FRANCE: In Steps Daladier

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Biggest man of the week in France was Edouard Daladier, never big before. Young for a statesman, he is but 45. Less than a dozen years ago he was teaching history in the public schools of sleepy Orange. Stocky, pugnacious, eloquent he caught the eye of the boss-politician of central France, famed Edouard Herriot, spellbinding Mayor of Lyons. Edouard gave Edouard a leg up into the Chamber of Deputies in 1919, and fora time Edouard toadied to Edouard in return. When Mayor Herriot became Prime Minister in 1924 he popped Henchman Daladier into the Ministry of Colonies, later got him the portfolio of War in the Cabinet of statesman-mathematician Paul Painleve.

Three years ago Edouard quarreled with Edouard. M. Herriot's luck had turned. He had lost in succession both his second Prime Ministry (TIME, Aug. 2, 1926) and the Presidency of the Chamber of Deputies. He was losing his grip on his party (Radical Socialist). Edouard Daladier saw his chance. With sly intrigue and ruthless, slashing, open vituperation he routed his patron at the Party Congress two years ago, seized the Presidency of the Radical Socialists for himself. After all there are some 20 party groups in France. Outside his own Edouard Daladier remained only a vaguely familiar name—until last week. Then his number turned up on the madcap, illogical roulette wheel of French politics. He was called to form a Cabinet for France.

Fall of Briand. Not merely big but great is Aristide Briand, first Frenchman to bury the War, shaggy-headed, sleepy-eyed but profoundly sagacious builder of friendship and conciliation between France and Germany. As he faced the Chamber of Deputies, just reconvened last week after a three-month vacation, M. Briand knew well enough that his eleventh Cabinet was tottering.

Though led by Briand, greatest statesman of the Left, the Cabinet was really the old coalition Government of Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré, "The Lion of Lorraine," greatest statesman of the Right, who was forced by illness to resign on the eve of the Hague Reparations Parley (TIME, Aug. 5). Left cannot lead for long where Right has led. In the Hague emergency M. Briand accepted the thankless, tightrope-walking task. Last week with the curt frankness of an aging, tired man, he told the Deputies that he knew they would soon oust him, begged them in the name of common sense not to do so until the Young Reparations Plan approved at the Hague Conference had been ratified.

Party leaders, itching to orate, faced the Government with 55 interpellations. Testily M. Briand refused to be interpellated, sought to force the Chamber to begin debating the budget, perhaps his one chance to keep the Deputies harmlessly preoccupied for some weeks. A score of Deputies of nearly as many parties rose to protest. Even blind Deputy Scapins was up in arms. Finally one Jean Montigny, obscure Radical Socialist demanded a gen eral debate on the Hague agreements, Young Plan and Rhineland evacuation on Nov. 15.

"To agree to such a date would be undignified and foolish!" snapped Briand.

"Who knows whether or not these grave questions will be ripe for debate then?"