Caillaux's Boast

Onetime (1911-12) Premier of France Joseph Caillaux was reported to have discussed last week the subject of alimony awards by French courts in somewhat boastful fashion with a group of U. S. lawyers, including famed Dudley Field Malone.

"I give my divorced wife 10,000 francs a month [$400]," said M. Caillaux, "I am probably the largest alimony payer in France. Yet, consider. What I give is but a present to her. The Court only ordered a fraction of that amount."

Is M. Caillaux, then, divorced from onetime Mile. Henriette Rinouard, who, as Mme. Caillaux, shot and killed Editor Gaston Calmette of Le Figaro on March 16, 1914, because his paper was attacking her husband? Naturally M. Caillaux has not divorced so faithful a wife. Instead, the lady to whom he referred was his wife by an earlier marriage, Mme. Gueydan. She, a woman of the greatest selfmastery, has retained a position of dignity and honor, despite the astounding ups and downs of M. Caillaux who, for example, was convicted by the French Senate of "plotting against the security of the state abroad," in 1920; yet managed to become Minister of Finance in 1925.