FRANCE iooi 



up the situation, did not restore to the Cabinet the prestige which it had lost. The 

 agreement itself was subjected to very sharp criticism in both Chambers when it came 

 before them for ratification (Dec. i4th-2oth in the Chamber; Dec. 2ist to Feb. 

 i8th in the Senate). Before the debate was over, the Ministry went 



out ' anc ^ Over t ^ iat vef y q 1165 ^ 011 - O n January Qth, in consequence of 



an incident in the Senate during the preliminary stages of the discussion 

 of the treaty, M. de Selves sent in his resignation. M. Caillaux vainly tried to replace 

 him by M. Delcasse, and since other attempted combinations came to nothing, he took 

 the only course open and resigned, on January 10, 1912. 



M. Caillaux's departure was the occasion of a new political grouping. The country 

 was evidently tired of ministerial rearrangements with nothing behind them, suggested 



by a narrow partisan spirit, or by personal considerations. The govern- 

 Poincare ^ ment by the more radical part of the Left had failed to re-establish security 

 Cabin"". a ^ home or abroad. The need of new leadership was felt, and a ministry 



was wanted which would combine more breadth of mind and more brilliancy 

 than its predecessors. On January i3th M. Poincare constructed a Cabinet composed 

 for the most part of men of the first rank. He himself took Foreign Affairs, the depart- 

 ment which in the existing condition of Europe was specially important; he gave Finance 

 to M. Klotz, Labour to M. Leon Bourgeois, 1 War to M. Millerand, the Navy to M. Del- 

 casse, and Justice to M. Briand. So three ex-premiers were included in the Government. 

 People called it " the great ministry/' and the " national ministry." 



The Senatorial Elections in January further showed the trend of opinion. There 

 was a slight falling off in the numbers of Radical-Socialist Senators and Socialists, and 



advanced candidates were obliged to tone down their programmes. The 

 Elections. hundred seats were distributed as follows: Radicals and Radical-Socialists 



49, Republicans (Left) 20, Socialists 3, Progressives 23, Reactionaries 5. 

 It was obvious that the new Cabinet was formed primarily with a view to foreign 

 affairs: the ratification of the agreement with Germany passed on February loth; 



the carrying out of the agreement; the negotiations with Spain over Morocco 

 Firm /or- an( j w jth England over Tangier. There still remained delicate questions 

 Nestle policy. at issue with Italy (the seizure of the " Manouba " and the " Carthage " 



in January) ; and the development of the Italo-Turkish war needed watching. 

 These various matters had their echoes in Parliament, notably in M. Poincare's speech 

 in the Chamber on January 22nd, about incidents arising out of Italy's descent on Africa, 

 and the interpellation on secret treaties and foreign policy at the beginning of March. 

 In home affairs M. Poincare clearly showed that he meant to govern firmly and restore 

 social discipline. M. Millerand withdrew his predecessor's circular about political 

 reports on officers of the army (Feb. 1912), and (on April 24th) restored to non- 

 commissioned officers and subalterns (lieutenants and sub-lieutenants) the powers of 

 punishing offenders taken from them by regulations issued on May 29, 1910. After the 

 anarchist attempts in the Rue du Havre (Feb. ayth) and at Chantilly (March 25th), 

 he obtained supplementary credits for the police, and provided them with more modern 

 methods of detecting and pursuing criminals. The principal offenders were discovered, 

 besieged and killed by armed force at Choisy-le-Roi on April 28th and at Nogent-sur- 

 Marne on May i4th. 



The Budget of 1912 was voted on February 2yth, the revenue amounting to 180,- 

 160,000 and the expenditure to 180,120,000. The revenue was made up without 



recourse to new taxes or loans by means of a new institution, the " provi- 

 1912-13 sional account " (Compte promsionnel) . This special fund was endowed with 



resources drawn from an agreement made with the Eastern Railway Com- 

 pany, in which they were empowered to pay off their debt by anticipation; it was aug- 

 mented further by the surplus declared at the close of the financial year 1911, and would 

 be drawn upon in future by the requirements of 1913 and 1914. The budget for 1913 

 was introduced without delay; the expenditure was estimated at 186,585,000 (668,000 

 1 B. 1851; see E. B. iv, 330. 



