The ancient French struggle between Clericals and anti- Clericals is
unfortunately being renewed. Last week we described the two articles in M. Poincare's Budget which have presented a pretext for this revival. The articles provide for a tardy act of restitution in regard to certain Church property, but the Socialists and extreme anti- Clericals in general say that such articles have no proper place in a Budget and that they appear there only because M. Poincare is indifferent to the convictions of anti- Clericals. It might have been supposed that the support given to the articles by such proved anti-Clericals as M. Briand, M. Sarraut, and even M. Herriot would satisfy everybody of the Government's innocence of religious fervour. Nevertheless, there was an ugly outbreak of feeling last Sunday at Pons.
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