education *Paul Painleve.......................... War *GeorKes Leygues........................ Marine *Anatole de Monzie...................... Public Works *Daniel Vincent......................... Commerce *Jean Durand............................ Agriculture *Antome Durafour........................ Labor *Paul Jourdain.......................... Pensions *Leon Perrier........................... Colonies

The Significance. Premier Briand set out for Geneva without stopping even to draw up the usual "Ministerial Declaration," although he stated that he would soon come back and present his new Ministry to the Chamber. Meanwhile it was, of course, obvious that the new Cabinet is the old one over again-except that its four new members swing it slightly to the Right.

Raoul Peret. As Premier Briand's third Finance Minister in as many months, M. Peret has fallen heir to the seemingly insoluble fiscal problems of France. His immediate predecessor, Senator Doumer, failed to solve them, although he is one of the greatest fiscal experts in France. His predecessor was, of course, M. Loucheur, "the richest man in France," a great industrialist whose failure was no less complete. Now appears M. Peret, a skilled lawyer and a veteran politician, but scarcely an expert of the first rank in state finance. He occupied himself with a modicum of quiet activity last week-sent to the Senate those clauses of the tax bill which the Chamber had voted before it upset the Cabinet. From these driblets of added taxation it is hoped to tide matters over for a few weeks more.

As they applauded this unspectacular but well-advised move, Frenchmen remembered that Finance Minister Peret has served in various Ministries since that of Guerin in 1893. He served as President of the Chamber before the election of M. Herriot to that post. In consequence, he knows quite as well as anyone that in the present emergency the Finance Minister of France must attain his ends by cajoling the Deputies as if they were a pack of obstinate schoolboys.

Caillaux. Great interest was aroused by the fact that Premier Briand offered the post of Finance Minister to Joseph Caillaux before calling in M. Peret. The temperamental Caillaux declined, saying that he would have to hold the premiership as well in order to put through the drastic reforms which he now deems necessary. He was reported to have declared bitterly that under no circumstances would he enter a Cabinet with War Minister Painleve, who, as Premier, recently booted M. Caillaux (then Finance Minister) into the cold. (TIME, Nov. 9.)

Since Joseph Caillaux has been everything, from Premier (1911) to an alleged traitor during the War and unsuccessful Debt Commissioner to the U. S. (TIME, Oct. 12 et seq.), this refocusing of serious attention upon him was undoubtedly significant of the desperate shortage of real leaders in France.

Malvy. It was remarked that Finance Minister Peret (Centre) and Minister of the Interior Malvy (Radical) stand in the relation of dog to cat. Politically each attracts the group .which the other repels, and vice versa. Their personal animosity could scarcely have a stronger foundation than the fact that M. Peret was instrumental in securing the banishment of M. Malvy for "defeatism" during the War.

Until last week M. Malvy was Chairman of the Chamber Committee on Finance. He now resumes the post of Minister of the Interior, which he occupied just before his sensational War trial as an associate of M. Caillaux.

* Held identical rank in the last Cabinet.