Cabinet Resigns

The franc slumped to 37 to the dollar. The cost of living was announced as having risen 10% in France within two months. Finance Minister Peret, disheartened at his failure to peg the franc, resigned. Deputies of the Right, theoretically foes of Briand, paradoxically continued to support his Left Cabinet lest the franc collapse. Deputies of the Left, angered at M. Briand's disregard of their views, deserted him. Though M. Briand could and did obtain a vote of confidence by a majority of 114, the situation had become a hopeless tangle. Stabilization of the franc could not be accomplished with the freak support of a Chamber "majority of enemies."

An emergency solution lay in the formation of a "Sacred Union Cabinet* in which outstanding members of opposed parties should bury their differences to save the franc. M. Briand took a bold step, resigned, though still supported by a majority in the Chamber, promptly set about to build a Sacred Union Cabinet at the pre-arranged request of President Doumergue.

Once again the great name of Raymond Poincare was heard. His incorruptibility is a byword. His energy and ability have enabled him to become a much sought lawyer, a self-made man of wealth, a statesman of primatical fame. He has been twice Premier (1911-13; 1922-24) and throughout the War and peace negotiations was President of France (1913-20). It was felt last week that if M. Poincare would consent to assume the portfolio of finance, solidarity would be given at least to the fiscal policy of France. M. Poincare (Right: ultra-anti-German) signified his willingness to serve under M. Briand (Left: conciliator of Germany).

With the prestige of Poincare assuring support from the Right, M. Briand turned to his confrere and rival of the Left, M. Edouard Herriot, for 21 years Mayor of Lyons, President of the Chamber of Deputies, leader of the Coalition of Left Parties, ousted from the Premiership (TIME, April 13, 20, 1925) when it was rumored that he had connived at juggling the accounts of the Finance Ministry to conceal inflation of the franc.

M. Herriot, most potent of French party-coalition leaders but widely discounted as a statesman, had it in his power: 1) To lend impregnable strength of a Poincare-Briand-Herriot government; 2) To frustrate completely M. Briand's efforts by holding himself and his cohorts aloof.

M. Herriot declared his unwillingness to serve beneath his confrere. M. Briand saw open before him the prospect of continuing indefinitely his struggles of many months to juggle a majority out of fluid and irresponsible Chamber blocs. In effect Aristide Briand threw up his hands, cried: "I am through! Let Herriot see what he can do. . . ."

President Doumergue called upon M. Herriot to form a Cabinet. Forty-eight hours later the Mayor of Lyons was obliged to confess that strife within his own Left Coalition made it impossible for him to form a Cabinet. M. Briand the tale is told, had secretly hamstrung the Herriot Coalition from within.

M. Doumergue once more designated Aristide Briand as the one man in France who could and must form a Cabinet. M. Briand wired for Raymond Poincare who had left Paris, presuming his presence redundant. The debacle of Herriot suggested that M. Painleve or some third outstanding Left politician would be called upon to balance a Briand Right-and-Left Cabinet.

* To cope with the German invasion, the famed Union Sacree was formed with the Rooseveltian M. Rene Viviani as Premier (Aug. 26, 1914). It was this government which removed to Bordeaux (Sept. 2, 1914) when the German advance was at its height. The second Wartime Union Sacree was formed with M. Briand as Premier (Oct. 29, 1915).