The French Parliament has shown a wise magnanimity in deciding
to amnesty M. Caillaux. Since 1918 he had forfeited all civil rights and had also been for some time in prison. In the circumstances of the War his con- viction was intelligible, if it was not in a sense inevitable. Even before the War he was mistrusted by many French- men as one whose motives were international rather than French. Throughout the War he gloomily predicted the impossibility of victory, and advocated a peace by negotiation. Naturally this was an intensely unpopular policy which was obviously capable at the time of being called, simply and shortly, treason. M. Caillaux, devoid of the nationalistic sense which is usual in Frenchmen, made things worse for himself by consorting with shadowy and doubtful characters. Nevertheless, he is a man of brilliant financial abilities, and his convictions, so far as we can judge, have been sincere. His " crimes " would not have been crimes if they had not been committed in war-time. It would be a tyrannical persecution of the individual to judge M. Caillaux now as he was judged during the War. It will be interesting to see what part he will now play in French politics. It seems to us that his broad European sense promises a co-operation with.
British ideas. * * * *
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