CAILLAUX, JOSEPH MARIE AUGUSTE (1863 ), French politician, was born March 3o, 1863, at Le Mans. His father, Eugene Caillaux, was first a Deputy and later Senator; he was Minister of Public Works from 1873 to 1875 and Minister of Finance in the year In 1888, after a brilliant academic career, Joseph Caillaux was admitted to the Ministry of Finance. Later he was appointed lecturer at the tcole des Sciences Politiques in Paris. In 1898 Caillaux entered the Chamber of Deputies for Mamers, which he continued to represent until 1917. In 1899, Waldeck-Rousseau made him his Minister of Finance. During his three years of office, Caillaux showed not only great financial but also great administrative ability. He inaugurated the reform of the method of taxing alcoholic drinks, the increase in the scale of the inheri tance tax and the reform of the sugar laws, thus introducing into French fiscal legislation the progressive policy which characterized his subsequent work. He left office in 1902, but four years later was re-appointed by Clemenceau. During this second term of office he introduced an income tax, the first serious attempt at a just and democratic form of taxation in France.
The Agadir crisis in 1911 marked the next important stage in his career. The Monis Ministry resigned in June and Caillaux was entrusted with the formation of a new ministry, and conducted with signal ability the difficult negotiations with Germany. In 1912, however, he was obliged to retire before the hostility of the Commission of the Senate, appointed to enquire into the Franco German Treaty. In Nov. 1913 he returned to his former post as Minister of Finance in M. Doumergue's Government. A virulent press campaign was started against him in the Figaro, and intimate letters which had passed between M. Caillaux and his wife before their marriage were published. The latter, deeming her honour to have been assailed, shot the editor, M. Calmette. M. Caillaux was forced to resign, and at the subsequent trial of Madame Caillaux defended her with such force and eloquence that she was acquitted.
On the outbreak of the World War he was appointed pay master-general to the forces and some months later was entrusted with an economic mission to South America. During his absence he was accused of desiring a premature peace and of caballing in secret against the Government. He returned to France in 1915, however, and entirely ignored the accusations. In July 1917 Clemenceau led the attack upon the Ribot Government and Malvy's administration. The Government was overthrown, and Clemenceau came into power with the one idea to carry on the war, despite all obstacles. His one serious rival was Joseph Caillaux. Clemenceau, therefore, on Dec. 1I, 1917, demanded the suspension of Caillaux' parliamentary immunity, moving a vote of no confidence in the Chamber. Caillaux proclaimed his innocence in one of the finest speeches ever made in the Chamber, and de manded to be heard in the Courts. His parliamentary immunity was suspended, and on Jan. 4, 1918, he was arrested. Various cases of high treason were pending at this time and an attempt was made to connect these with the accusations against Caillaux. It was not until Feb. 1920 that he was brought before the Senate, sitting as the High Court of Justice, and indicted for "plotting against the security of the state abroad." After a lengthy debate the accusations fell to the ground one by one. By 213 votes to 28 the arguments of the Procureur-General, Lescouve, were refuted. Nevertheless, Caillaux was not completely exonerated. He was condemned to three years' imprisonment, the loss of his civic rights for ten years and to five years' residence within a zone to be indicated by the Government, as well as to pay the costs of the case amounting to about 53,000 francs. The venerable M. De mange, the senior advocate of the court, rose in his seat and said indignantly : "Remember, gentlemen, that you are condemning a man on a count on which he has not been defended." As he had already spent three years in prison Caillaux was released the next morning. He returned to Mamers and devoted his time to writing two books which appeared also in English under the titles of My Prisons (1921) and Whither France? Whither Europe? (1922).
The amnesty passed by the National Assembly in 1924 re stored his political and civic rights to Caillaux. In 1925 he was asked by Painleve to join his Government as being the one m an capable of reducing French finances to order. He accepted the duty and it seemed that at last this difficult task would be accom plished. He attacked first the problem of inter-allied debts. He initiated conversations in London with Churchill and in Wash ington with the United States Debt Commission. But political considerations proved too strong. He was accused of belonging to the Radical Socialists. Serious friction arose, with the result that Painleve handed in the resignation of the Government on Oct. 28 and formed a new Ministry, excluding Caillaux. The latter had, in the meantime, been elected Senator and president of the council of the Sarthe. He retired from office with dignity, pre ferring failure to the countenancing of measures which, in his opinion, would almost certainly prove ruinous to the country. In June 1926, after another cabinet crisis, Caillaux again became Minister of Finance ; but his tenure of office was brief. He sought to impose upon France a policy of financial reform—more work, increased production, reduced expenditure—and colonial develop ment ; and to suppress occult influences working against the rehabilitation of the franc. His methods, however, were too dic tatorial not to arouse Republican resentment and on July 19 the ministry fell on a vote of no confidence passed by the Chamber.