RIGHT AND LEFT PICK EACH OTHER'S POCKETS
From Our French Correspondent Election results which have given a mil1 ion and a half votes to the communist party and nearly two millions to the socialists have astonished even those who profit from this success.
To see the situation clearly, that should be noted, in the first place, which is too parties, but at the expense of their Left allies. There is no question of a move from Right to Left, but of a further Leftwards move of the Left. The Right and Left Blocs roughly maintain their old positions.
Among the Moderates there has on the contrary been a definite evolution in the direction of the Right, for popular democrats have had to give place to Conservatives. In other words, the extremists of both ends have strengthened their positions.
Out of the Rut
The general conclusion is that as a result ' of what has taken place French politics will have to get out of the rut in which they have been for some years.
The Left has declared itself nationalist and patriotic. No doubt a question of tactics, but even so the Left cannot at once disavow its programme, and something of it will remain. In the same way the Right has been forced to make easily forgotten, that the Right moderates have had gains on which, in justice, they should be congratulated. In fact, their suc cess has been such that their adversaries would have been proud to have done as well.
Secondly, the striking gains of the cornmunists have not been over the moderate concessions in the sociological field. Common sense as well as electoral necessities made this inevitable. No doubt, here again tactics were the prime force, but again they cannot be entirely disavowed and something real will come of them. On the Right as well as on the Left there has therefore been a definite change.
The Second Ballot
What will happen at the final ballot? So far only 183 seats have been secured, leaving 433 to be voted for again. The second round must be the more decisive one. If the Front Populaire plays the game it has promised to play, communists will win another 50 seats. But already both the socialists and the radical socialists are showing their dislike of helping communists. In appearance they will remain faithful to their word. In reality each party will work for itself and thus weaken the gains of the extreme Left, an action which will result in a Chamber in practice unmanageable.
THE ITALIO-ABYSSINIAN WAR
" Italy's Clear Breach of the Moral Law"
The May number of the Christian Democrat (the organ of the C.S.G.) contains a clear and definite judgment about the moral aspect of the Italo-Abyssinian war.
However much, it writes, we may respect the Catholicism of Italy and sympathise with the sufferings which the cost of this war calls upon the common Italian people to endure, however much we may condemn the religion-destroying activities of the Russian government, we must recognise that Italy's action in invading Abyssinia has been condemned by fifty of the governments of the world, mostly Conservative, as a flagrant breach of her own treaty obligations. It is too much to ask us to believe that this verdict was given at the behest of the Soviet government.
The action of Italy in going to war before full use had been made of means available for conciliation and arbitration was a clear breach of the moral law.