THE CAILLAUX TROUBLE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 22 November 1924, Page 10

THE CAILLAUX TROUBLE.

FAMOUS DEFEATISTS

STORY OF THE TRIALS

M. Caillaux* after a previous term in the same office, was Minister of Finance in the Clemenceau Ministry of 1906. In 1911 he became Prime Minister, and his efforts to reach a financial understanding with Germany by secret negotiations led to the famous Agadir crisis, and cost France large tracts of Congo territory, which were ceded to Germany. In spite of paillaux’s failure in the field of diplomacy, his financial ability enabled him to remain a power in French politics. The Barthou Ministry was defeated in 191 S by his fight against the Three Years’ Service Bill, and he then became Minister of Finance.. He strongly urged Abe application of an income tax, and in the course of a campaign against this and other proposals he was attacked from many quarters, and a grave scandal was created by the Figaro’s publication of letters written by him to the second Mme.. Caillaux while he. was still married to the first. . This campaign ended suddenly, when the second Mme. Caillaux went to the office of the “Figaro” and -fatally shot the editor, M. Calmette. Caillaux at once resigned, and after a bitter election campaign M. Viviani became Premier. Mme. Caillaux was tried for murder, and on the eve of the Great War was acquitted. .During the first part of the war, Caillaux, who was by: no means a popular figure, was an army paymaster. After some difficulties in: Paris he was sent on a mission to; South America. When he returned in 1915 he was given close attention by the German Secret Service. His covert activities and his dark characters aroused the deepest suspicion. By spring of 1917, he had acquired a general reputation as a man who was willing to compromise peace with Germany at the expense of Britain. After M. Clemenceau had become Premier, he was put on tidal in 1920 for high treason and sentenced to imprisonment for three years, to banishment from France for five years, and to the deprivation of civil rights for ten years. M. Malvy was Minister of the Interior in the Viviani Ministry, and retained that office under M. Briand. He resigned in August, 1917, and the rest of the Cabinet followed suit a week later. He had been the subject of ruthless criticism by M. Clemeuceau, and the storm of treason charges had involved many others besides Caillaux and Malvy. In October, a definite accusation of treason against Malvy was made. This short-lived Painleve Ministry was defeated, Clemenceau took office as Premier, and’ the treason charges went ahead. 8010, Malvy, and Caillaux were shown to be closely related in the intrigues, and Bdo was shown to have been active since 1915 in attempts to corrupt the French Press. 8010 was executed.’ Malvy’s case came before the Senate, sitting as a High Court,’ in July, 1918... He was accused of having committed a number of acts between 1916 and 1917, calculated to favour the enemy and to incite French soldiers to revolt; hut these charges were considerably modified in effect, but the conditions revealed at the trial showed that he was responsible for much of the had moral state of the French Army. He was found guilty of “forfeiture,” that is, of such gross general negligence as amounted to treason, and was sentenced to five years’ exile, without civil degradation.