I00 o FRANCE 



MOROCCO). Their scheme of electoral reform was still in progress, when the fall of the 

 Ministry was brought about by a casual incident. A question asked in the Senate 



(June 2ist) and an interpellation later on in the Chamber (June 23rd) about 



tnc organization of the command in time of war, drew from General Goifan 



a declaration that the supreme decision in such a case rested with the Gov- 

 ernment. The prospect of seeing the destinies of the country given into the -hands :of a 

 body whose competence was doubtful, to say the least, displeased Parliament, and the 

 Chamber having passed to the Order of the Day without giving the vote of confidence 

 demanded by the Government, the Ministry resigned. 



In the discussion which resulted in the fall of M. Monis, Parliament had had in mind 

 a question really of persons rather than politics. Little personal enthusiasm was felt 



there for the head of the Government, who had often lacked firmness in or 

 Ministry. out f tne Chamber; but though he disappeared there was no particular 



desire to change his policy. M. Fallieres thought to meet this view by call- 

 ing M. Caillaux, one of M. Monis' most brilliant colleagues, to the head of affairs; and 

 he formed his ministry on June 27th. He took the Interior himself, leaving Finance to 

 M. Klotz, 1 and transferred M. Cruppi to Justice in order to give Foreign Affairs to M. 

 de Selves. 2 M. Delcasse kept the Navy and M. Messimy 3 went to the War Office. M. 

 Caillaux gave promise of being " a Government which governs." He firmly rejected 

 the repeated demand for the reinstatement of the railway servants, manifested his in- 

 tention of putting down sabotage, and took measures against anti-militarism. 



The budget of 1911 was not voted till July i2th, after the introduction of seven 

 " provisional twelfths." (These are credits voted month by month so that public service 



can be carried on without interruption, though the Budget has not been 

 /p"/f e voted, as it ought to be, regularly, before the ist of January. For many 



years past the slackness of Parliament over the preliminary stages of finance 

 bills has made them nearly always necessary.) The expenditure was estimated at 

 175,458,000 and the revenue at 175,467,000; an increase in the customs yield 

 making it unnecessary to introduce any new taxes of importance. 



The real tendencies of the Cabinet soon began to show themselves, on the lines of 

 strict party politics. A circular from M. Messimy (Dec. n, 1911) made officers' 



promotions in the army dependent upon reports furnished about them by 

 Party policy, the prefects. After all, this only gave a formal sanction to a practice already 



long standing. The Minister of Public Works, to satisfy the Socialfets, 

 granted mining concessions only to those who would accept special conditions, thus 

 nullifying the clauses of the organic law of iSioon the subject. He appointed a com- 

 mission to consider a Bill aiming at making the posts of railway directors and head 

 officials into government appointments. When the Court of Appeal gave judgment 

 on the interpretation of Article 23 of the Old Age Pensions Law the Labour Minister 

 was up in arms against its decision, which was at variance with the line taken by the 

 Government, and declared that new legislation would soon put an end to it. But before 



very long the whole attention of the Ministry was absorbed by foreign affairs. 

 crisis. The appearance of a German gunboat at Agadir raised the Morocco question 



in an acute form, which rapidly developed into an international crisis, and 

 the summer was spent in negotiations with Germany (see Part I, Sect. i. " Interna- 

 tional Affairs "). Public opinion watched the attitude of the Government with anxiety, 

 ill-pleased with the desultoriness of negotiations in which it seemed that the conduct of 

 national diplomacy was too often abandoned to mere business men. Such proposed 

 concessions as were made public appeared to be considerable, while the general attitude 

 of the Government seemed incoherent and feeble. It was the nation itself, by an open 

 outburst of discontent with the proceedings in September, that put more firmness into 

 its leaders; and the conclusion of the agreement of November 4, 1911, while it cleared 



1 Louis Lucicn Klotz; b. 1868; president of Inland Revenue Commission. 



2 Justin Germain Casimir de Selves; b. 1848; senator. 



3 Adolphe Messimy; b. 1869; rapporteur of budgets for navy (1903), army (1906-7) 

 and colonies (1908). 



