News of the Week
The Fall of M. Briand
Tim startling fall of M. Briand's • Government on Tuesday is an undoubted misfortune, but though it - Must be taken seriously it need not be taken tragically. There is no reason to suppose that the Young Plan kir R;epafations is in danger. It is fairly Safe if Only because the alternative is chaos. M. Briand, when he succeeded M. Poincare, who was laid aside by ' illness, did his best to broaden the basis of his authority by bringing Radicals into the GoVernMent. Ile failed because he could not offer nearly enough pOstS-fo-SatiSfy the Radicals, whose 'pretensions always • run extremely high. As it was, he did not regard his _ Government as more than a stop gap He WAS- earnestly bent upon -keeping it in existence long enough to get the Young Plan ratified, but everybody thought that he Would resign after the ratification. Anyhow he could not continue AO -double the offices of Prime Minister, and MinisterlforiForeign Affairs. He was already a tired man ' when he- took up that too vast orb of his duty.
