Rebuff for the Comrades

By rejecting a Communist-sired Constitution for their Fourth Republic (TIME, May 13), the voters of France had given the French Communist Party, second in Europe only to the Party in Russia, its sharpest rebuff since liberation. They had also checked Soviet Russia's ideological and political infiltration westward.

What had turned the trick? What had upset all Communist expectations of a Yes vote? What had changed the electorate's seeming apathy into a turnout which produced a margin of 1,100,000 No's out of 20,000,000 ballots?

"To Abstain Is Treason." In normally conservative country districts, the extreme Left scored gains. In normally radical industrial centers, including Paris, the extreme Left lost ground. For this unexpected twist there was an explanation. Communist propaganda had reached its peak effectiveness in the politically conscious cities last October. Since then, city-dwellers had mulled over the Red slogan, "Thorez to Power!", balked at the implication of dictatorship. The crest of Communist propaganda had hit rural areas later. Country folks' reaction to the cry for power to Communist Leader Maurice Thorez might well become evident in next month's elections for a new Constitution-drafting Assembly.

Again, the Communists had failed to reckon with the Church. No blaring slogans or challenging invective came from Catholic pulpits. But on Sunday (i.e., election day) morning, cures throughout France preached that "to abstain from the polls is treason." The congregations went out from Mass to cast their No's.

"Orderly Revolution." But the rebuff to the comrades was not necessarily a rebuff to left-of-center reforms, to the "revolution by law" on which all major French parties are agreed. Cabled a TIME Paris correspondent: "If the French were asked tomorrow, 'Do you want a Constitution different from any you ever had before, with special emphasis on social reform?' the answer would be an overwhelming 'Yes.' France's whole temper is still one of orderly revolution."

France's left-wing leaders trimmed their sails to the prevailing wind. The Communists came about with their usual adroitness. They dropped the "Thorez to Power!" slogan, issued a manifesto with the new line: "Republican unity at all costs!" Wrote Socialist Secretary General Daniel Mayer in the Party organ, Le Populaire: "The Socialist Party is ready once again to strive for conciliation of all Republicans."

The Catholic M.R.P. and the new Republican Rally (built around the Radical Socialists), who had led the No vote, had less tacking ahead. The Popular Republicans were reportedly ready with a draft Constitution that would provide a strong executive under traditional democratic checks & balances. In the campaign for the June 2 election they would try to sell their program to the nation.

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