Flirting with 50

On the grounds that Frenchmen during the past month voted not for Communists, not for Socialists, but for the Popular Front, wise old Leon Blum last week told France over & over that when his Socialists take over the Government next month they will keep Capitalism. "Our task," said the next Premier, "is to extract from this social regime whatever it may still hold of justice and well being."

Minimum majority in the next Chamber of Deputies is 310. M. Blum's Socialists hold 146 seats; their Communist allies 72; their Radical Socialist allies 116; Joseph Paul-Boncour's Socialist Union 28. making a total of 362. But in addition to about half a dozen deputies who never cooperate with anybody, there will be in this apparent majority about 50 Radical Socialists, headed by Edouard Herriot, who cannot stomach the Popular Front's liberal program. Last week Leon Blum gave his best efforts to flirting with these all-important 50 votes. He had already got the Communists' promise to support, but not to join, his Government. The Radical Socialist machine had agreed to join the Government. There was still paunchy, pipe-smoking M. Herriot to be reckoned with.

First move to reassure Herriot was to snub the Communists' plan for "Popular Front committees" in every village and town to be shaped eventually into Communist Soviets. Then, speaking before the American Club of Paris, tactful Leon Blum came out for Herriot's two pet schemes: friendship with Germany and payment of the War debt to the U. S.

''I have American friends," said France's No. i Socialist. "They speak to me freely but for some years past I have noticed that in conversation there is between our two republics a certain misunderstanding. . . . In France we have a tendency to think that the question of debts is effaced and abolished-that it has ceased to exist. On the other hand, I know that in American opinion it still exists. . . . And in France it was not sufficiently understood that this unilateral denunciation of a contract injured more among you than a sense of commercial probity-that it hurt moral sentiment. . . ."

Between these fine words and the payment of one son to the U. S. Government stands the embattled thrift of the entire French nation. Nevertheless M. Herriot was properly pleased. He was further pleased when M. Blum said: "It is currently said the foreign policy of a country should not take any account of the internal policies and regimes of other countries. That is a current adage that. I believe, is nearly absolute. We wish to live at peace with all the nations of the world, whatever may be their internal policy or their internal regime." If this meant anything, it meant that M. Blum, as a Jew, will not condition his foreign policy on the fact that Germany is ruled by Jew-hating Nazis.

Next day Leon Blum gave out, against all precedent, a list of men he would like to have in his Cabinet. The list:

Minister of Foreign Affairs-Edouard Herriot.

Minister of War-Edouard Daladier.

Minister of Marine-Albert Sarraut.

Vice Premier and Minister of Justice-Theodore Steeg.

Minister of Air-Pierre Cot.

Minister of Commerce-Georges Bonnet.

Minister of Budget-Maurice Palmade.

These seven are all Radical Socialists. In Blum's list they were balanced by seven Socialists, the most important of whom was Vincent Auriol as Minister of Finance, and by two Socialist Unionists headed by Joseph Paul-Boncour for Minister of State without Portfolio and Chief Delegate to the League of Nations.

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