Algerian colons, once elected to the National…

Algerian colons, once elected to the National Assembly, became permanent fixtures. 

Because of their seniority, they exercise disproportionate influence, and their support is important to any government's survival.

The leader of the colon delegation, Auguste Warnier, had succeeded during the 1870s and 1880s in modifying or introducing legislation to facilitate the private transfer of land to settlers and continue the Algerian state's appropriation of land from the local population and distribution to settlers.

Consistent proponents of reform, like Georges Clemenceau and socialist Jean Jaurès, are rare in the National Assembly.