THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 10, 1940.
CHINA MAIL
WINDSOR HOUSE
"NOW, MR. TAPLEY!"
Mark Tapley, one of the lesser characters in Char- les Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit," has a special meaning for these times. Mark was a genial young fellow whose great ambi- tion was to find some cir-1 cumstance so dishearten- ing that he could really take credit in being "jolly" and
in "coming out strong"! Anyone could be jolly with things coming his way; so Mark prefer- red the going rough-the rougher the better.
GERMAN & ITALIAN ENEMIES OF
NAZISM & FASCISM
Death for Food Talky
OUR OWN TOTAL-MINDED
LITTLE HITLERS
Suppress anka Pruss
"WHICH ARE THE DANGEROUS ONES WE HAVE TO KEEP BEHIND BARBED-WIRE, UNCLE ?
10
France Under Petain
ན་ ་་་་
the. constitutional legislation
This hearty character. seems to typify the Brit- ish capacity for welcom- ing the darkest hour as merely an extra challenge to "come out strong" to show a cheery and un- daunted face to evil cir cumstances of every sort, in calm confidence of their ultimate extinction. Cer-
The three "Constitutional Laws" known as the "Loi Treveneuc," off"shall remain in existence, until seen. tainly this portrayal of closer examination in the light of
issued by Marshal Petain repay February. 1872, provides that:
For the moment they are the Assemblies are constituted." playing for time and trying to "If the National Assembly is sturdy good humour and which has been swept away.
This law, which is dated one divert French attention from the prevented from meeting, day later than the earlier one, then fate being prepared for France, the Councils General shall as- confuses the situation by adding Neutral reports from Paris agree. kindliness expresses the Having, through these texts, semble at once in the chief town that the Senate and Chamber are that the Occupation is acting the
brought the French Republic to of each department. finest qualities of the Brit-an end, it now seems as though
.. or else adjourned sine die and can only part of a stern but kindly master; where if their habitual meeting meet when convoked by the Head human and humane when off the Marshal has not been able to ish people as shown in the decide exactly what to put in its
place does not in their judgment of the State. Finally, to set this duty but not to be trifted with. offer sufficient guarantees for little matter right, the law re-This has been helped by the way place. East End of London in
free deliberation."
quiring the legislative bodies to in which the British action against I may recall, perhaps, the frame It is interesting to note how meet at fixed intervals is repealed. the French navy is being exploit- their present period of of mind of Louis XVIII, who, in closely the conditions. which then What it all means has been pared
a Royal Ordinance of July 17,prevailed. have recurred, for the tially revealed by a semi-official The man in the street blames trial. For Mark Tapley's 1816, wrote:
Viscount de Treveneuc, in intro-hint to the Press that the "new the British for going on with the "We, Louis, by the grace of ducing this law, recalled the spon-Assemblies" are to be on the lines war. But this is a transient and jolliness was more than God King of France and Na-taneous meeting of several of the of the Italian "Corporations." I superficial phase. German good spirits; wherever he
are too fully con-Councils-General after the Fran- is worth while bearing in mind tempts to curry favour are always vinced of the evils which in-co-Prussian war, "when France, that it took Mussolint 13 years to clumsy, and will be heavily dis- found trouble, he rolled
stability in the laws can cause
of whom they were at that time get these cumbersome bodies into counted. When it is seen that food. in a State to dream of a genera:
working order-if, indeed, they stuffs are being removed and back his wristbands and -revision of the Codes but
may be said to work even now, when the strength of the British we reserve the right to put for-||
for their function is extremely resistance is fully understood, we waded into it, scattering ward special laws in order to
difficult to understand, and they may confidently expect a streng- it as he cared for the sick
are not in any way either repre-thening of the latent spirit of sentative or legislative.
sympathy with what was until so My prediction is that the Vichy lately, and will be again, our com- and helpless, roused the
Government will stagger about for mon cause. Obviously there is al- discouraged and befriend-
some time (it may stagger as far ready a nucleus of opposition, for as Paris) and then fall. It did otherwise it would not have been ed the lonely.
varre.
"
amend what needs reform.
"Though such reforms can only be the work of time and the fruit of long meditation it is essential to abolish at once
those expressions and formulas
By-
E. B. WAREING
at-
which are not in harmony with the only legal representatives, re-not stay long at Clermont-Fer-necessary to impose a heavy sen- the principles of our govern-fused to hand over to the Govern-rand, an industrial town which tence on a Lille editor merely for ment and which bring back to either her money or her child- with Coventry, for it was feared day or so too soon.
ment of Tours and of. Bordeaux may be compared approximately publishing the armistice terms a mind times and circumstances;
very recollection."
sion, namely: "In
We
the
It is probably reasonable to assume that Hitler will leave the
Were Mark in Britain now, he might conceiv-
of which we wish to efface the ren. History has repeated itself that the workers would find some The political parties which ably feel as he did in the
down to the very towns in which way of demonstrating against it would normally offer some ex- the Government took refuge from There are other industrial towns pression of public opinion have, swampy American wild-
End Of Republic the German invader!
in the neighbourhood-Le Creusot of course, been forbidden, im- erness to which he and
Thirdly, Petain's Law No. a is and Saint Etienne among them-¡plicitly in the non-occupied area What a King of France and illegal because a number of sena about which the same might be by Marshal Petain's new laws, and young Martin had been Navarre thought it advisable to tors and deputies-probably about said. In considering a move Iured by a sharp land has now been attempted by
leave to time and long meditation 300-were forcibly detained
to explicitly in the rest of France Paris, where German protection by the Nazy regulations forbid- Casablanca on board a ship it would be available, these factors ding public gatherings. agent, and where he and stroke of the pen by an uncrown-which they had embarked in the will play their part.
ed Martin faced an extreme "We Philippe Petain, Marshal of withdrawing to Africa,
though imperious successor. belief that the Government was
In Coming Months crisis. " 'Now, Mr. Tapley, France, hereby declare that Whilst the law was thus broken Marshal more or less alone or, said Mark to himself with assume the functions of Head of three times the outward form a more exactly, that he will both counter-measure in the formation We may expect to see a further the French State," and the a majority vote was retained a a tremendous blow in the three decrees which follow com- the meeting of the National As-support and attack him to an of some kind of National-Socialist chest by way. of reviver, sense, the whole legal basis of the Here, again, however, the Govern can already be seen. That secare moving slowly, for their main
pletely change, in
equal degree. a negative sembly held in secret on July 10
party masquerading In: French The beginnings of this policy guise. Here, again, the Germans 'just you attend to what State.
ment has broken the law by re-tion of the Paris Press which, un- immediate concern is the attack "Constitutional Law No. 1," of fusing to publish the proceedings I've got to say. Things is which I have just quoted the pre-of the situng of the two Cham der German Inspiration, is an-on Britain; politics, for them, can looking about as bad asamble, contains only one provi-bers. Revelations on this subjecgling for the support of the work-wait. they can look, young man. Art. 2 of the Constitution of Feb. soon as representatives of
on the The coming month or so may consequence, will doubtless be forthcoming at ng-class, pours irony
"reactionaries, of Vichy," whilst at well, I believe, see that beginnings . You'll not have such an-25, 1875, is abrogated."
the same time Germany is thought of a new trend-that of some of minority are in a position to speak On referring to the text of this openly. Moreover, the resolution to be preparing to resume some the soundest elements in French other opportunity for the meaning of the amendment itself provided for ratification by kind of regular diplomatic rela-ilfe who, despairing of politics, showing your jolly dis- becomes clear, for Article 2 reads: the nation," which has not taken tions with them. position, my fine fellow, as elected.. by the Senate and
Real Nazi Menace long as you live. And, Chamber, meeting as a National On Italian Model therefore, Tapley, now's
Even now, however, the Vichy country.. In Constitutional Law No. 2 the Government seems to have no They will be all the more en- your time to come out Thus, there is no longer a Pro-Marshal arrogates to himself "full inkling of the kind of peace which couraged when they see how tle- sident of the Republic, nor even a governmental powers and the is likely to be in the German vold Hitler is of political wisdom, strong."
Republio-only a "State" without right to nominate and dismiss mind. On the very day when M.Jadministrative ability, knowledge King or President. Law No. 1 Ministers, who are responsible Baudouin, the Foreign Minister, of French tradition and faith. · In Dickens recorded in means that Marshal Petain has solely to him." Hitherto, they were spoke openly of our conquerors," human nature. The Frenchman is
• fiction the homely and used the position of Head of responsible to the Senate and M. Alibert Minister of Justice, neither docile enough, like the this State, Reference to the French Chamber. This is, of course, who is also the draughtsman of Nazis, nor cynical enough, like the noble British virtues as Constitution shows this to be il-further illegality. The Senate and the new "Constitution," was of Fascists, to accept in allent humi-
legal for three reasons: he found them. His times First, because Article 2 of the They will be replaced by the affairs of Alsace and Lorraine to him. He may be partially sup- Chamber are also to disappear ficially. "placed in charge of the liation the political role assigned have gone, but London Law of Aug. 13, 1884, provides Head-of-the-Serate-in-Coundll as though those two provinces pressed, in which case the new
that "the Republic form of Gov-"until new Assemblies are creat-would ever again shows that the Mark Tap-ernment cannot be made the sub-ed." Here, however, by way of French control if the German vic-full expression, But that is all, and come under political trend will not at first And leys are still there ready ject of any proposal for its re afterthought, Constitutional Law tory were confirmed. Whether the partial suppression does not mat-
vision." to "come out strong!”
No. 3 provides that a Senate and Germans will be insulted or mere- ter in the long run, Complete sup- Secondly, because a special law, la Chamber" (not "the," but "a") ly amused at this has yet to be pression is impossible.
"The President of the Republic is place.
Assembly, for a period of seven years,
•
J'a
0197
had left them to those whom they considered less sound, to come out of their retirement and work in a practical way for the good of their
1