The first ballots at the French General Election indicate that
the new Chamber will be very much like the old one. So far as individual groups have changed, the Socialists are the chief gainers. But there has been an appreciable electoral expression of liking for M. Briand's ideas of moderation and conciliation—not by any means such a triumph as he and M.- Poincare hoped for, but still enough to encourage the new Briandist party to persevere. The Socialists have already won five seats, adding two hundred and eighty thousand yotea to their total poll, and seem likely to win between twenty and thirty more seats at the second ballots on May10,11. The Radical-Socialists have lost more heavily than any party, and would have lost more heavily still had they not explained away or abandoned the famous Pau programme, which eon- denined three years. service and advocated an inquisitorial form of Income Tax. The fact is that Frenchmen, after
thinking well over the fresh burden to be placed on the country by three instead of two years' service. are calmly prepared to accept it as necessary. The pacifists have been roundly defeated. The country, apparently, also desires electoral reform. &rutin d'arrondissement seems more likely than ever before to disappear in favour of scrtain de lisie and proportional representation. '
