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In recent weeks the Parliamentary committee investigating I'affaire Stavisky has glossed over even such startling admissions as one by Inspector Le Gall of the Sûrete (Secret Police) that "I would have had 99 chances out of a 100 to capture Stavisky alive if I had been allowed to." This strengthened public conviction that $30,000,000 Swindler Alexandre Stavisky was no suicide but was shot by the Sûrete because highly placed politicians thought he knew too much. For months the Rightist Paris Press has been hammering insinuations of guilt at dapper Deputy Camille Chautemps who was Premier when the Stavisky scandal broke. M. Chautemps is now leader in the Chamber of the biggest Left bloc, the Radical Socialists whose Party President is Edouard Herriot, perpetual Mayor of Lyons, onetime Premier and today, like M. Tardieu, a Minister of State. One morning last week despondency at the slime being flung at the Chautemps family caused Niece Jacqueline Chautemps to commit suicide. She may or may not have known that that morning M. Tardieu would go before the Stavisky Committee and launch a vitriolic attack upon Uncle Camille Chautemps.
M. Tardieu called M. Chautemps a liar, an associate of criminals and a forger. He charged him with forging the stub of a Stavisky check for 300,000 francs to make it appear that this sum had been paid to a person called "Tardi," promptly assumed by the Left Press to be Tardieu. For six hours M. Tardieu's scathing attack went on. He produced little or no evidence to support his charges but vilified radical Socialist Leader Chautemps to such an extent as to involve the prestige of the Party and of Boss Herriot. Plainly M. Tardieu was playing to disrupt the Cabinet and force a general election which he hoped to win. When M. Chautemps was finally called to confront M. Tardieu he accepted the challenge. "I take note," he declared, "that a member of the Cabinet has accepted responsibility for rupturing the political truce."
That sent the statesmen scampering to stop Premier Gaston Doumergue before he could leave Paris for his vacation. "M. le President!" they panted at Gastounet, "your Cabinet is threatened. You must not go."
As the engine whistled Gastounet made a lightning decision. "Tell the boys to be good!" he snapped. "This quarrel must be limited to the men involved, not their parties or the Government. I shall leave now on my vacation and should anyone act rashly they must bear the blame. Au revoir, Messieurs!" and the train chuffed off with Gastounet.
Over the week-end Great Little Gaston remained obstinately at his holiday retreat, but it became obvious that he must return to Paris and intervene between Minister of State Herriot and Minister of State Tardieu, each of whom was demanding that the other resign. The shock of M. Tardieu's attack sent prices down on the Paris Bourse and many editors condemned as reckless and unpatriotic his attempt to rupture the Cabinet. In an effort to give Great Little Gaston all possible support President Albert Lebrun praised his "wisdom and prudence" in a formal speech at Aurillac, then declared: